Uber Tales: Driving around Dave Matthews Band members was a quiet thrill
Tim Reynolds didn't have much to say, but Stefan Lassard sure did.
Monotonous shifts perpetuate the life of an Uber driver. Most nights or mornings, you’re hoping to make enough bank to walk into the door and convince the wife it was worth the gas and damage to haul people around the city. Like a pitcher or actor, there were good times and bad times. Interesting makes a decent money night stand taller.
The early morning airport trips were groovy, even when the customer’s home was buried inside a Frontenac zip code that made me think I was entering the third act of a Purge movie. Every afternoon I attempted to go out and find rides, but it ended in disappointment. People don’t go far during the sunniest hours of the day. The evenings and late nights were where the money was at, especially with a band in town or a sporting event taking place.
Among the biggest nights that I didn’t drive, the Stanley Cup parade for the St. Louis Blues sits at the top. The wife was out of town and the kid was eight years old, so whipping around town for 3-5 hours wasn’t a good option. An easy $400-500 was left on the table, along with a boatload of stress. Getting out in the thick of that shit only to get stuck for an hour with one ride eating up the clock would be a drag. Going out on those wild occasions requires patience and tenacity in deep supply. Delivering people or something of value to a company creates an easy route to stress.
Cardinals’ games provided more financial comfort than Blues’ games, but concerts at the Enterprise Center were a goldmine for quick cash. Before I had a decent sized crush on Lady Gaga, she came to town on a Thursday and bankrolled my checking account for a hundred bucks in just three hours of driving. Garth Brooks and Guns N’ Roses rocked the Dome and helped me make out with what a whole week of driving would normally be.
Taylor Swift, a topical name of the moment and also when I drove back from 2017-2020, helped stuffed cash into many Uber driver’s pockets when she rolled through town. Fun Fact: She has family from St. Louis and even spends the occasional Thanksgiving in town. One can only imagine the collective commotion if Travis Kelce and Swift roll out of Cafe Napoli on a Saturday night sometime down the road.
While I can’t recall the band or act they were seeing, the Dave Matthews Band were in the mood for a show a few years ago. They were in town for a concert that week, and I was given a chance to drive them from their hotel to the arena. Facebook doesn’t do a soul tons of favors, but it does afford the unique connection.
First off, no, I didn’t get to meet and drive Dave himself. That would have been an entirely different article.
Kevin Reynolds messaged me, knowing my affinity for Uber driving and someone he could trust with an assignment. His brother, Tim Reynolds, happens to be a St. Louis native and outstanding guitarist. He tours with DMB and with Matthews when the duo perform acoustic versions of the band’s songs.
About an hour before the show, I picked up the Reynolds brothers, bassist Stefan Lessard, and a couple other partygoers. A drive from the Four Seasons Hotel to Enterprise isn’t a long route, but there was enough time for a little conversation and some laughs. It was during the summer, so it was a little warm and the air conditioning was a must during a late afternoon stroll through downtown.
Reynolds sat in the car like a quiet genius; imagine Dylan leaning completely into guitar play instead of writing future-predicting masterpieces. He smiled when I complimented his work and seemed to enjoy the company more than the idea of being in a car. His brother was more chatty, as was Lessard.
After 15 minutes or so, they were out of the car and into their show. A brush with fame starts and finishes before you can create an idea of a cool thing to say. My few seconds with Jon Hamm was over before I knew it. Sharing a few moments with members of the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club after a show at Delmar Hall was more memorable for how cold it was and that the missing band member passed out drunk in the trailer before meeting fans.
You soak up the good stuff and carry on. I hope you enjoyed this latest batch of Uber Tales, a slow-trickling of stories from my driving days. Stay safe, warm, and sane out there.
