The Petra Zone

HOW MANY TOUR BUSES DID PETRA HAVE AND DID THEY OWN THEM OR ARE THEY LEASED TO THE BAND?

I don't have the answer to that question, but the only bus I ever saw them use was burgundy.

I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER EITHER, JUST A SMART ALECKY RESPONSE.

Jon, I wouldn't expect anything LESS from you!

I know that the red one you see on the Backstage Pass video was a rental... and they rented buses after that.

Prior - I have no idea.

LOL Jon ! cool pic of the guys in Strypers bodies!

Do you mean how many did they have at any one time, or how many all total, or how many in their heyday?

They had a 33 year history. They may have owned some buses and rented others.

knotodiswrld wrote:Do you mean how many did they have at any one time, or how many all total, or how many in their heyday?

They had a 33 year history. They may have owned some buses and rented others.

It is silly to own a bus. Leasing provides tax, service, preventative maintenance, insurance and operational expense benefits. I doubt that they ever owned one.

More questions:

What Christian band's sound system was used by Petra on John's first tour?

What secular band was the previous owner of Petra's lighting and truss system on the NOTW tour?

Is one answer Foreigner?

Jonathan wrote:Is one answer Foreigner?

Nope. They used Rez Band's PA and used ELO's lighting and trussing.

Do bus leases have high mileage limits? I tried leasing a car once. The mileage limit was absolute murder. If you live somewhere like NYC where you don't have to drive that much, I guess a car lease makes sense. If somewhere without good public transport, a lease is a real burden.

A bus lease for a band would only make sense if it had no mileage limit, or at least a very high one.

knotodiswrld wrote:Do bus leases have high mileage limits? I tried leasing a car once. The mileage limit was absolute murder. If you live somewhere like NYC where you don't have to drive that much, I guess a car lease makes sense. If somewhere without good public transport, a lease is a real burden.

A bus lease for a band would only make sense if it had no mileage limit, or at least a very high one.

You are talking about two different worlds my friend. There are no limits. You are paying for time used. If bus drivers had to account for miles and follow the DOT regs, concert touring would be much more expensive and shows would not be as frequent.

Longer runs = cheaper rates. It is completely different. Long term or high-end user lease busses are usually built for clients based on their specific needs (number of bunks, bays, kitchen, lounge, etc) and budget. Short terms usually mean you are getting a used bus. An empty Prevost shell with motor and tranny alone is about $600K. By the time it is loaded with a genie, shore power feeder, interior, etc, the cost hits 1M easily. It makes sense to lease one for $5k a month instead of buying, paying taxes, maintaining, etc. This is why few people in the industry own buses and why there are no many touring bus companies.

That makes sense, I suppose. Thanks for the info.