Five-star service on the road
Hey, Nikki here!
This week I sat down with Neville Shende — 40-plus years in transportation, former guitarist and guitar tech turned elite entertainer coach driver, and founder of CDL Platinum. He's driven Prince, Madonna, Alicia Keys, Black Sabbath, Shakira, Ronnie James Dio, and more.
Our conversation is full of incredible stories and lessons. Neville doesn't talk about driving like it's a driving job. He talks about it like it's a service standard. Getting people safely from city to city is the floor. What he's actually describing is something closer to: how do you anticipate what someone needs before they know they need it?
Why this one matters:
Neville's time with Prince changed the way he worked. Not just because Prince demanded more, but because Neville was paying attention.
He saw what five-star hospitality looked like in the hotels they were traveling through, and he brought that same level back to the bus. Folded towels. Flowers from catering in a vase. GPS routes pre-planned to the nearest lakes and Java Juices (a Prince favorite).
Prince didn't ask for any of it. That was the point.
#1 Absorb the standard, then bring it with you
When Neville started working at Prince's level, he didn't just observe the five-star environment around him — he studied it and carried it back. He folded the toilet paper the way the hotel did. He put a gold sticker on the tissue. He collected flowers from catering before they got thrown out and put them in a vase on the bus. The bus felt like the hotel because Neville decided it should, without anyone asking him to close that gap.
Takeaway: You don't need the budget to match the level. You need the awareness.
Try this: Look at the environment your artist, client, or team is operating in this week. Pick one detail from that level of experience and quietly bring it into your space.
#2 The preparation is the service
Neville researched every city before he arrived. He knew where Prince's favorite juice spot was. He knew Ronnie James Dio loved antique stores and had locations ready before anyone asked. He parked the bus door lined up exactly with the hotel exit he knew his artist would use. When he stopped for fuel at 3 a.m. and the crew was asleep, he collected their radios and put them all on the charger. When they woke up, everything was ready. No one had said a word.
Takeaway: People remember the feeling of being taken care of. They rarely know exactly why.
Try this: Before your next show, think one step ahead of the people you support. What will they need in two hours that they haven't thought about yet?
#3 Consistency is what builds the reputation
Neville didn't build a 40-year career on one great tour with Prince. He built it by bringing the same standard every time. Smooth drives, prepared buses, route prep, and a good hang. The types of things that helped people see him as more than a driver and started thinking of him as someone they needed on the road.
Tour managers requested him. Artists asked him to stay. That kind of trust doesn't come from one impressive moment. It compounds.
Takeaway: A reputation isn't what you do when people are watching. It's what you do at the fuel stop at 3 a.m.
Try this: Think about the last three shows you worked. Was the standard you brought the same across all three, or did it depend on how you felt that day?
If you want the full conversation, listen to Episode #61 of The Giggs Podcast with Neville Shende.
SPOTIFY | APPLE | YOUTUBE
— Nikki
P.S. One line I loved: Neville has a trademarked term — Gladitude — and his definition is that gratitude is the attitude that gives you altitude to rise above all worldly challenges. Even if you’re broken down at 3 a.m., take an elevated look, be grateful everyone's safe, and then come back down and fix it. That's a useful reminder for anyone in this industry when the wheels come off.
