It occurred to me today that it might be interesting to document my experiences not only at Botti concerts but with my experiences at work in the Grand Garden Arena. As a part of my job I get access to things that most people think, "
If I Could only..."
This Saturday we have Eric Clapton with Los Lobos. We've had Clapton before. I'm not a huge fan so I don't think I actually saw any of his show last time. I'm going to try and make an effort to sit in on all the shows in the arena this year, at least for a couple songs - stop taking it for granted. In truth for most shows after we open doors I usually go back to my office and work on upcoming shows or conventions, maybe go grab some food at Seablue or go chat with my tour pals. I usually walk the floor a couple times during the main artist's performance to check isles, make sure the staff is ok, give a little nod to tour security to make sure everything is coolio in their world. I might hang stage right for a little while and look back at the audience for a bit. Feel the vibe. I go upstairs to the concourse level to the arena mix position just above section 19 for a great view too. Many of my concert pics I post on Twitter are from that angle.
So far I haven't heard of any meet & greet requests for Clapton. I never understood the appeal of the meet & greet until I got my own with Botti last December at the Blue Note. Well, kind of. I used my connections to connect with Botti's tour manager Jeremy Plotnikoff. Had a guy call a guy who called a guy. I thought I was being so cool and 'inside' by getting it. Little did I know that Botti does meet & greets with EVERYONE. He literally announces from the stage that he's signing autographs in the lobby after the show. While I'm immensely appreciative of all the efforts of several people to make mine happen, it really didn't, not in the traditional sense. I was one of many who stood in line to grab a photo with Botti - and was beyond thrilled about the opportunity. For the first time though I felt like a total idiot, like, "Ugh, Amy. You're one of those people who annoy you at shows who use their connections to get to an artist when no one really gives a crap about you." But everyone, especially Jeremy, tried to make it special.
But now I get it. Now I understand the butterflies, the speechlessness, the timid eye contact, the endless phone calls, emails and texts about where to be, when to be there and what to do. Now I am much more sensitive to the m&g'ers I take back to artists. For most of us this is one of the coolest things we will do (that we can show off on Facebook & Twitter). At my last show one of the guys who met George Strait actually took out his cel phone and asked George to talk to his sister (I think it was his sister?). As if in slow motion we all saw it happen but before we could stop it George had the phone in his hand and was graciously talking to the gal on the other end. George didn't quite know how to end the conversation so he said, "Talk to you later." I thought, "No you won't." But it was still cute. For those of you are thinking of trying this stunt, don't. It won't turn out as pleasantly. But hey, I gotta give it up to him. It was ballsy and it paid off.
One of the things that continues to impress me about Botti is that he even does these m&gs with his fans. People ask me all the time, "How can I get into a m&g with 'so-and-so'" and the only thing I can tell them is they have to know someone. And really, for most artists, it's true. You've either gotta be rich, be a celeb yourself, have a friend who knows the manager/band/record label or have a friend like me who's gonna call in a favor to get you in. Some bands do them with fans but you usually have to buy a premium VIP package or win a contest. At least those m&gs are still with the fans.
I've done probably hundreds of m&gs with artists, sports stars & celebrities and rarely have I seen one who connects with his fans like Botti. Most of the time it's a quick picture and the artist barely makes eye contact. They run 'em thru like cattle. The meet & greet is the obligatory evil of their success. But Botti takes the time to listen to his fans when they tell him anecdotes that only really matter to them. It's no wonder he's got fans who have seen more than 100 of his shows.
Michael Buble connects with people when he meets them like Botti. Maybe it's the genre of music. Maybe it's just a coincidence. The last m&g I did with Buble he mingled with his guests. Mingled. Like a friggin' cocktail party. He took pics, had conversations, shook hands, hung out. It was crazy. Seeing him appreciate the enormity of this moment for the fan yet recognize the silliness of simply taking a pic with him made me like him more.
I hope we've got some m&gs at Clapton on Saturday. I'd like to make someone's day. Considering I got stood up last night and I have to report to jury duty tomorrow morning, I think I need the karma.
