Meeting the band

AlrightToDrive wrote:

Did you meet Brian by the like tour bus, or just outside the venue?

I was at the venue quite early so I saw them coming when the van pull over (they were coming from a Lee store I think). After the show I met Ian & Dave Hause at the rear of the venue (inside it), where there was a bar and the store (in which both of them were helping the merch guy) and, almost 1 hour after the show I left the venue and met Brian just outside it, by the bus, where he was talking with other fans.

I'm going to the Chicago show on March 1st and have seen tons of stories of people meeting the guys after the show. Anyone who's met the band have any advice on where to go and how to meet them? This'll be my first concert, so I'm new to this.

I've met them a few times and you honestly have to be prepared to wait. If you got a schedule to be on (catch a train etc.) you prob won't get the chance. I think easily I've waited an hour and a half to two hours after. And you have to be patient. I've seen people leave cause they've waited long enough and then like 15 min later they come out. So patience lol.

Look for the area (or near) where their tour bus is. If there's a back entrance they prob won't be coming out the front. And most likely there will be a group of people near by waiting so - follow the crowd.

Most venue security will kick you out right after the show ends. If you are lucky you can hang in a corner and prob go undetected. I met ian this way once. But best bet is tour bus area.

Also, some venue security will try and tell you they've left or the likes. In my experience they usually are lying.

Ian I know walks around on the floor before they go on because "no one recognizes me" usually by the merch booth. Even though he's not a main member seriously is a chill guy. I've also found Benny and Alex L are better to aim to talk to. Alex R can be kinda quiet and Brian gets swarmed especially if there's a group.

Good luck!

Everything Debonair said but I'll add a few things from my experience.

-Sometimes you get lucky and they come out quicker than you'd expect. 2 hours was the most I waited and that was to see Brian after the revival tour. Otherwise I've waited 30-45 minutes once, and fifteen minutes 2 other times. They also don't all come out at once or make a grand entrance so keep your eyes open.

-Debonair is right, don't listen to security. They like to let fences block fans sometimes but Brian seems to be good at getting around them haha.

-If you're in a rush but they do come out in time, don't be afraid to work your way up and get your chance with each of the guys. A LOT of people are very nervous and they'll stand 2 feet from Brian but say nothing until that "perfect moment". So seize any opportunity and you'll get out quicker. (just don't be rude obviously, haha).

-If you're nervous, try and talk to Benny first cuz it's so easy to be calm around him and chatting with him is a blast.

-And if you have all the time in the world to wait, hang around and just chat with Benny or Brian. It's a lot better once the crowd dies down and if you're lucky Brian's in a chatty mood and will stick around longer.

Good luck!

Debonair, thanks for the tips about Ian! I still haven't met him or Alex L.

Is the show at a big venue? I've seen the band eight times and only met them once; at the smallest venue (Stone Pony in 2011). I feel like the smaller the venue the better the chances.

It's also worth saying that they do come out in order to chat and meet people. On the occassions when one or other of them just wants to get back to the bus, you'll know. So when they are hanging around, don't think you are bothering them. They are hanging around because they want to.

And by all means tell them about how much you love them and everything they do, but you're more likely to get into a great conversation with them when you just talk about movies or baseball or whatever.

NYYFAN523 wrote:

Is the show at a big venue? I've seen the band eight times and only met them once; at the smallest venue (Stone Pony in 2011). I feel like the smaller the venue the better the chances.

Thanks for the advice everyone. And it's at the Riviera Theatre, which I think is a pretty average size theatre. I've never been there before.

I met Regina Spektor at the Riviera, so it's totally possible to meet people there. The security was really cool about it, too. She came out and didn't see us at first (we were down the sidewalk from the door), and the people working were like "there are some people down there who wanted to say hi" and she came over. So it's a pretty accommodating venue. Or at least it was back then.

Good luck! I'll be at the Chicago show, too.

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

Debonair, thanks for the tips about Ian! I still haven't met him or Alex L.

Yeah him and danny(? - The merch guy.) have that bromance going on so they usually are somewhere near each other.

Surprised you didn't meet either of them they were both outside after Webster.

Debonair wrote:

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

Debonair, thanks for the tips about Ian! I still haven't met him or Alex L.

Yeah him and danny(? - The merch guy.) have that bromance going on so they usually are somewhere near each other.

Surprised you didn't meet either of them they were both outside after Webster.

Oh I know all about that, haha. Gotta love twitter!

I did notice Ian was around, I think I only saw Alex L. for a moment and then he was gone. Idk I said hi to Brian and then chatted with Benny for like a half hour. I chose to keep chatting with Benny instead of seeing them, but I really would love to meet them!

Benny is awesome.

/general announcement

It was funny how I met Brian. Well, funny for me. My girlfriend on the other hand, not so much.

I am a pretty big fan of The Gaslight Anthem. I started dating my girlfriend 2.5 years ago and got her into them from the get go of our relationship. She fell in love with the band, and Brian as a vocalist and she thinks he is hot as well. She blogs about him more than most anything else. So We went and saw them in November at the House of Blues in Boston. Immediately after the show, we were set on heading home since we both work early the next day, but i said how we should wait to see if they came out after they played. My girlfriend was like, "no lets not wait. They wont be coming out for a while." I knew she loves this band and just having a chance to say hi would have been amazing. The backstage door to the tour bus parked on the street is probably 20 feet the most. And we were the only people near the bus besides a security guard.

Well, we probably were outside for 1 minute at the most and Brian came walking out. I was like "lets just hi". I approached Brian and was like "Hi Dude, thanks for the awesome band and you guys played awesome today. BlahBlahBlah." Brian was super nice and shook my hand and said thanks for coming out. I go to introduce my girlfriend and she was 10 feet back and in awe. She just froze. Here I am 31 years old. In the endstages of my Movember charity moustache, fanboying over some band while my girlfriend is in awe.

Brian and I look at her like wtf is wrong with her. Brian even looked at her like you can come closer. but she just froze. I remind her at least once a week about this awkward exchange she will never live down.

That being said. Brian was fresh off the stage. Carrying a takeout food container and still was awesome about saying hi before going onto the tour bus probably to eat. So if you see Brian or any other member, just say hi. They are down to earth dudes that seem to be enjoying the ride.

Haha that's a great story! Your girlfriend isn't alone though. So many people get close-ish and then are afraid to talk to him! I know what you mean by him looking at her like she can come closer. He does that a lot because there's like 40 people around him staring at him and no one approaches him!

Did she really not say anything to him? or even wave?

she didnt say anything. after i had my exchange with Brian, he was sort of getting the bus keys out of his pocket in front of the bus door. I told her he is right there, just go say hi and he looked over and smile and made eye contact with us. It was fucking funny. The walk back to the car from and venue, and the drive back to Central Mass was me saying "I cant believe you were 10 feet away from this dude you talk so highly of and you didnt even say hello!"

lol_paul_ledoux wrote:

she didnt say anything. after i had my exchange with Brian, he was sort of getting the bus keys out of his pocket in front of the bus door. I told her he is right there, just go say hi and he looked over and smile and made eye contact with us. It was fucking funny. The walk back to the car from and venue, and the drive back to Central Mass was me saying "I cant believe you were 10 feet away from this dude you talk so highly of and you didnt even say hello!"

I've never met any of the guys, but I am just so terrified that if I ever do, I will act the same as her All I've ever heard is how easy they are to talk to, but still, I'm afraid I would freeze. I'm normally a really outgoing person who will talk to anyone about anything, but all that might totally change.

matkins wrote:

lol_paul_ledoux wrote:

she didnt say anything. after i had my exchange with Brian, he was sort of getting the bus keys out of his pocket in front of the bus door. I told her he is right there, just go say hi and he looked over and smile and made eye contact with us. It was fucking funny. The walk back to the car from and venue, and the drive back to Central Mass was me saying "I cant believe you were 10 feet away from this dude you talk so highly of and you didnt even say hello!"

I've never met any of the guys, but I am just so terrified that if I ever do, I will act the same as her All I've ever heard is how easy they are to talk to, but still, I'm afraid I would freeze. I'm normally a really outgoing person who will talk to anyone about anything, but all that might totally change.

Step 1: approach Benny
Step 2: stand close enough and he will start a conversation with you.
Step 3: accept his welcoming and relaxed presence, let it calm you, and respond.
Step 4: with your new found confidence, go talk to the other guys.

Just remember that it's better to embarrass yourself in front of them than to not say anything at all! I can say this because I've embarrassed myself a few times in front of them. No regrets.

i met alex outside the recher in 09 in baltimore and he was just trying to get back to the bus but he stopped to say hi and sign my setlist and tell me to keep rocking. i've followed his advice

ha I did most of that. With Benny I just went up and put my hand out then realized I hadn't said anything then mumbled something about 'great show' and shrank away

we all know those posed 'me and X' photos, but what does meeting the band actually look like?

here are two photos from 2010 (UK), one pre-show (Hammersmith), one post-show (Oxford)

you see, all quite casual





there are DimestoreSaints in each pic

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

Step 1: approach Benny
Step 2: stand close enough and he will start a conversation with you.
Step 3: accept his welcoming and relaxed presence, let it calm you, and respond.
Step 4: with your new found confidence, go talk to the other guys.

I wish it was that easy! I've only met Brian and Alex R. and they were both driving home from the Asbury Park Holiday show. Almost froze and didn't say anything lol. I really hope to meet Benny after a show, everyone says he is so down to earth (not that the others aren't... but it's Brian god damn Fallon).

NYYFAN523 wrote:

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

Step 1: approach Benny
Step 2: stand close enough and he will start a conversation with you.
Step 3: accept his welcoming and relaxed presence, let it calm you, and respond.
Step 4: with your new found confidence, go talk to the other guys.

I wish it was that easy! I've only met Brian and Alex R. and they were both driving home from the Asbury Park Holiday show. Almost froze and didn't say anything lol. I really hope to meet Benny after a show, everyone says he is so down to earth (not that the others aren't... but it's Brian god damn Fallon).

But it IS that easy! Okay, it's scary too but still. They're just such normal guys. I'd hate to see anyone miss out on a chance to talk with them because of fear. Aren't you glad you did say something?

I still haven't had the chance to really 'meet' Benny. The closest I've gotten was receiving a super sweaty hug from him after he played on Jimmy Fallon last summer. The guy seems like the most chill guy to talk to, and we tweet each other on Twitter- now I am just patiently waiting for them to come back round Jersey so I can formally introduce myself.

Alex L is super approachable though. Besides meeting him in NYC, I ran into him at a Bouncing Souls show in Asbury Park and said hey- he gave me a hug and wished me a Merry Christmas.

Brian can be very outgoing or quiet depending on the day, but you can tell he's genuine.. and when I met him, thanked me for coming out and sticking around, and signed a vinyl for me.

I shook Ian's hand at a Philly show, he was super nice too.

These 5 (yes, I am including Ian) are some of the most down to earth normal people ever. Please don't get choked up and miss the chance on meeting them!

Me and my boyfriend are going to Leeds (UK) to see them, we live about an hour and a half away so I booked us a full weekend in a hotel there just so we wont be rushing home after the gig and miss the opportunity to see them haha! I really hope we can meet them, we want to thank them, they sound like such good guys.

I am on a mission to meet them in Cleveland. Just not sure what the lay of the land is at the venue.

I met them all, talked especially with Benny, Alex R and Ian. People in Italy are REALLY interested on meting Brian (who could barely speak 'cause he was very crowded) and just a few cared after he left. With Benny it was a really unreal scene with him trying to chat but nobody had great things to say ( probably mostly because of the language) so it was like :"How are you doing guys?Yeah I'm fine too. Mmm ok cool I'll go on the bus, see ya soon". Way best with Ian, awesome guy.Hope to get 'em next months in my UK dates.