Highlight of the show.....thanks Glen!

[FatesFan]

Over the weekend, I had for me a once in a lifetime experience. I know this is probably going to sound real silly to some of you if not most of you. You know how in high school (for those of us in our 30/40's) the music scene was so different. The bands were larger than life and the musicians were metal gods. They were completely unattainable in the sense that you never ever really thought that you would ever get to meet some of these guys. You went and saw Judas Priest play to 15,000 people and you never thought that meeting Rob, Glen, or KK was really ever a possibility. We are closer to musicians these days because of the Internet and the down sizing of the genres which Leeds to smaller venues.

So anyway, for some reason I still get bent out of shape when I see a metal icon that I grew up with and one guy that I never ever thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever get to meet was at ProgPower and I met him. RAY ALDER. The man is a metal icon and a metal giant as far as I am concerned. I am sure you can tell by my forum name that I am a huge Fates Warning fan and have been since Night on Brocken in high school. When John left the band I was upset until I heard Ray. I feel real silly as a 39 year old man getting tore up so badly about a metal singer and if it sad, silly, ridiculous, then so be it. I met him in the front hall way and stopped him to take a picture and he was great. First class all the way. My expresion on my face is like" can you freakin believe who the hell I am standing next to".

Thanks Glen for bringing Redemption to PP as they are one of my favorite bands and this led me to meeting Ray.

I really hope that this doesn't sound sad or stalkerish.

If you like, you can see the photo on my myspace.

 

[Jasonic]

That's cool man.
Over the years I have met a ton of band members as well. Some good experiences, some not so good.

These days though, I prefer not to meet band members. I fear that if they are having an off day and are rude or not pleasant, it might tarnish my image of the band / person.

For example, I seriously do not know what I would do if I met Bruce Dickinson or Lemmy, and they were jerks to me. It would be like 20+ years of being passionate about their bands ruined!!

No, this is not silly at all.
I know exactly what you mean about the "downsizing" of the rock star status of metal musicians.

Some folks I met who were cool were:
King Diamond
Mikkey Dee
Chuck Billy
Phil Demmel (Vio-Lence, and I guess now Machine Shit)
Glen Danzig (very quiet, which is probably for the best, as I was extremely nervous).
Paul Stanley (this dude SERIOUSLY loves being a performer and appreciates his fans)
Ice T (Doesn't get cooler than this dude!)

People I could have done without:
Gene Simmons (wasn't rude, but definitely didn't give a shit)
Bruce Kulick (Get over it dude, you are not an original member and will never be treated as such, so don't expect people to kiss your ass nor give a shit, esp when standing next to Gene and Paul. Sorry. Here is a dictionary. Look up "hired gun" Sure, you are talented, but don't come off arrogant. You are lucky to have experienced what you have experienced, and are obviously and proven to be replaceable).

 

[zekeyou]

Great anecdote.

Now if only Glenn could arrange to have John Arch stand next you (and, well, on the mainstage) for a future PP...

 

[FatesFan]

Great anecdote.

Now if only Glenn could arrange to have John Arch stand next you (and, well, on the mainstage) for a future PP...

I like the way you think!

 

[Warthog]

These days though, I prefer not to meet band members. I fear that if they are having an off day and are rude or not pleasant, it might tarnish my image of the band / person.

For example, I seriously do not know what I would do if I met Bruce Dickinson or Lemmy, and they were jerks to me. It would be like 20+ years of being passionate about their bands ruined!!

I know exactly what you mean. On that note, be warned about Bruce - he runs hot and cold. I've heard that some days, he can extremely friendly and affable, and a total d-bag on others. The man has a temper, of course.

On that note... three of the nicest "famous" musicians I've ever met: Dio, Roger Miret from Agnostic Front, and Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains. Coincidentally enough, these are three men who, within their respective scenes, have absolutely nothing left to prove.

 

[AMBR]

That's cool man.
Over the years I have met a ton of band members as well. Some good experiences, some not so good.

No, this is not silly at all.
I know exactly what you mean about the "downsizing" of the rock star status of metal musicians.

Some folks I met who were cool were:
King Diamond
Mikkey Dee
Chuck Billy
Phil Demmel (Vio-Lence, and I guess now Machine Shit)
Glen Danzig (very quiet, which is probably for the best, as I was extremely nervous).
Paul Stanley (this dude SERIOUSLY loves being a performer and appreciates his fans)
Ice T (Doesn't get cooler than this dude!)

People I could have done without:
Gene Simmons (wasn't rude, but definitely didn't give a shit)
Bruce Kulick (Get over it dude, you are not an original member and will never be treated as such, so don't expect people to kiss your ass nor give a shit, esp when standing next to Gene and Paul. Sorry. Here is a dictionary. Look up "hired gun" Sure, you are talented, but don't come off arrogant. You are lucky to have experienced what you have experienced, and are obviously and proven to be replaceable).

I know exactly what you mean. Funny, was actually talking to David of Virgin Steele about this very thing. He was hanging out talking to everyone in the lobby. Now while you may not liked their set or their schtick, they have been around awhile. What we were lauging about was how abolute "nobodies" can cop the rock star attitude and legitimate stars can be so nice and approachable.

#1 all time coolest rock star with absolutley not a stuck up bone in his body we agree is Dio! Honestly, he's gotta be one of the nicest band members I have ever met and the man is clearly a legend. He even remembered meeting me and our brief 10 min. conversation like 18 months later.

Other band members who get the Super-Nice Award:
Zak Wylde
Mike Portnoy
Russell Allen
Timo Kotipelto
Tobias Sammet
Roy Kahn
Zak Stevens
Gavin Harrison
Johnny Dee and Doro herself
Chris Caffery
Jukka Nevalainen
[SIZE=-1]Jon Oliva (of course)
Johnny Macaluso

and there are so many more. I can only think of like 3 or 4 a-holes, but I'll just mention one. Blackie Lawless. That's all I have to say.


[/SIZE]

 

[CrimsonEmotions]

Although I met them primarily at the autograph sessions, all of the bands were very cool.

However, the greatest experience I had meeting a musician was meeting Jon Oliva in September of 2001. I met him at the bar before the Savatage show, and he was very cool in talking about life, especially in the band's reaction to 9/11. What a great guy.

I also met Steve Souza after an Exodus show in 2004, and he was very cool as well.

 

[Creeps]

It's nice to hear man, don't worry what others think.

Some VERY cool people I've met;

Doro in 91. The woman went above and beyond the call. The people I went to the show with were invited on her bus, + a guy and his girlfriend near us, we were on there for at least 30 minutes. she signed EVERYTHING talked and was about as nice as your own mother. I was front row during the set and every time she went and got a water she actually brought me one too. After the show she grabbed me and I stood next to her for hours while she met and signed autographs for everyone in the venue talking about KISS and other things. She's top notch.

Sebastian Bach numerous times while he was recording Slave to the Grind. He'd come into where I work and BS about movies. Especially the Doors flick, it came out at the same time.

ANTHRAX. Met Joey Belladonna (same place I worked at when I met Bach) and this was on the tour w/ Maiden that got cancelled in Florida, yet again. He gave me 2 tickets to an un-announced show that night. Years later in a different part of Florida Joey and his wife remember me from down in Fort Lauderdale ?! After Bush was in the band I was down on my luck and went to an Anthrax instore, got to meet Scott Ian and I offered to trade him an original KISS board game for a couple tickets. Not only did he give us tickets, but backstage passes as well.. and he refused to take the game. Everyone in Anthrax has been nothing but 1st class human beings.

Fiona Flanagan made my dreams come true -nuff said.

Pan-fucking-tera. If you've met them, then you know. Rex was queit but Dime, Vinny and Phil were awesome.

Rob Halford. Flat out amazing. Met him on the Fight tour. A buddy of mine was in desert storm and a huge fan so he signed this cool poster of him in all metal stud leather super outfit with a big semper fi on it. I later found out that this was framed in the office of my friend.




On a side note when I met Bruce Kulick and Corabi they were top notch. maybe he was having a bad day.

Yngwie was a complete dick.

Nuno Bettencourt needs a reality check.

The lead singer from Danger Danger was a complete ass. The lead guitarist on the other hand was a fucking blast. Hung out with him waiting to get into a Cheap Trick show.


There's more but those are the best of my list.

 

[FatesFan]

I met Luca, Alex, and Fabio from Rhapsody and they were way cool dudes. Although not a big "star", I met Joe Stump from Holy Hell and he was cool. I met a couple of the guys from Within Temptation and they were cool. I approached Matt Sinner at the show the other night and he was a bit of an ass. He also looked 10 sheets to the wind so maybe that did not help. It really tarnished my Primal Fear experience that weekend. I don't know if I will approach anymore of them for the fear of whats been said above.

 

[Warthog]

I approached Matt Sinner at the show the other night and he was a bit of an ass. He also looked 10 sheets to the wind so maybe that did not help. It really tarnished my Primal Fear experience that weekend. I don't know if I will approach anymore of them for the fear of whats been said above.

Separate the man from the music, bro. I can still get into Yngwie even if he can't get over himself.

If an artist wants to turn his nose up at his fans, he's denying himself one of the most rewarding experiences of being an artist. His loss, not yours, you know?

 

[Ruthven]

The lead singer from Danger Danger was a complete ass.

Which one? Ted Poley, whose vocals I cannot stand, or Paul Laine, who sounds like a rougher Bon Jovi?

As for the comments posted by FF...I can totally see where he is coming from. I'm a few years younger than he is but even so, I remember when you went to a concert without entertaining the possibility of meeting, let alone hanging out with, the performers. This changed for me in 2001, when Pellaz and his former roommate Tim introduced me to some musicians and I started meeting some on my own.

I've met some metal musicians for whom meeting fans was a form of customer service; friendly, but they were there to make "an appearance." But then you have others who are genuinely happy to meet people. And that is what I like about ProgPower, you get to meet musicians who genuinely appreciate their fans. FF is right, I think the internet is one of the equalizers here. Once upon a time, it was "us" (the audience) and "them" (the musicians). But guys like Lance King, it is clear that they are metal fans themselves and the musicians are more "of the people."

And to that I say, rock on.

 

[Creeps]

Which one? Ted Poley, whose vocals I cannot stand, or Paul Laine, who sounds like a rougher Bon Jovi?

Ummm.. Ted Poley sounds familiar.. he sang on the first 2 records right? I met them when they were recording their sophomore.

 

[Wandrail]

I know exactly what you mean. On that note, be warned about Bruce - he runs hot and cold. I've heard that some days, he can extremely friendly and affable, and a total d-bag on others. The man has a temper, of course.

On that note... three of the nicest "famous" musicians I've ever met: Dio, Roger Miret from Agnostic Front, and Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains. Coincidentally enough, these are three men who, within their respective scenes, have absolutely nothing left to prove.

You met Paddy?! Son of a... outside of metal traditional irish/celtic music is about my favorite thing. I never stop kicking myself over not going to see The Chieftains when they played here a few years ago. I don't know if i'll ever have another chance considering how old they are.

Not enough of the old irish players left...half of the Dubs are dead, The Wolfe Tones are nothing without both of the Warfields...not that the newer people out there aren't great, but there's just no replacing the originals.

I imagine Paddy would be nice, as anyone who has spent time on the old sod knows the irish (not counting stupid teenagers or Dubliners) are the nicest folk on the planet.

 

[WarriorOfMetal]

i was having a conversation with someone at progpower about a similar topic. i'm a musician myself, and having gone to Berklee, i have quite a lot of musician friends in bands and such, and working on the berklee stage crew for over a year, i got to meet a lot of fairly well-known musicians. the thing i've noticed, and particularly with metal players, is that even if they're pretty well-known in their scene, they're usually pretty approachable and down-to-earth. at progpower, this was amplified by the fact that band members would be in the audience watching the other bands play....for example: i was watching, i think it was Pagan's Mind, and half of Raintime comes in and stands right near me...and then of course, Urban Breed was hanging around all weekend, and there were lots of other bands just hanging out, and it becomes really obvious that they're no different from the rest of us....just fans of the music, there to have a good time.

when you get into the bigger shows, like the Dave Matthews Band and Rolling Stones shows where i worked as local crew for the load-outs, the band members just came right off the stage, got into a bunch of black vans, and were driven away as soon as the show was over. i think it comes from the fact that metal bands are used to playing in smaller places when they get started, and will hang out and watch the other bands that they play with, with the rest of the audience, and then stay in that habit when they get bigger. i dunno, now i'm just rambling...whatever, makes sense to me....

 

[Creeps]

a good ramble though.. if Mick Jagger ever hung out after a show he'd get absolutely mobbed... hell I'd like to meet the guy and I'm not a huge Stones fan. When you're in a band as influential as that things change if you want them to or not.

A friend of mine is in law enforcement and he worked at Rod Stewart's house frequently. The man has to have someone on the property 24/7.

Price of fame I suppose.

 

[SharkBlack]

Ray's a cool guy, I've talked to him more than once and he's always been very receptive...

Fates is one of my favorites too... I even have Fates specialized plates on my car haha!!

I too do not go out of my way to meet anyone but if I find myself next to them at the bar I'll say hi....

Still fun after all these years!

 

[sh0kr0k]

Ray is a real good guy. Sat next to him with the Redemption cats for a while on Saturday night, just hanging out and telling jokes. That's one of the great things about ProgPower, the ability to just hang out with down to earth guys. Regular meet-and-greet or autograph sessions don't offer the chance to see the real person behind the instrument. One minute I'm talking with Kate from Vainglory like we've been friends for years, then she takes me to meet Gus G who is just hanging out fiddling around with his guitar and greets me very politely then offers me a drink and to watch the All Star Jam from side-stage with him until he goes on, then we get separated and I find myself chatting about my hometown with Zak Stevens while he's getting ready for the Jam, then I walk upstairs and Urban Breed gives me relationship advice, then I head outside and sit with Bob and Petros from Firewind as they are getting their equipment together, then Petros asks if I want to go inside and watch the Jam with him and we sit together for the rest of the set, then we walk back to the hotel and I hang out with him, Gus, and Bob in their room and eat their Chinese food, then I go downstairs and hang out with Redemption and wave to Lance King as he heads to the elevator. And that was just Saturday night! Where the hell else can someone do all that with the very bands they paid to see?!

So now I'm rambling, but my point is FatesFan, "Welcome to ProgPower!"

 

[kittybeast]

couldn't agree more with you all. Meeting some of the musicians you is exciting and being able to hang out with them in a somewhat normal situation. It took me over 28 years to meet my Scorpions and it was sign, hug, love the album, whoosh management was pushing you to move down the line after like a 3 sec. chat. Progpower gives us the opportunity to have the time to actually have a conversation, now whether any of us remember them is another story! Thank goodness for cameras!!

I did meet Bruce Dickinson and have to see he was super nice considering he just took about a 5 ft fall of the riser that night, we knew he was hurting so just asked for a quick autograph and let him go.

 

[DAVETHEMETALGUY]

Alice Cooper is a great guy as well....

 

[Berek2000]

I too am a huge fates fan. I have met the gang twice. They were all top notch. When they found out that my friends and I drove from SC to VA to see them, they made it a point to come say thanks. Joey Vera was the coolest that night. The only musician I would like to bump into now is Jimmy Buffet. I think that would be a hell of a good time.