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Meet & Greet Experiences

As far as autograph collecting and music fan experiences goes, I find the range of stories I hear about various meet & greets to be pretty fascinating. I've heard of people paying modest fees (or nothing) for wonderful, fun experiences - and other stories of fans shelling out large amounts of money for a massive disappointment. And, of course, everything in between.

I thought we should have a comprehensive thread on the topic. Have you been to a pre-show or post-show meet and greet or know someone who has? Was it a bargain or a ripoff? What was the mood - structured and hurried or casual and fun?

My favorite band does meet and greets at every headline show they perform on this tour, chosen at fandom by fans who sign up for their fanclub and enter the show-specific drawing. There is no charge, and (usually) I don't believe a show ticket is even required. They were asked about this in an interview early this tour, and the response from one of the band members, Martin, was pretty passionate about musicians who charge high prices for meet & greets. FYI: I get that this band isn't quite a household name yet, so there might be a sentiment of "Who are they to say . . ." However they have an interesting perspective as both successful musicians with Top 10 records and huge music fans themselves).

Here's that portion of the interview:

https://youtu.be/l1da-ZW_3OA?t=6m48s

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Permalink Reply by Rich on January 26, 2017 at 4:40pm

Tale of two pop stars one a more established one and one on the rise - just spotted these from Paula Abdul and Bebe Rexha, who's about to release her debut album. Obviously Paula is much more expensive, but I think the $799 price tag is a bit excessive. Bebe is $75 and $125 respectively, excluding ticket.

Paula:

Bebe:

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Permalink Reply by Ian Baldock on January 26, 2017 at 6:28pm

Cheezits,799 and no ticket included for Abdul.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on January 26, 2017 at 7:52pm

I guess everyone has their own perspective on this, but that's excessive for a celebrity whose music career hasn't exactly been on fire the past 20 years (and whose peak was somewhat short-lived).

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Permalink Reply by Rich on January 27, 2017 at 8:15am

On the topic of 80s/90s throwbacks - just got this link in my email for Wilson Philips meet and greet + front 2 rows ticket for $98. I didn't even know they were still around.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on February 2, 2017 at 8:41pm

As I've said from the beginning, I'm finding the prices for some meet and greets progressively more puzzling.

Stumbled upon a couple more for two young rising pop stars - Betty Who and Bridgit Mendler. $99 each (Betty Who's package is a better deal as it includes a copy of the album and GA ticket).

For two people in the early stages of their music career, that seems a bit excessive. Their show tickets range from $16-20 - Mendler isn't even technically the headliner for her show. So the prices just seem that much more disproportionate.

As was the case with Bebe, Betty is offering a "backstage pass" option, though hers is about $50 higher at $200. Yikes.

I think the other - perhaps bigger - issue I'm having with this is that it's not really spelled out what you get. Autographs? Time? Group size?

Hardcore fans won't care, but more casual, newer fans will pass given the price and lack of details.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on March 2, 2017 at 9:32am

Blondie is now offering meet & greet packages for her upcoming tour. Looks like they're $300.

Here's the description:

What’s included in the Pollinator Package?

The Pollinator package includes a ticket to the live event with premium seating, and a Meet & Greet with Blondie 90-minutes prior to the concert. Guest will have the opportunity to take a photograph with the band, and if you’d like, bring your Pollinator CD to get autographed. If you purchase TWO tickets, you will receive a DVD/CD combination pack of the Soundstage: Blondie performance, as well as Blondie’s newest album, Pollinator. We will mail the Soundstage: Blondie DVD/CD and new Pollinator CD to you directly. And e-mail a free download code for a track to the Pollinator CD.

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Permalink Reply by Robin McKay on March 2, 2017 at 10:22am

Good deal IMO

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Permalink Reply by Rich on March 3, 2017 at 5:26pm

Okay, here's an example of one I'd buy without having to think twice - Bishop Briggs VIP M&G for $35. Includes a signed litho, M&G, and early entry. Pretty nice deal, especially for someone I hear isn't especially easy to catch after the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5jz8xdpR0M

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Permalink Reply by Rich on March 22, 2017 at 3:08pm

Okay, so I had the VIP package for Bebe Rexha. Total (including ticket) was $156. Great show and I think most fans would agree it was worth it, if a little bit nerve-wracking.

We were told to show up at 4:00, though we didn't actually go in until after 5. First up was a soundcheck for both groups of VIPs (general and private). Bebe came out and sang her two latest singles before heading downstairs for the standard meet & greet.

Next up was the dressing room meet & greet. When they said it was "private," I though that meant a smaller group setting (there are only ten fans per show for this). But it really was, with only Bebe and her assistant/tour photographer there. It almost felt like waiting in a doctor's office.

When it was my turn, I walked in, and there was Bebe laying on the couch. She told me to sit down, and I asked if I was the only one who asked for autographs, since I didn't see anyone bring anything in to get signed (in all fairness, she doesn't have many items out there, and the physical copies of her new album are yet to be released. Turns out I was. :\

We talked for a little bit, and at one point she decided to put a video of us on her snapchat. Now, I really feel uncomfortable on camera (you can see it just in this screenshot) - and I was nervous enough from this being a one-on-one experience.

The whole time, her photographer Davis was taking candids with a professional camera.

Now the VIP was supposed to include a few extra perks - special viewing area (up front or side stage), a tour poster and signed CD. Since the two march items are still being made, they'll be shipped to me at a later time. The "up front' viewing was a bit different. By the time I was done chatting with Bebe, the doors had already been open for a while. By that time, accessing the VIP viewing area - which wasn't very distinctly defined - would have entailed pushing my way to the front, something I absolutely hate doing, even if I'm entitled to it (as was the case here).

Bebe, known more a couple years ago for her songwriting (for Eminem, Rihanna, Niki Minaj, etc) than her singing and performing, has come a long way as a pop star. She really has this down, and has infinitely more talent that many of the top names in the business. It was a great show.

For fans, this was great value, even with the "premium viewing" snafu (possibly more the venue's fault). The price tag at first might appear slightly hefty for someone who's star is still on the rise, but the package combined with the opportunity combined with Bebe's personality made it absolutely worthwhile.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Blair on March 23, 2017 at 6:03am

My wife and I went to a meet & greet with actor Cary Elwes a couple weeks ago. It was a screening of the Princess Bride with a Q&A with Cary. Afterwards, the 'VIP's" got to go in the back and take a professional photo with Cary (no personal cameras or phones) and each person received a signed copy of his book, "As You Wish-Inconceivable Tales from Making the Princess Bride".

Cary was very nice and chatted with everyone for a few seconds but it was a bit of a cattle call. The books were pre-signed so no personalization or anything. He did sign each of them "As You Wish" along with his autograph.

Tickets were $100 which included the movie screening, Q&A, meet & greet and signed book.