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ZZ Top Meet & Greet DISASTER - are they all this bad?

Myself and a couple buddies of mine went to the ZZ Top concert this past May in Englewood, NJ. In addition to our concert tickets, we each paid the additional $150 for the VIP Meet & Greet package. The VIP package was advertised as "Q&A Session with ZZ Top, Photograph with ZZ Top, ZZ Top poster, Commemorative VIP Laminate and Lanyard".

When we got to the VIP area prior to the Meet & Greet, tour manager Pablo Gamboa made his presence felt by announcing "NO AUTOGRAPHS, NO HANDSHAKES AND DON'T TALK TO THE BAND". The minute he opened his mouth I knew we were in for a big disappointment. What's the point of a Meet & Greet if you can't talk to the band or ask for an autograph? From there, we were rushed in, literally given about 5 seconds to stand behind the band and have a rushed picture taken and then immediately ushered out of the VIP area. It was by far the biggest waste of $150 I've ever spent ($450 total if you tally up all 3 of us). The concert was great but what a disaster and waste of money this so called "VIP" experience was...

Are all Meet & Greets this bad or did I just have a bad experience? Has anyone shared this pain with such a bad experience after paying good money and having high hopes for a Meet & Greet?

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Comment by Bjarne Soderholm on February 8, 2014 at 6:53pm: The autographs on the poster don't look authentic to me.

Comment by Brian on February 8, 2014 at 7:01pm: Heres a link to an old thread with a jpeg of one of the bogus signed posters.

http://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/zz-top-vip

A company called Ground Ctrl did the ZZ Top VIP packages in 2012 and it sounded like a nightmare. I purchased Jane's Addiction VIP through them around that time (good seats, signed litho, no M&G). It took months for the lithos to arrive. I eventually got a human from Ground Ctrl on the phone and they explained they're at the mercy of the band and waiting for them to send the signed stuff to Ground Ctrl. I also didn't get the tickets until a week before the show. It was a roller coaster. BUT, the signed litho looks great and I had 6th row seats for about $30 more than regular face value.

I'm kicking myself for not doing the Marilyn Manson M&G. I heard nothing but good things.

Comment by James Lafaman on February 15, 2014 at 12:47pm: I have done a number of meet & greet's with bands like Linkin Park, athletes and celebrities. Some big, big names and others not so big. I have never had a bad experience like the one you mentioned. I guess it just depends on the individual(s). I will say that the publicist / manager is almost always difficult and brings down the overall experience.

Comment by Josh S on May 1, 2014 at 11:06am: I’m new to the board and wanted to comment on the ZZ Top Meet and Greet experience.

I was in Chicago on business and bought a VIP package on their La Futura Tour back in 2012. For $250 you got a seat within the first couple rows, Meet and Greet with the band and an autographed lithograph. I had been on ZZ Top’s message board a couple weeks before my show to see if anyone was bringing in outside items to be signed and if the band was willing to do so. What I ended up stumbling upon were numerous fans complaining about the autographed litho.

Those that bought the package were getting the “signed” litho that is linked in Brian’s response above. If anyone just does a basic Google search or clicks through eBay, you know the signatures don’t match up. I saw a couple threads of people threatening law suits for fraud and numerous people asking for part of their money back (concert ticket was used, couldn’t claim the price of the ticket back). What ended up happening (and I’m lucky my show was later in the tour) was apparently GroundCtrl or ZZ Top decided to make it right after everyone complained and we all received authentically signed posters. I can’t speak on behalf of those that already received their posters from other shows, but my show was in October and I don’t think I got my poster until the following April (GroundCtrl said they were waiting on one of the band members to finish signing).

If you notice in ZZ’s VIP packages now, they don’t offer anything signed and knocked it down by $50. I assume it is from the negative experience and extra leg work they had to do to make this right with those who bought the VIP package.

In a related ZZ Top story with the “authentic” signatures – I bought a La Futura “Deluxe” Package when the album first came out and it came with a “signed” photo. Just like in Brian’s above post, it was the “B.F.G.” for Billy, “Frank” without the Beard and “Dusty” with some weird barbed wire underneath.

I’ll never buy anything from the band or anyone that uses GroundCtrl as their vendor again. I’m just happy that I got authentic signatures on a litho after so many people complained.

Comment by Patrick Batson on June 14, 2016 at 7:27am: Has anyone had a recent experience with a ZZ Top meet and greet? It looks like GroundCtrl no longer manages the M&G. BUBBLEUP, LTD handles them now.

Comment by Sandy Fuller on October 10, 2017 at 9:32am: I bought the VIP to ZZ Top that was last Friday Oct.6,2017 in Harrah's in Cherokee,N.C.They could not had put on a better concert.But to pay alot extra for their VIP exsperience was not worth $20 @ most.We were told & even by email that the VIP would start @7:30.Get there then told after the concert & cocktails w/them as well.Concert started @ 9pm right on time.After most that worked @ the event center inside Harrah's did not know where to even tell us to go for the VIP.I would guess there were a 100 or so of us.Cramped into a small room.Told we could ask ?'s which only 1 person did.Don't know why we couldn't.We didn't even have a chair to sit down let alone anything to drink.We were told you can not touch them or talk to them.You get 1 photo taken by some1 here, no autographs..then exit.I have been to a VIP meet & greet before.I know i felt heartbroken to had paid for this & got treated like this.Felt like cattle rush into a room then out.Only Billy & Dusty came in for this.I will never regret the concert or any in the past i attended of ZZ Tops.But save your $ if you think you are going to get to speak to them.Have anything signed or even take any photos during this VIP yourself.They ripped us all VIP ticket holders off.There is not 1 performer today i would had paid that price to had been so uncoordinated & rush through & ended up feeling like i did & so did others.A HUGE waitse of $ i worked very hard to earn & looked forward to this for months before it happened.Worse VIP EVER!!!

Comment by Patrick Batson on October 10, 2017 at 9:49am: In my experience with ZZ Top M&Gs, I found them to be a******-ish

Comment by Christopher on October 10, 2017 at 12:39pm: I paid for Don Felder VIP Meet & Greet this summer (then touring with Styx and REO). That went perfectly. Felder is a hell of a nice guy. Signed two photos for me, even though the organizer's email said no autographs. Chatted for a while. Just totally cool. A colleague of mine paid for the exact same ZZ Top VIP experience that you did (this summer at Chateau St. Michelle in Woodinville WA) and had exactly the same experience. She said they were hammered, rude and the whole thing lasted a couple of minutes tops. Apparently one of the VIP ticket holders that was in her group bitched to high heaven to anyone who would listen, specifically to the promotion company - to no avail as far as I know.

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