How to Meet the Band: Part One
If your concert experience won't be complete without snagging an autograph or snapping a photo with your favorite band member, you're not alone. Many fans take nearly as much delight meeting bands as they do seeing them perform, and most bands to their best to accommodate fans before and after shows. But in most cases it's all about knowing where to find them.
Before you go to a show, research the particular band's accessibility. If the band has an online forum for fans, try asking around about how easy it is to meet them. Fans should be able to offer insider tips about when they met a band, and you may even get lucky and find someone that knows them personally that would be happy to connect you with them. You may also contact the band directly through their JukeboxAlive profile or website, asking them when they'll be available for a meet and greet. You may be surprised by the amount of fans who think a band is too busy to contact directly so they don't bother contacting them at all. The worst that can happen is that you never receive a reply to your email or message.
When you arrive before the show, get familiar with the venue, locating the entrances and exits, as these are hot spots for bands hanging out before and after shows. It can also be beneficial to meet some of the staff that works at the venue; these people usually have access to the backstage area and may even get you on a VIP list to meet the band or get to the front of the line. If you can find the backstage door at the venue, try chatting up the person that's working there. It's typically this person's job to keep people out of the backstage area, but if you make friends and they let you in you wouldn't be the first or the last exception.
One final tip in meeting a band before a show: Find the band's bus and knock on the door. If you arrive early enough to a show and the band hasn't yet done their sound check, you may get lucky and find some band members on the bus. If you have access to the bus, go and knock on the door. You're likely to at least meet a crew member that may be able to help you get backstage.
In the next blog we'll talk about how to meet a band after a show.