Thank you for all the comments and likes on this video. Obviously there is quite a bit of confusion about how much pull artists have at meet-and-greets and we are making a video to address all of these issues instead of battling it out in comments. We will have comments from venue managers, venue booking agents, regional booking agents and multiple artists for sure. This may take a minute for us to compile as we are trying to reach some national touring artists and management. If you have any general questions, leave them here and we'll see if we can get them answered.
@@rinehardt6837 Fozzy meet and greet was the best for me. Private concert with songs not played at the show, autographs signed, got to speak with every member and set up a future meeting with Rich Ward. As for artists, my very fist time big band was Petra. I was around Mollie's age. I'm not sure how many people even remember them but they basically started Christian rock. They were really great but the main man was Jimmy Buffett. He was so loved it was unbelievable and the parrot heads spent whatever was needed. Mollie said Sister Hazel, Night Ranger, and Fozzy were all great to her.
Many artists meet fans everyday for free in non-concert settings. I think it’s the expectations for an experience that makes it a hard pill to swallow if it’s not great.
@@RocknComics my dad was in country music, and I met a few folks. Usually, folks are okay, but then when managers get involved, things can get dark pretty quickly. My sister once won backstage passes to meet The Police, but barely got to see them. A ton going on before and after a show...meet and greets...no thanks, I'll pass.
Matt Healey from British band The 1975 is disgusted by VIP packages, he says that if a band is going to do it the artist themselves should have to take the cash directly out of the fan's hand. His point was that after doing that a few times you would hate yourself and stop doing it.
My first and only meet and greet was on September 12. It was the best night of my life. I'm simple. It doesn't take a lot to make me happy, so I had no expectations. I saw Lovebites. They are a 5 member all female heavy metal band from Japan. This was their first tour in the USA. I saw them in San Francisco at the Cafe Du Nord. It's a bar/nightclub with a 300 max capacity. Tickets were $35 and the VIP experience was $230 which included admission. I got the VIP which allowed early entry into the venue, early access to merchandise, a meet and greet/picture opportunity after the show and autographed poster. The concert was great and when I lined up for the meet and greet I was about 10th in line and there were about 30 of us. Event staff was kind of rushing us because they said there were a lot of us, and I was ok with that, I just wanted a picture. When it was my turn, I handed my camera to their tour manager and walked up to them and thanked them for the show and they said thank you back. They stand in a certain order for the pictures but will move around if you ask them. The drummer (Haruna) is my celebrity crush and I wanted her to stand next to me. She was one member over to my left. I was wearing a 'Haruna drums T-shirt that I bought from her online store a couple of years ago. I was trying to get up the courage to ask her to switch with Asami (the lead signer) who was standing next to me, but before I had the chance to speak, she noticed my shirt and immediately switched places with Asami. I was so touched I almost started to cry. I looked down at her and said, "Wow, thank you for standing next to me.". She looked up at me and smiled. Then we took the picture. I thanked them all and get my phone back as well as the signed poster and went on my way. Haruna will never know just how much that small gesture meant to me.
Very good perspective and thoughts in this video. Nita is awesome I met her for like 30 seconds after a show and she was super nice, I wore a pro wrestling shirt because I know her and her husband are big fans like me, plus I knew everyone else would be wearing rock and metal band shirts probably. She offered to do a wrestling gesture for the picture, I bought a shirt also and she handed it to me and thanked me personally and genuinely for supporting her and her band.
Small venue, I spent $50 for Jake E. Lee (Red Dragon Cartel) and $50 for George Lynch (Lynch Mob) shows spaced 2 years apart. It was OK. I got to have about 20 mins or more convo with Jake (talking primarily about my Ultimate Sin cassette case) and got a picture with him and his singer and it was worth $50....the thing is you can only talk about the music and that's about it...I considered it a blessing that I got to meet him. George, - we (about 10 of us) were taken into a room where we was warming up and got a picture and brief chat with him along with a signed poster...later,, after the concert, George was signing for everyone and I think he was pissed b/c the people weren't paying (I could be wrong) and I got to talk to him again...again, worth $50, but not much to talk about other than the music and pretty brief. I have considered Yngwie, but he's expensive even in small venues ($600 I believe) and for the experience I have been blessed to have, that is too much. Thank you for video!
Thanks for watching. There are some older artists in their 70s and 80s I would pay to meet but they all have a limit for sure. These are the guys I grew up with and when they’re gone I don’t have that interest with many younger artists.
I've spent $100 bucks on VIPs(metal bands) and they are great because the artists actually want to be there and meet the fans signing autographs sometime they will sign whatever you have. It's funny because the artists that you have to pay a lot of money to meet are the biggest scumbags especially when the band sits on stage to take a picture and doesn't even come up to you to thank you for coming out.
Yes l totally agree with one comment that’s actually interviewed artists over 35years. I’d rather read comments from some that’s actually interviewed artist. Or written a book about a band either British or American. Been in the industry for 20-50years. I saw a documentary recently which one photographer knew one of the members of well known British band no longer around unfortunately. Called it a day 1980. After one of the band members died. Alto of the time bands come off stage really tired. Don’t want to speak to anyone just sit quietly read, or peacefully. I apologise for the length of this comment. 😊😊
Nice video, I've been attending VIP sessions for years now, and i've found the common rule of thumb to be, if you are paying more then you will get less. There are european metal bands who put their heart and soul into their VIP and fans and only charge something like £50 (not sure what that is in dollars) Then you get popular artists charging £250+ and they don't deliver at all. A common misconception is its not the artists fault, it actually is, they know what they are selling, they know what the are doing because the tour manager told them. I can't recall any artist after tour speaking out against their VIP session that was sold by the touring company. Fan loyalty is a transactional process, artists make music and we buy it and support it. When you are paying more and going above that, you shouldn't be undersold on your loyalty.
I like your common rule, it does ring true many times. As far as the artist comment, it pertains to this. Most meet and greets are scheduled to run at about 30 seconds per person.This seems to be the magic number from several agents we have spoken to since we've made this video. There is also a time limit for most of these, especially if they are before the show. So if you're an attendee with unreal expectations of a full conversation, that is highly unlikely in most cases and some fans will leave upset. On the flip side, some artists are just bad people. After the show, it is venue security's job to exit people as fast as possible.
@@RocknComicsoh I know all this already, but artists do know what they are selling, they have a daily schedule and they repeat that throughout the tour. I've never seen an artist call out their own session. They don't get a pass and it's the tour manager or booker responsible. I've been for the most part really happy with mine. I buy based upon cost Vs reward, not to act best mates with a band for a day
Many years ago in the early 90s Ace came to do a in-store signing. I'm a fan of KISS my friend who asked me to go with him is a massive fan. It was clear he did not want to be there but my friend got his autograph 😂 I said to him exactly what you repeated in this video don't ever meet your heroes. Not over the years I've heard good and bad things about meeting him so who knows.
To be fair most stories are that he is not rude per se just passive. He is more friendly to females than males as well. I paid pretty good money to see his show and we were happy to do it. We did not do the meet and greet though.
@@theshield2207 I personally feel that doing a meeting after a show for anyone in his seventies is a tough ask. I know when I finished coaching a game how I felt in my forties and at fifty.
First of all I wanna say. I liked your video very much. And you guys seem very, very nice. But these meet and greets are decided on 90 to 95% of the time every aspect of it by the band but I think I just need to be more specific over the years. I've always had a great time again. Most of the meeting greets and I don't think they're a waste of time. I guess it would depend on how much somebody paid. But I started seeing bands in 1990. But I've been to 25 shows this year and probably been to 10 or 12 meeting. Greets this year alone. So through the years I have continued to meet bands right up till the last 2 weeks. Most of the time, I like it very much. I guess if somebody thinks it's a waste of time. That's just would be their opinion, but sometimes I think some people may have an unrealistic expectation of what's going to happen most of the time when you get one of these meat and greets, they will tell you exactly what is going to happen and what you're going to get for your money. But if somebody thinks they're going to spend a long amount of time with the band that that's just not realistic but I would say. I think most of the bands really enjoy spending a short amount of time with the fans. And interacting with them. And I think they appreciate their fans so I don't want to come across like. I think they don't like their fans or at these experiences are negative. My overwhelming experience over 35 years has been most of the time. I have enjoyed meeting bands. That's just my experience, but that whatever does happen is up to the band and if you met a band that said different than I would say most of the time that is not being truthful
Thanks for the thought out reply, I can agree with most. We made this video in response to all the videos about how bad all meet-and-greets are and were just trying to give two sides. Maybe its the tour manager/band/venue relationship that is the hang-up. To be fair there have been many bad ones lately and we just said to do research first. Jimmy Buffet was one of the greatest of all time with fans. Rich Ward is one of the nicest artists I've met so I didn't mind spending a couple of hundred for Fozzy and we see Guardians of the Jukebox every time we can. I did not do the VIP with Ace Frehley because of his reputation with male fans and I was correct not to spend my money on that even though I did go to his show.
I look at it this way. I always wanted to meet "Rock Stars".....they however do not want to meet me. I've ran into so many famous musicians here in Las Vegas. A lot of times I just give them a nod and move on without even talking to them. I have spoken to many after concerts who were absolutely the nicest people....excluding Ace Frehley.....F that guy!
I saw Iron Maiden and Megadeth for the 1st time this year and I loved it but theres a line where its just too much money. I love those 2 bands but I refused to pay 50$ for a T-shirt that was being sold at the venue. I can’t imagine dropping the money for VIP. I understand wanting to meet your favorite band but me personally its way too much. I got a huge badass Iron Maiden poster for 20$.
I payed a good amount of money for pit tickets to see Iron Maiden and Megadeth but at a certain point its just too much especially when it comes to artists who do VIP. I think its worth paying a good amount to see them up close in the pit me personally. On the other hand I love Iron Maiden but i’m not paying 110$ for a Hoodie 💀.
@@RocknComics of course you don’t have to buy the merch but i’ll still complain about the prices. The only thing that seemed reasonable to me was a 24x36 poster for 20$
@@eric-pn7eg at one time I had an entire walll of Iron Maiden posters. Every time the fair came to town I would load up on them at the balloon dart game.
Such horseshit. "It's not up to the artist that fans get treated like cattle!" The artist hired the manager who hired the security staff. The ”limited authority" lie is just that. If the artist REALLY wanted to spend time with fans, the manager and all security staff would make it happen. Employees don't make the rules. "We just don't have time. We're on a tight schedule" More lies. What happens if an artist's family shows up? They MAKE time. If you got treated like cattle at a meet & greet. Blame the artist. The rotten fish stinks from the head!
at the end of the day all they are is people with a job i wouldnt ever spend a dime to meet a guy with a job pay to go to the show sure wait out back for them to leave and give them a shout out sure go to a free signing sure but pay to meet someone not a chance these bands are laughing their way to the bank night after night
@@corvettemustang1 Fair point, around my area we have a good bit of free concerts and several of them you are able to meet after the show around the merchandise tables.
Oddly enough. Ace has admitted he watches and reads things about him online. I wouldn’t be surprised if hes seen the videos of people shitting on the vip experience hes a pretty tech savy guy😹😹😹
His official channel left a comment on my 5 takeaways short so I know he does and he or his team has encountered this channel. That doesn’t change peoples experiences and it’s obvious he’s not going to change so we’re just putting it out there for people to decide if it’s worth it.
But sounds like he still doesn't care even if he's checking what people say about him because he could at least try to be nice or pretend he enjoys meeting fans.
@@teijaflink2226 he just doesnt care anymore because you know hes..Ace. No matter what hes still gonna be known as the original member and cofounder of KISS
I did the motley crue one for the first stadium tour. I only did it because at first you could get one item signed. I had the Toast of the Town 45. When it got closer, all of a sudden, as it got closer, it got taken away. So i spent 2k plus to have it taken away. I called my bank and filed a complaint. They told me that it was purchased over a year ago( it was purchased prior to the pandemic), so i pleaded my case. How can they charge me more, for less. I should have been offered a chance to cancel it or receive a partial refund. Well, long story short, I got a letter from the bank 2 weeks after the show and the vip experience that they are going to refund me all my money. After rhat, Motley Crue stopped offering the part of the VIP. As for bands that are great with their VIPs, I had great experiences with Blackberry Smoke, The Struts, Exodus, Testament, Death Angel, Anthrax, Kings of Thrash.
With all do respect I don't think you know what you are talking about. In the first part of your video you say its not up to the artist. That is NOT true. I was a rock writer for many years and have met over 200 bands and been to that many meet and greets. I have interviewed Bon Jovi, the Eagles, Van Halen, Crosby Stills and Nash and many other artists. I have also just spent many hours with the bands and managers. 90% of the time all of this IS controlled by the artist. They have told me this. All I can say is that had been my experience dealing with bands for 35 years.
Ok Bob, thanks for watching. If you're saying you met these guys in the 80s, you're talking about a different time. What you are essentially saying is that all of these meet-and-greets now, which are notoriously a waste of time and money, are fully decided on by the band and they don't care if their fans get screwed. I can tell you first hand that is not true and sometimes it is out of their control. Please let us know which of these bands hates their fans so we can all stay away. We all wish that spending hundreds to thousands of dollars will deliver amazing experiences but most are terribly disappointing. Unfortunately, some bands really don't care all that much about meeting fans. Check out my Fozzy video where we talk about a good experience.
@@RocknComics I totally agree with what you said in this video, and in your reply here. I too have an "old school" backstage resume beginning in the mid-1990's with my favorite band of 15+ years (VIP laminate from the keyboard player, followed by after show stick on passes from the management over the next few years) and I remember the super high expectations that were filling my heart and head that first night I met them. As a result, I can better appreciate where today's fans are coming from. I totally get that today's meet and greets are an income stream for the tour (the concept is a bit horrifying to me on a personal level) but the fans are the paying customers, and rock star customers are different than "normal" paying customers. The question as I see it is, how can us seasoned old school veterans best guide them toward that desired level of humility while still preserving their rock & roll innocence? It's a tough tightrope to walk on, in my opinion. I've been thinking about this for the last 28 years, and the one thing I've figured out for sure is that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
@@MusicFanKim Thank you so much for the view and comment. I feel like it's the words VIP. That along with a hefty price tag leads to expectations that we're getting something special, which sometimes it is but often is not in 2024. Paying $500 and getting a facsimile photo, them not signing anything and a picture of you standing in a group off stage with the group on stage is becoming more common.
@@RocknComics Like I said in my original comment, that’s why I don’t like the idea of a paid meet and greet. Tours are expensive as hell, I get it, but you have to take better care of your customers than that.
Thank you for all the comments and likes on this video. Obviously there is quite a bit of confusion about how much pull artists have at meet-and-greets and we are making a video to address all of these issues instead of battling it out in comments. We will have comments from venue managers, venue booking agents, regional booking agents and multiple artists for sure. This may take a minute for us to compile as we are trying to reach some national touring artists and management.
If you have any general questions, leave them here and we'll see if we can get them answered.
I'd be interested to know what's your favorite meet and greet and who's the coolest artist you've ever worked with at a venue. Great video thanks.
@@rinehardt6837 Fozzy meet and greet was the best for me. Private concert with songs not played at the show, autographs signed, got to speak with every member and set up a future meeting with Rich Ward.
As for artists, my very fist time big band was Petra. I was around Mollie's age. I'm not sure how many people even remember them but they basically started Christian rock. They were really great but the main man was Jimmy Buffett. He was so loved it was unbelievable and the parrot heads spent whatever was needed. Mollie said Sister Hazel, Night Ranger, and Fozzy were all great to her.
@@RocknComics awesome
I refuse to pay someone who doesn't want to even meet me, just to ask questions they don't want to answer. Ridiculous.
Many artists meet fans everyday for free in non-concert settings. I think it’s the expectations for an experience that makes it a hard pill to swallow if it’s not great.
@@RocknComics my dad was in country music, and I met a few folks. Usually, folks are okay, but then when managers get involved, things can get dark pretty quickly. My sister once won backstage passes to meet The Police, but barely got to see them. A ton going on before and after a show...meet and greets...no thanks, I'll pass.
@@ga7654 totally agree. There’s many things to spend money on, choose what will bring you the most joy.
We talk about some good and bad experiences and should you spend your hard earned money? If you like this video please drop a like.
“Real” VIPs don’t pay btw 😂😂😂
You are 100% right about that.
The takeaway here is people need to do their research on other people’s VIP package experiences with that artist and then decide.
Absolutely. Most larger artists have a reputation, but sometimes we see through rose colored glasses.
Matt Healey from British band The 1975 is disgusted by VIP packages, he says that if a band is going to do it the artist themselves should have to take the cash directly out of the fan's hand.
His point was that after doing that a few times you would hate yourself and stop doing it.
Thanks for the comment. That is an interesting way to look at it.
I did 3 of these Stryper, Skillet and Nonpoint. Nonpoint was the one that exceeded my expectations
Thanks for the comment, I really enjoyed Skillet's music but never came across them personally. I'm happy you had some success with Nonpoint.
My first and only meet and greet was on September 12. It was the best night of my life. I'm simple. It doesn't take a lot to make me happy, so I had no expectations. I saw Lovebites. They are a 5 member all female heavy metal band from Japan. This was their first tour in the USA. I saw them in San Francisco at the Cafe Du Nord. It's a bar/nightclub with a 300 max capacity. Tickets were $35 and the VIP experience was $230 which included admission. I got the VIP which allowed early entry into the venue, early access to merchandise, a meet and greet/picture opportunity after the show and autographed poster. The concert was great and when I lined up for the meet and greet I was about 10th in line and there were about 30 of us. Event staff was kind of rushing us because they said there were a lot of us, and I was ok with that, I just wanted a picture. When it was my turn, I handed my camera to their tour manager and walked up to them and thanked them for the show and they said thank you back. They stand in a certain order for the pictures but will move around if you ask them. The drummer (Haruna) is my celebrity crush and I wanted her to stand next to me. She was one member over to my left. I was wearing a 'Haruna drums T-shirt that I bought from her online store a couple of years ago. I was trying to get up the courage to ask her to switch with Asami (the lead signer) who was standing next to me, but before I had the chance to speak, she noticed my shirt and immediately switched places with Asami. I was so touched I almost started to cry. I looked down at her and said, "Wow, thank you for standing next to me.". She looked up at me and smiled. Then we took the picture. I thanked them all and get my phone back as well as the signed poster and went on my way. Haruna will never know just how much that small gesture meant to me.
Thank you for the story. Couple of hundred dollars for a life long memory sounds like a pretty good deal.
Very good perspective and thoughts in this video. Nita is awesome I met her for like 30 seconds after a show and she was super nice, I wore a pro wrestling shirt because I know her and her husband are big fans like me, plus I knew everyone else would be wearing rock and metal band shirts probably. She offered to do a wrestling gesture for the picture, I bought a shirt also and she handed it to me and thanked me personally and genuinely for supporting her and her band.
Thanks for watching. She is on our short list of people we would like to meet.
Small venue, I spent $50 for Jake E. Lee (Red Dragon Cartel) and $50 for George Lynch (Lynch Mob) shows spaced 2 years apart. It was OK. I got to have about 20 mins or more convo with Jake (talking primarily about my Ultimate Sin cassette case) and got a picture with him and his singer and it was worth $50....the thing is you can only talk about the music and that's about it...I considered it a blessing that I got to meet him. George, - we (about 10 of us) were taken into a room where we was warming up and got a picture and brief chat with him along with a signed poster...later,, after the concert, George was signing for everyone and I think he was pissed b/c the people weren't paying (I could be wrong) and I got to talk to him again...again, worth $50, but not much to talk about other than the music and pretty brief. I have considered Yngwie, but he's expensive even in small venues ($600 I believe) and for the experience I have been blessed to have, that is too much. Thank you for video!
Thanks for watching. There are some older artists in their 70s and 80s I would pay to meet but they all have a limit for sure. These are the guys I grew up with and when they’re gone I don’t have that interest with many younger artists.
I've spent $100 bucks on VIPs(metal bands) and they are great because the artists actually want to be there and meet the fans signing autographs sometime they will sign whatever you have. It's funny because the artists that you have to pay a lot of money to meet are the biggest scumbags especially when the band sits on stage to take a picture and doesn't even come up to you to thank you for coming out.
Totally agree, there are still many artists that are great. Throw us some names on who is good if you're comfortable.
@@RocknComics
Fleshgod Apocalypse, Shadow of Intent Omnium Gatherum, Insomnium, Sepultura, & Kreator.
@@colonelhstinkmeaner8547 we will be on the lookout.
Yes l totally agree with one comment that’s actually interviewed artists over 35years. I’d rather read comments from some that’s actually interviewed artist. Or written a book about a band either British or American. Been in the industry for 20-50years. I saw a documentary recently which one photographer knew one of the members of well known British band no longer around unfortunately. Called it a day 1980. After one of the band members died. Alto of the time bands come off stage really tired. Don’t want to speak to anyone just sit quietly read, or peacefully. I apologise for the length of this comment. 😊😊
Thanks for the comment.
Nice video, I've been attending VIP sessions for years now, and i've found the common rule of thumb to be, if you are paying more then you will get less.
There are european metal bands who put their heart and soul into their VIP and fans and only charge something like £50 (not sure what that is in dollars)
Then you get popular artists charging £250+ and they don't deliver at all.
A common misconception is its not the artists fault, it actually is, they know what they are selling, they know what the are doing because the tour manager told them.
I can't recall any artist after tour speaking out against their VIP session that was sold by the touring company.
Fan loyalty is a transactional process, artists make music and we buy it and support it.
When you are paying more and going above that, you shouldn't be undersold on your loyalty.
I like your common rule, it does ring true many times. As far as the artist comment, it pertains to this. Most meet and greets are scheduled to run at about 30 seconds per person.This seems to be the magic number from several agents we have spoken to since we've made this video. There is also a time limit for most of these, especially if they are before the show. So if you're an attendee with unreal expectations of a full conversation, that is highly unlikely in most cases and some fans will leave upset. On the flip side, some artists are just bad people. After the show, it is venue security's job to exit people as fast as possible.
@@RocknComicsoh I know all this already, but artists do know what they are selling, they have a daily schedule and they repeat that throughout the tour.
I've never seen an artist call out their own session.
They don't get a pass and it's the tour manager or booker responsible.
I've been for the most part really happy with mine.
I buy based upon cost Vs reward, not to act best mates with a band for a day
Many years ago in the early 90s Ace came to do a in-store signing. I'm a fan of KISS my friend who asked me to go with him is a massive fan.
It was clear he did not want to be there but my friend got his autograph 😂 I said to him exactly what you repeated in this video don't ever meet your heroes. Not over the years I've heard good and bad things about meeting him so who knows.
To be fair most stories are that he is not rude per se just passive. He is more friendly to females than males as well. I paid pretty good money to see his show and we were happy to do it. We did not do the meet and greet though.
Its a mix of so and so. When i met ace i would say he was in a sorta pretty good mood, every other person i see they say he was total douche😹😹
@@theshield2207 I personally feel that doing a meeting after a show for anyone in his seventies is a tough ask. I know when I finished coaching a game how I felt in my forties and at fifty.
First of all I wanna say. I liked your video very much. And you guys seem very, very nice. But these meet and greets are decided on 90 to 95% of the time every aspect of it by the band but I think I just need to be more specific over the years. I've always had a great time again. Most of the meeting greets and I don't think they're a waste of time. I guess it would depend on how much somebody paid. But I started seeing bands in 1990. But I've been to 25 shows this year and probably been to 10 or 12 meeting. Greets this year alone. So through the years I have continued to meet bands right up till the last 2 weeks. Most of the time, I like it very much. I guess if somebody thinks it's a waste of time. That's just would be their opinion, but sometimes I think some people may have an unrealistic expectation of what's going to happen most of the time when you get one of these meat and greets, they will tell you exactly what is going to happen and what you're going to get for your money. But if somebody thinks they're going to spend a long amount of time with the band that that's just not realistic but I would say. I think most of the bands really enjoy spending a short amount of time with the fans. And interacting with them. And I think they appreciate their fans so I don't want to come across like. I think they don't like their fans or at these experiences are negative. My overwhelming experience over 35 years has been most of the time. I have enjoyed meeting bands. That's just my experience, but that whatever does happen is up to the band and if you met a band that said different than I would say most of the time that is not being truthful
Thanks for the thought out reply, I can agree with most. We made this video in response to all the videos about how bad all meet-and-greets are and were just trying to give two sides. Maybe its the tour manager/band/venue relationship that is the hang-up.
To be fair there have been many bad ones lately and we just said to do research first. Jimmy Buffet was one of the greatest of all time with fans. Rich Ward is one of the nicest artists I've met so I didn't mind spending a couple of hundred for Fozzy and we see Guardians of the Jukebox every time we can. I did not do the VIP with Ace Frehley because of his reputation with male fans and I was correct not to spend my money on that even though I did go to his show.
@RocknComics thank you, keep it up !!!
I look at it this way. I always wanted to meet "Rock Stars".....they however do not want to meet me. I've ran into so many famous musicians here in Las Vegas. A lot of times I just give them a nod and move on without even talking to them. I have spoken to many after concerts who were absolutely the nicest people....excluding Ace Frehley.....F that guy!
Ace has literally said he hates having male fans. He had a moment at his show here that made the entire venue cringe.
@@RocknComics Pre-covid they were giving his tix for his show away for free....I passed on it.
@@stevesnvegas9040 Brutal, yet understandable.
I paid top dollar for a vip ticket to meet Elvis and he never showed up. I want my money back.
Absolutely!! Last I heard he was working in a church in Arkansas.
@ that explains why he never showed up. 😂
I saw Iron Maiden and Megadeth for the 1st time this year and I loved it but theres a line where its just too much money. I love those 2 bands but I refused to pay 50$ for a T-shirt that was being sold at the venue. I can’t imagine dropping the money for VIP. I understand wanting to meet your favorite band but me personally its way too much. I got a huge badass Iron Maiden poster for 20$.
I payed a good amount of money for pit tickets to see Iron Maiden and Megadeth but at a certain point its just too much especially when it comes to artists who do VIP. I think its worth paying a good amount to see them up close in the pit me personally. On the other hand I love Iron Maiden but i’m not paying 110$ for a Hoodie 💀.
Def Leppard/Journey tshirt was $60. Looked good but come on. Fozzy shirts were $25, we bought 2.
@@RocknComics of course you don’t have to buy the merch but i’ll still complain about the prices. The only thing that seemed reasonable to me was a 24x36 poster for 20$
@@eric-pn7eg at one time I had an entire walll of Iron Maiden posters. Every time the fair came to town I would load up on them at the balloon dart game.
I left a comment last night, but i don't think it submitted 🤔🤔
Check your "held for review" tab of your comments in RUclips studios. It might be there, if not, I will reply the comment again 👍👍
@@ZachAdkinsGuitar I don't see it. We enjoyed your videos and would love to hear from you.
Such horseshit. "It's not up to the artist that fans get treated like cattle!" The artist hired the manager who hired the security staff. The ”limited authority" lie is just that. If the artist REALLY wanted to spend time with fans, the manager and all security staff would make it happen. Employees don't make the rules. "We just don't have time. We're on a tight schedule" More lies. What happens if an artist's family shows up? They MAKE time. If you got treated like cattle at a meet & greet. Blame the artist. The rotten fish stinks from the head!
Yes, very obvious anyone with a logical brain.
Thanks for the comment. We don’t mind if you disagree, that’s cool but don’t make up quotes. We’re making a video to address all of these issues.
at the end of the day all they are is people with a job i wouldnt ever spend a dime to meet a guy with a job pay to go to the show sure wait out back for them to leave and give them a shout out sure go to a free signing sure but pay to meet someone not a chance these bands are laughing their way to the bank night after night
@@corvettemustang1 Fair point, around my area we have a good bit of free concerts and several of them you are able to meet after the show around the merchandise tables.
Oddly enough. Ace has admitted he watches and reads things about him online. I wouldn’t be surprised if hes seen the videos of people shitting on the vip experience hes a pretty tech savy guy😹😹😹
His official channel left a comment on my 5 takeaways short so I know he does and he or his team has encountered this channel. That doesn’t change peoples experiences and it’s obvious he’s not going to change so we’re just putting it out there for people to decide if it’s worth it.
But sounds like he still doesn't care even if he's checking what people say about him because he could at least try to be nice or pretend he enjoys meeting fans.
@@teijaflink2226 he just doesnt care anymore because you know hes..Ace. No matter what hes still gonna be known as the original member and cofounder of KISS
I did the motley crue one for the first stadium tour. I only did it because at first you could get one item signed. I had the Toast of the Town 45. When it got closer, all of a sudden, as it got closer, it got taken away. So i spent 2k plus to have it taken away. I called my bank and filed a complaint. They told me that it was purchased over a year ago( it was purchased prior to the pandemic), so i pleaded my case. How can they charge me more, for less. I should have been offered a chance to cancel it or receive a partial refund. Well, long story short, I got a letter from the bank 2 weeks after the show and the vip experience that they are going to refund me all my money. After rhat, Motley Crue stopped offering the part of the VIP. As for bands that are great with their VIPs, I had great experiences with Blackberry Smoke, The Struts, Exodus, Testament, Death Angel, Anthrax, Kings of Thrash.
That really sucks, I’m glad you got your money back and let others know that’s a possibility. Thanks for letting us know about the good bands! 👍
With all do respect I don't think you know what you are talking about. In the first part of your video you say its not up to the artist. That is NOT true. I was a rock writer for many years and have met over 200 bands and been to that many meet and greets. I have interviewed Bon Jovi, the Eagles, Van Halen, Crosby Stills and Nash and many other artists. I have also just spent many hours with the bands and managers. 90% of the time all of this IS controlled by the artist. They have told me this. All I can say is that had been my experience dealing with bands for 35 years.
Ok Bob, thanks for watching. If you're saying you met these guys in the 80s, you're talking about a different time. What you are essentially saying is that all of these meet-and-greets now, which are notoriously a waste of time and money, are fully decided on by the band and they don't care if their fans get screwed. I can tell you first hand that is not true and sometimes it is out of their control. Please let us know which of these bands hates their fans so we can all stay away.
We all wish that spending hundreds to thousands of dollars will deliver amazing experiences but most are terribly disappointing. Unfortunately, some bands really don't care all that much about meeting fans. Check out my Fozzy video where we talk about a good experience.
@@RocknComics I totally agree with what you said in this video, and in your reply here. I too have an "old school" backstage resume beginning in the mid-1990's with my favorite band of 15+ years (VIP laminate from the keyboard player, followed by after show stick on passes from the management over the next few years) and I remember the super high expectations that were filling my heart and head that first night I met them. As a result, I can better appreciate where today's fans are coming from. I totally get that today's meet and greets are an income stream for the tour (the concept is a bit horrifying to me on a personal level) but the fans are the paying customers, and rock star customers are different than "normal" paying customers.
The question as I see it is, how can us seasoned old school veterans best guide them toward that desired level of humility while still preserving their rock & roll innocence? It's a tough tightrope to walk on, in my opinion. I've been thinking about this for the last 28 years, and the one thing I've figured out for sure is that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
@@MusicFanKim Thank you so much for the view and comment. I feel like it's the words VIP. That along with a hefty price tag leads to expectations that we're getting something special, which sometimes it is but often is not in 2024. Paying $500 and getting a facsimile photo, them not signing anything and a picture of you standing in a group off stage with the group on stage is becoming more common.
@@RocknComics Like I said in my original comment, that’s why I don’t like the idea of a paid meet and greet. Tours are expensive as hell, I get it, but you have to take better care of your customers than that.
Way to make excuses and gaslight paying fans. lol. What a joke of a video.
Thanks for the view? Not sure about gaslighting when we literally said in the first 5 seconds most VIP's aren't worth it.