Have you met any rockstars?

by KimW
15 replies
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I know there are a few of us here that partied too long and too hard in the glory days of rock and roll.

A lot of us, myself included, have mentioned how we saw so and so in concert back in the day,

Do you have a story to tell about any of those meetings?

I'm not a great storyteller, but one of my most memoriable moments came at a indoor concert that had several bands, The band I remember most was the James Gang with Tommy Bolan, Joe Walsh had already left.

But this story isn't about them.

In another thread people were talking about Jeff Buckley.
This is about meeting his father, Tim Buckley.

This had to be early 70s, and as I said, it was an indoor concert. I remmber The James Gang and Tim Buckley, but I'm sure there was at least one or two more groups there..

The James gang were playing when I started roaming around the area.
I managed to get in the band area.This was easy because back then there wasn't really a need for much security, but that changed shortly after.
But anyways, I was roaming around when I saw Tim Buckley sitting and smoking a cigarette.
I was a pretty shy teenager back then, but not so shy that I would blow an opportunity like that.

Seeing my chance, I walked up to Mr Buckley and asked if I could have his autograugh.
He didn't say a word,he just looked up at me and held out his hands,waiting for then pen and paper.

I hadn't thought that far ahead, all I had with me was some paperback book.I held that out to him.
He looked it it, then looked at me.
Then he took the book and bit it,and handed it back to me.
I'm pretty sure I awkwardly thanked him then took off.

The paperback is long gone, I'm sure some "friend" grabbed it, but that is something I have remembered for probably close to 40 years........
  • Profile picture of the author dvduval
    One time this guy seemed to be giving me an "eat sh*t" look. I was walking in the Ritz. He was walking out. It was Billy Idol. True story. Didn't meet him per se. Also, I saw Ludacris ordering a slice of pizza at Felini's. I had hardly heard of him, but the person next to me was asking permission to get a picture on his phone.
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  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    When I was about 9 zztop played at a barbecue party at a friend of mine's ranch right outside of Houston, TX. I had no idea who I was witnessing until years later when I looked at photos of the occasion.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I've had a lot of contact with the old rock'n'rollers. I grew up near Detroit. I dated Nugent acouple of times but he dropped me off and broke my heart. Also saw Steve Miller but didn't realize he wasn't parked in the area and he took off back to WI or TX or some place, but that one didn't bug me, he was arrogant. Freddie Boom Boom Cannon is from my town, but was a bit older and I knew him when I saw him but he didn't know me that I know of....other than the way families in small towns know who the others around town are. Bobby Segar baby sat for my late ex (who was younger than myself) and Edgar Winter's kid brother went steady with one of my friends. I met the J-Hawkers out on a Port Huron beach, but was just a kid although my sister was old enough to really get into hanging out with them for the day. Went to a few parties in the area in Detroit where some of the bands were, too, a few times. Met Alice Cooper and the guys from Deep Purple, though none of them would know me from Adam.

    It was fun growing up there in the late 60s and early 70s. It was the hot spot for all the bands and if you lived there at that time and never met anyone from any of the bands, there was something real wrong with your social life.
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    • Profile picture of the author Karen Blundell
      I've met a few in my day.

      While working at the Holiday Inn in Vancouver in the mid-70's, I met the members of Blood, Sweat and Tears. David Clayton-Thomas was an arrogant s.o.b. who treated the staff like dirt. I was not impressed. He wouldn't remember me because he was way too full of himself.

      I met some of the members of Platinum Blonde on a cruise ship. I was never a big fan but they just happened to be on the same party cruise as I was. They wouldn't remember me because the drinks and the drugs were too abundant that night

      The next two celebrities aren't rockstars, they are folk stars:
      Gordon Lightfoot - miserable alcoholic at the time. I was introduced to him and he dismissed me rudely.

      Melanie Safka (Brand New Key fame) - this story is really cool. She was playing at the El Mocambo in Toronto and my best friend and I went to see her perform. We were sitting right next to the stage. During the performance she broke her guitar string. One of her backup musicians whispered offstage :"Anyone know how to change a guitar string?" I said I could. So he gave me Melanie's guitar, and I changed her string. I doubt if she would remember it, but she did thank me later and gave me one of her beautiful smiles.
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    HeySal,
    Some great stories there.Great to hear the name Freddie "Boom Boom" cannon too.

    Karen,
    Its a shame to hear that about Gordon Lightfoot,but I'm also not surprised. He has writtten some great music.
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    I didn't meet him, but I had to go to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania for some training once and a friend of mine had relatives in Cannonsburg Pa.
    The main street there is Bobby Vinton Blvd. Seems that was his hometown and that citys favorite native son.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Motley
    I met Greg Allman (the allman brothers) around 95-96. I used to work security at a strip club he came into regularly. Nice guy, very much the southern gentlmen. Used to sit quietly in a booth and get hammered every couple nights.

    I met joe walsh and glenn frey in Tampa. They were doing studio work near by and came into this little restraunt we were at to have dinner on a break. It was a cuban place and nobody in there knew who they were but me

    met the guys from sum41, like a bunch of highschool kids with too much money.

    I have a buddy who's brother has a sweet job of doing concert setups. He gets paid pretty decent (usually around $25 an hour) and gets to watch all the concerts from back stage and usually meets most of the bands
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    "I have a buddy who's brother has a sweet job of doing concert setups. He gets paid pretty decent (usually around $25 an hour) and gets to watch all the concerts from back stage and usually meets most of the bands "

    Michael,
    If I was about 40 years younger that would be my dream job!
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    • Profile picture of the author Michael Motley
      Originally Posted by KimW View Post

      "I have a buddy who's brother has a sweet job of doing concert setups. He gets paid pretty decent (usually around $25 an hour) and gets to watch all the concerts from back stage and usually meets most of the bands "

      Michael,
      If I was about 40 years younger that would be my dream job!
      Thats what kills me. His brother is an idiot. Doesnt know anything about music, thinks rock stopped with kurt cobain's death. He doesnt have any concept of how cool that job is. I'd be all over that.
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      • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
        While I have seen many concerts, I have never personally met a rock star
        and spoken to them.

        Can't say I really feel like I missed anything as I was never into that sort of
        thing. For me, it was more than enough just to hear them play cause it was
        always just about the music and not about the fact that they were a star
        and I might get an autograph. In fact, in my whole life, I have never gotten
        an autograph from any kind of star...rock or otherwise.

        Just never mattered to me.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Motley
    I've never gotten an autograph, doesnt interest me. But i do enjoy talking to musicians, or any artist that has had large scale success. I've found that artists like that are usually borderline insane and usually a lot of fun
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    • Profile picture of the author daleron
      Originally Posted by Michael Motley View Post

      I've never gotten an autograph, doesnt interest me. But i do enjoy talking to musicians, or any artist that has had large scale success. I've found that artists like that are usually borderline insane and usually a lot of fun
      The insanity is probably more fun for you than it is for them.


      Met the lead singer of Bad Company once. Not the original singer but the one they had in the late 80's.

      They opened for Triump (remember them)....me and a friend jumped a barrier and got back stage...(I was around 16 at the time)

      Told him I was a drummer and wanted to be famous:

      He looked at me and with his best British Bloke voice said:

      "Don't eva give up"

      Well, I eventually gave up....(and insanity still haunts me....go figure)

      Then a group of teenage girls started screamin for him....end of that conversation....we were escorted out.

      It's been decades since I've put anybody on a pedistal. I don't envy eccentric artists. There insanity might be fun to look at but I wouldn't want to live there.(I don't think)


      Dale

      .................
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    To me meeting someone like that is more about what Michael said than Steven. To learn about the person and the thought process. Like Michael said, they are usually borderline insane and a lot of fun. I think my Tim Buckley story illustrates that point.

    By the way, the only other story I have off the top of my head is meeting Robert Palmer. Now THAT was a fun night.


    These aren't rockstars, but I have also met a lot of people that would be considered famous in certain niches, but would be completley unknown to the general population.
    But it has never been about "the fact that they were a star and I might get an autograph."
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  • Profile picture of the author trevor75
    About 10 years ago I met Ronnie James Dio, cool guy he was playing a club here in Las Vegas and I got to talk to him, he even autographed a pair of drum sticks and a t-shirt for me!
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  • Profile picture of the author Audrey Harvey
    I scored a kiss from the cute blonde guy in Bucks Fizz, the one on the left in this clip, when I was 14. Does that count? Sigh, I can't even remember his name now.

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