Brand-Spanking-New PHOTOSET & REVIEW:
VIP Soundcheck/Meet & Greet: ALTER BRIDGE at The Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center (Baltimore, MD), May 9th, 2017 [x]
It’s been over a month since my first-ever VIP experience with Alter Bridge, so I’m finally spilling the beans! Plus, if you’re thinking about taking your first plunge into the VIP pool, stick around for my list of tips and tricks!
[NOTE: No two VIP sessions are identical. Your mileage will vary!]
CHECK-IN
In an email from Fret Twelve to Baltimore’s VIP participants, we were told to arrive by 3pm sharp: “if you are late, you will miss the event.” Thankfully, I got a ride from my lovely friend, Jaime (of Myles Kennedy Junkies)! We arrived at the Hippodrome’s box office around 2:40pm, and met up with our mutual friend, Maryann.
After 3pm, about 30 people were inside the box office. Based on previous gigs, I expected to see triple that number! However, with Metallica kicking-off the North American dates of their WorldWired Tour at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium the next day, turnout was slim.
A bit later, Garrett Whitlock checked us in! (When he’s not Alter Bridge’s VIP Liaison, Garrett is usually pounding the heck out of a drumset for guitarist Mark Tremonti’s solo band!) At that time, we received our VIP laminates, as well as our limited-edition posters.
Garrett told us all to hang tight as the wait would be a bit longer. I’d heard that VIP Soundcheck viewings take up the final 15 minutes of AB’s full soundcheck, so I was afraid our time with the band might get cut short!
VIP SOUNDCHECK
Around 4pm, the doors to enter the south end of the lobby OPENED, and we made our way inside the legendary, century-old theater! I would’ve stared all day at the Hippodrome’s ornate red-and-gold interior if it weren’t for some bigger distractions on-stage!
Mark, bassist Brian Marshall, drummer Scott “Flip” Phillips, and lead singer/guitarist Myles Kennedy greeted us, and invited us to take a seat anywhere near the stage. (What a contrast to the scattered seat assignments on our tickets for the actual gig!) My trio aimed straight for the first row, at the end closest to Myles’ Stage Right microphone.
After we got settled, Myles told us this occasion marked Alter Bridge’s first-ever seated VIP Soundcheck! Normally, when they play theaters, they have the venue remove the floor seats. At the Hippodrome, all of the seats (except for row “zero” over the Pit) are permanent.
Early on, it became obvious why Soundcheck ran long — Mark’s guitar rig was having a terrible day! Between each song (“Cry of Achilles,” “Crows on a Wire,” “The Writing on the Wall,” and part of Myles’ acoustic “Watch Over You”), the guitar techs ran over to Stage Left to try and help Mark fix it. His rig became so problematic that it actually made the VIP portion of Soundcheck last for 35–40 minutes!
As “Ground Control” were rescuing Mark’s slimmed-down version of “NASA,” Myles kept us entertained. While thinking out loud about playing the Hippodrome, he said, “It’s like theater!” and made up a vague story arc for AB’s production! He ended his ramblings with, “and the protagonist… achieves!” holding a triumphant hand up in the air like he was clutching a skull in Hamlet. Moments later, he started a mime act! (I love his tangents, but if the Hippodrome wanted to evoke its Vaudevillian origins, somebody should’ve let Brian and Flip give Myles “the hook!”)
While the raw performances were fascinating to witness up-close, the wait almost became… boring — which was weirdly interesting! (How many people can say they’ve seen Myles and Brian get so bored at Soundcheck that they simultaneously took out their PHONES?)
Then, a miracle happened! Mark’s rig actually sorted itself out, and soundcheck came to a close. Myles told us that Garrett and the venue staff would direct us towards the next room. Suddenly, he added, “I’ll play you guys some ‘walking-out’ music!,” and started playing a brisk rockabilly jam! He bounced to the beat of his improvised ditty, and followed right behind my trio — but stopped short of leaving the stage! — as we walked across our row and up the aisle. He didn’t stop until we were out of earshot!
VIP MEET & GREET: Signings
We followed the line through the lobby into the M&T Bank Pavilion, which is a large ballroom that connects to the lobby’s north side. Inside, there was a table with four chairs set up near the wall, with the band’s classic “ALTER BRIDGE” logo displayed behind it. It was signing time!
Since we were at the back of the line, we had the longest wait — if you consider a 30-person line to be “long,” that is! First up at the table were Flip (who I’d first met after their show in Silver Spring) and Brian (who I hadn’t met)! I remember really only saying “Hi,” and “Thank you so much!” to both of them, as my excitement for my secret VIP photo-op idea became super-distracting! (More on that soon!)
Next up was Mark, who I actually talked to for a while, thanks to Jaime delivering dozens of posters and postcards to Myles for him to sign for MKJunkies’ “Save the Elephants” campaign! After Mark signed my poster, he looked at the band name on my shirt, and said, “Stacked Like Pancakes… interesting, what's that?” (My brain punched a fist into the air! My other secret plan — making AB aware of my favorite up-and-coming band from Baltimore — WORKED!)
When talking about SLP, I specifically mentioned how I marched in the Macy's Parade in the Towson University Marching Band with SLP’s trumpet player in 2009, which took Mark a bit by surprise as he said, “Oh, wow!” (In AB's Live at Wembley documentary, he said he grew up wanting to be in that parade.) After I hyped SLP's first-ever West Coast run for the 2017 Warped Tour, he told me all about how great and important Warped Tour is for building solid fanbases for a lot of bands in the industry.
Finally, it was my turn with Myles… which meant that I had to confess to him that the first time we met in Silver Spring didn’t go so well! For the uninitiated, here’s the short version: after posing for a photo with my mom by the buses at 1am, Myles sleepily wandered away by accident before I got to do the same. This was only a big deal because he came out after the gig to meet me specifically, as Jaime contacted him earlier that day to look for my purple hair!
Myles, unsurprisingly, failed to remember any of that, but I could tell he felt really bad about it! He was also significantly quieter behind the table than he was minutes earlier with his guitars, so I didn’t want to make him use up his voice. Jaime, noticing our fading conversation, took that moment to brag about my design work for the charity campaign, like she was speaking telepathically with my mom from our hotel!
VIP MEET & GREET: Photo-Ops
My VIP photo idea came to me during a routine Spice Girls-related nostalgic trip. (I was six when they took over the world; just bear with me!) I rediscovered the glittery Union Jack promo poster from their 1997 movie, Spice World, and thought about how some AB fans find the courage to ask the guys to do silly poses. The image in my mind’s eye of Alter Bridge posing as Posh, Sporty, Scary, and Baby Spice behind me as Ginger Spice was too funny for me to brush off!
Back in the VIP line, the moment of truth was fast approaching. Showing Jaime and Maryann the photo on my phone, I asked them if they thought the guys would do it. They said, “Yeah, totally!” and told me to go for it!
My turn arrived, so I turned up my internal confidence meter as I walked up to the band. “OK, so I know you guys have done ‘Power Rangers’-esque poses with fans in the past,” I stated, “so I thought we might try… a different five-piece.” I slowly turned my phone towards them, gliding it up close for each of them to see it. When they started to recognize the group on the screen, they each went, “HAH!” in a domino effect! The “Spice Boys” were born.
Garrett also acted as our VIP Photographer, so he saw the photo and asked, “Ooh! Who’s gonna be Ginger Spice?” I threw my hand in the air and exclaimed, “I am! I have the fakest hair color!” As for the row behind me, I told the guys that they could either follow the poses from the photo, or that they could just “freestyle.” (As soon as I said that word, I knew I’d opened a can of worms!)
Before I turned towards Garrett to kneel for my pose, I saw Myles make a peace sign and say, “Well, I’m doing this!” I never saw what the rest of them did as we took the photo. All I knew before then was that whatever we did made Garrett laugh!
When we got the shot, Mark pointed towards Posh Spice on my phone’s screen and said, “She was always my favorite.” I nodded, saying, “Ah, Victoria Beckham! Nice!” Then, Myles looked inquisitively at the screen, came up close behind my left shoulder, and pointed right between Ginger and Scary. I couldn’t tell which Spice he was aiming for!
Noting my puzzlement, he kindly elaborated: “I like her! She’s funny when she’s in interviews on TV.” Only then did it hit me: Mel B! (She appears regularly on American late-night TV to promote “America’s Got Talent!”) I went, “OH! You mean Scary Spice!” and he said, “Yeah, her! She’s great!” (For the record, Brian and Flip’s favorites remain a mystery. It seems like M&M are the Spiciest of the bunch!)
Jaime came over and started talking to Myles again, so I went over to wait with Maryann and pick up my camera bag. The rest of the band had already left the room, so as Jaime was wrapping up, I got the impression that it was time to go. Then, before I knew it, I was asked if I wanted a photo with Myles before we left… and “Yes!” was the only answer.
As I walked over to him, Myles said, “I love your hair!” Now, my brain held up quite well that day — until he said that. That lovely compliment melted my cerebral cortex into a blue-and-purple puddle.
I forced the words, “Thank you!” out of my mouth, and posed with him for Maryann to take the photo. She wasn’t sure if she got the shot, so we checked my phone and saw zero new photos. My brain quickly resolidified to help me say to a worried Maryann, “It’s OK, really, it’s fine!”
“I’ll just take matters…” I said slowly, “into my own hands.” I placed my left arm around Myles, raised my phone into the air with my right, and did the deed. (Yes, it was VERY surreal, thanks for asking!) After thanking Myles for the selfie, we waved and said “See ya later!”
Guided by the staff out of the ballroom, we re-entered reality… until it was time for the concert!
TIPS & TRICKS
Want to be an AB VIP? Keep these basic “dos and don’ts” in mind:
DON’T show up late. If you’re late, you’re out. (Like, “zero-refunds”-out.)
DO make sure that you can afford it! Yes, it’s amazing, but if you won’t be able to afford to live your life before and/or after the gig, hold off. There’s always a good chance that at least half, if not all, of the band will come out by their bus after the show, anyway!
DON’T forget that Alter Bridge’s members are just four human beings! It’s easy to build up this idea in your head of these “superhuman” musicians when you’ve never met them. But, here’s the truth: they’re extremely nice and down-to-earth, they have amazing senses of humor, and they already appreciate you like crazy! If you start freaking out, try to breath deeply and slowly. Remember: they, too, have their own idols that they’d lose their minds over!
DO “keep it classy!” This band and their crew are the epitome of kindness, patience, and respect. Be considerate of your fellow fans, the crew, the venue staff… everyone! (At the very least, don’t let your excitement make you forget to say “Thank you!” when a staff member holds a door open for you!)
DON’T ask them to either play “In Loving Memory” or “Cradle to the Grave.” Even though AB used to play the former, both songs are too tasking emotionally for Mark and Myles to play them (as of June 2017). Go here and here for proof.
DO get creative with your VIP photo-op pose! Look for some VIP photos from previous dates, seek out the people that don’t just stand in the middle and smile at the camera, and notice how the band… comes to life. Seriously! (Wouldn’t it be boring if you had to pose for dozens of photos the same way, over and over?) Want to try a pose that’s easy to demonstrate with an example that’s saved to your phone? Go for it!
DON’T expect Myles off-stage to be the same babbling storyteller he is on-stage, or to give you a big, animated reaction to a crazy story. If he didn’t have to save his voice twenty-two hours a day for the two hours he needs it most, he’d love to talk to you! But, since a lot of people paid for tickets to see and hear him use that voice during those two crucial hours on-stage, he keeps it on lockdown.
DO keep your laminate free of autographs before the show, or else the venue may think you’re trying to sneak in with an old pass from a previous date when you go back for Early Access. (They also keep track of what color “rings” are on the front of the passes for each specific show, as an extra layer of security. Never bring an old pass to the show!)
DON’T assume you can take individual selfies with them, or record video messages for your friend who’s out-of-town, etc. during the session. For the majority of VIP sessions, they will NOT have that kind of time! (Heck, my pre-show selfie with Myles was taken after the session ended, just because of a goof-up at a meet-up three months prior!) If it seems like the people ahead of you only got 25 seconds with each of them at the signing table, that’s all you’re gonna get.
And, finally: DO have fun!
