Meet & Greet

Tour Bus Hang with Lee Brice

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THROWBACK THURSDAY!

Lee Brice letting us preview some unreleased songs!

May 16th, 2015

Today was the day that I realized that my dreams were starting to come true. Today marked a very important day in the history of my future career in the country music industry. I was able to obtain an official photo pass (aka special access to the stage for the first 3 full songs) to photograph Lee Brice at his show on the Maine State Pier in Portland. I’ve always photographed every concert that I’ve ever been to, but point and shoot camera photos do NOT compare to a SLR with a long zoom lens! Photography has always been a passion of mine, and combining that with country music basically makes me one of the happiest girls alive.

Official Photo Pass!
Official Photo Pass!

The radio station that I work for, WPOR 101.9, gave two lucky listeners the opportunity to “hang” with Lee Brice on his tour bus before the show. Obviously a photographer needed to be there to cover the event 😉 and that was ME! This amazing opportunity left me basically speechless. (No, really, I didn’t say more than two words on his bus… I think I said “Thank You” after taking a photo with him and that was about it!) You couldn’t wipe the smile from my face if you tried!

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Talking Your Way Backstage

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People often wonder how I get to do all of the crazy things that I do, like attend shows for free, win contests, or hang out with/meet the artists. Most attribute it to luck. “You have the best luck out of anyone I know!” they often tell me. In reality… it isn’t luck at all. Here I am, sharing my secrets with y’all. It takes determination, a strong will, courage, confidence, and some good ol’ fashioned work! You’ve got to be willing to put in the effort if you really want something!

backstage pass

Step 1: RESEARCH

It’s all about research… you’ve gotta do a whole lot of research about the particular artist or group of the show you are going to. 99.9% of the time, I’m already following the “artist page” on twitter and instagram… but you’ve gotta break it down more than that. You need to find out all the band members names… then figure out other connections; like their tour manager, sound guy, photographer/videographer, close friends, stylists, or anyone related to the production of the tour or insiders at the venue. Also be clear of which radio station is hosting the event and make sure you are following the individual radio hosts as well as the station. (This also benefits you in case they are giving away extra tickets to the concert or Meet & Greet Passes… keep your eyes open!) Even if you already have tickets… the ones they [the radio station] give away could be seat upgrades and you could always give the extra pair to some friends. I personally do not condone reselling the extra tickets [aka scalping], but if that is something you choose to do… for the love of God, don’t jack up the price to make a hefty profit. That’s just not cool. Or fair to the person buying them. And it certainly does not benefit the artist! Don’t be greedy… it’s bad karma!

You’ve gotta start this process weeks in advance… once you can identify certain people (by “creeping” social media sites more or less) then you follow them on twitter/instagram or whatever your preferred choice of social media is. I’ve even got artists on snapchat and as facebook friends*.

*Requesting to be friends with someone in the industry on facebook is not recommended unless you personally/actually know this person. That’s really just plain creepy and stalker-ish. It might even get you blocked or reported.

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TBT #3 – Kip Moore 4/5/13

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THROWBACK THURSDAY!

Throwing it back to one of the many times that I met Kip Moore! (This would be the 4th time, I believe!)

WHEN: April 5th, 2013
WHERE: Freemont Street, Las Vegas (ACM Week)
HOW: Waited behind the stage after the show

IMG_2226
If you look all the way to the left… there is a guy in a pink shirt and a girl in white with her hair up… Those are my friends and I was standing right next to them… but Kip is blocking me from view!

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TBT #2 – Chris Young 4/18/13

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THROWBACK THURSDAY! 

Throwing it back this Thursday to a whole Chris Young filled day!

WHEN: April 18th, 2013
WHERE: The State Theater, Portland Maine
HOW #1: Had the day off, waited outside by his bus parked near the venue.
HOW #2: Created posters/signs and held them up in line for the WPOR “Secret Spy” to spot us. They chose a few lucky fans in line for the show to give away meet and greet passes to!

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TBT – First “Official” Luke M&G

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THROWBACK THURSDAY! 

Throwing it back this week to my first time at an actual Luke Bryan “Meet & Greet” (not my first time meeting him though!)

WHEN: June 2nd, 2013
WHERE: Comcast Center, Mansfield Massachusetts
HOW: Was one of the lucky 18 to win from the Fan Club

Guest Pass and Meet & Greet!
Luke Meet & Greet Pass

Luke’s Meet & Greet was scheduled for 7:15pm. Luke did not show up until about 7:45 and FGL went on at 7:55 so I had to run back so fast to find my friends in the pit as their set was starting. Of course I was in line by 7, so needless to say by 7:45 my anticipation and anxiety of “meeting” Luke sober had grown itself way out of proportion. It was super quick, and a big blur. All I remember is that the person on the other side of Luke was supposed to take our purses to hold so that they wouldn’t be in the picture. He didn’t… I had to awkwardly overstep Luke and place it on the ground a few feet away and remember feeling slightly embarassed and annoyed. I can’t even remember if I told him my name or shook his hand!? I was flustered, handed him the CD insert to his “Tailgates & Tanlines” CD for him to sign, and posed for a quick picture. He squeezed my shoulder a couple times after the picture as a way of saying goodbye/thank you I suppose. I think I said thank you to him? All I know is that he smelled amazing and I was way too nervous to sound like a 5 year old and ask, “Can I have a hug?” Maybe next time… I do have one M&G opportunity left for this year!

First M&G with Luke, June 2nd 2014
First  “official” M&G with Luke,  June 2nd 2013

PS. It was NOT Monaco (Black Mike) taking the photos! Slight disappointment there! Most likely he was filming for Cole/Swindell Vision since Cole’s performance was during Luke’s M&G. To see a review of the concert, click here.

Is Luke coming to your town any time soon? Check below for local concert tickets. And be sure to sign up for his fan club, The Nut House for a chance to win 1 of 18 meet and greet passes that are up for grabs for each show! Details provided when you join! You typically need to get online to request them 2 weeks prior to the show date.

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