SO, IM ORIGINALLY FROM NOVA SCOTIA CANADA, VERY BUG FAN OF GBS, I LOVE THE SONG AND I USUALLY DANCE CELTIC WHEN I HEAR THE MUSIC! SO IMAGINE HOW I FELT WHEN ON TV I SAW THEY WERE COMING TO JOPLIN MISSOURI, ME JUST BEING AN HOUR AWAY, I CONVIENCED MY BF TO TAKE ME. HE IS A NEW LISTENER. I WANTED TO SHOW HIM SOEMTHIGN VERY CANADIAN AND SOMETHING I WAS PROUD OF. THE SHOW WAS EXCELLANT! I WAS FDANCINF AND HAVING A VERY GOOD TIME......UNTIL I TALK TO A FEW CREW MEMEBRS AND THEY SD I COULD MEET THEM IN PERSON AT THEIR BUS. IM NOT A CRAZY FAN BUT WAS VERY HAPPY TO GET TO MEET THEM. I WAS PROUD TO TELL THEM IM FROM NOVA SCOTIA. SOOOO AFTER THE SHOW I WENT TO THEIR BUS, WE WERE 4 GIRLS AND WELL MY BF TAGGED ALONG. WE WAITED FOR A WHILE. I DECIDED TO KNOCK ON THEIR BUS. THE DRUMMER(ALSO FROM NS) OPENED THE DOOR I ASKED IF WE COULD MEET THE BOYS FOR A SECOND TO TELL THEM WE LOVE THE SHOW. HE SD THEY WILL BE OUT IN A MINUTE, ABOUT 30 MINS LATER WE ASKED A GUY FROM THE TOUR IF THEY COULD COME OUT AND HE SD THEY WILL NEVER COME OUT OF THE BUS!!!!! I MEAN I KNOW THEY HAD TO RELAX, BUT WHEN IS IT WHEN A BAND THAT IS NTO VERY WELLL KNOWN BECOME A BAND THAT THEY ARE TOO HIP AND FAMOUS TO SAY HI TO SOMEINNOCENT GIRLS WHO LIKE THEIR MUSIC. WHEN THEY TALK ON STAGE IT SEEMS LIKE THEY WOULD SAY HI TO YOU. I EVEN HEARD A FEW OF THE AMERICANS SAY I THOUGHT MARITIMES WERE SUPPOSE TO BE NICEER. IM SORRY TO LET THE GBS KNOW THIS BUT THEY DONT JUST REPRESENT GBS THEY REPRESENT CANADA. IF WE WANT PEOPLE TO VISIT WE HAVE TO BE NICE. I COULD UNDERSTAND IF THEY WERE TOO TIRED BUT TO BE LIED TO BY A BAND MEMBER SAYING THEY WILL COME OUT SOON! THAT IS NOT RIGHT. i COULD ALSO UNDERSTAND IF IT WAS A BIGGER VENUE WHERE THERE WAS A MOB OF ADORING FANS. BUT NOOO. THEY WAS 3 20SOMETHING GIRLS AND AN OLDER LADY WHO IS A PROFESSOR AT A HUGE UNIVERSITY. THAT WAS IT! I WAS HIGHLY DISSAPPOINTED NOT TO BE ABLE TO MEET THEM. THIS IS NOT MY FIRST CONCERT I WAS ALSO AT THE PERFORMANCE IN MONTREAL QUEBEC CANADA A FEW YEARS BACK. MY ADVICE TO THE BAND IS TO BE HONEST AND NOT TO MAKE FANS ASSUME YOUR NICE AND WANT TO MEET PEOPLE WHO LIKE IT WHEN ALL U WANT IS TO SING MAKE MONEY AND LEAVE. HONESTLY IS THE BEST POLICY. IF I WAS HONESTLY TOLD NO I WOULD NOT BE WRITING THIS TODAY. I WAS UPSET LAST NIGHT THAT IT WAS A BAND MEMBER WHO LIED TO MY FACE! IM NOT SURE IF IM EVER GONNA BUY A CD OR ANYTHIGN OR GO TO A CONCERT OF A BAND WHOS MEMBERS LIE! I THOUGHT MARITIMERS WERE NICER. I GUESS POOR MARITIMER ARE THE ONLY NICE ONES. THE SHOW WAS GREAT DONT GET ME WRONG BUT THE ENDING OF MY NIGHT RUNINED EVERYTHING!

Hey, I know you're disappointed and upset, and I'm sorry :( (not as an official mouthpiece for the band or anything, just another fan)

Sadly, this is part of the tradeoff for being able to see a band further from their home. They'll have come a long way to do a lot of shows in quick succession and that's going to take a toll on them. Coming out for every group of girls who knocked would mean a lot of girls and less time to unwind and decompress. Not that they don't love their fans, but would you be in the mood to stick around after work and chat with customers all night when you could be having a beer and calling home? I don't think anybody intentionally lied to you, either... it's possible that he just didn't know what everyone's plans were right then.

Really, I do sympathize (I am sad myself that they will be an hour south of me tomorrow night and I have no ticket or gas money), but it's really good for the band's health just to hang out by themselves sometimes. It's good for anyone.

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The monument was in the shape of a seahorse and the plaque read we got hot and died. (RB)

You yourself said you had a great time at the show. They get paid to go out on stage and do their best at entertaining the audience. They do not owe us anything else other than that. If you meet them by chance, they are very cordial usually. But knocking on the bus door was kind of rude. If they wanted to come out and talk, they would have. They are doing so many back-to-back shows, I'd be surprised if anyone has a voice enough to talk to fans afterwards on the leg.

I hope you change your mind about how much fun the evening was when you think about the show. Anything else is simply icing. Be thankful for the cake.

Anne

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And when the winds of change begin to blow,
I'll whisper, "You're my lighthouse" in case you didn't know.

Sons of Maxwell

visit my website!:
Anne's Philly Phan Site at http://www.gbsfanatic.com

Please stop Screaming...Typing in all Caps is Screaming.

 

Second...I doubt Kris intentionally lied to you -, he just does not speak for all of them, anymore than they can speak for him and  many times they do talk to fans, but that usually takes place before they get on the bus and as Anne said - they are usually very cordial when they meet folks on THEIR terms.  On tour that bus is their home, would you want a client or customer showing up at your home after work and expecting you to hang out? At best,  I'd be livid and consider them very rude  and wonder exactly what they were thinking.  At worst, I'd think they were nuts. 

 You know you're not crazy - they don't , as they don't know you, do they? Under other circumstances, I think they would much more willing to sign autographs for folks.

 As for giving up on the band, that's up to you. 

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Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus
"Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." E. Wiesel
OKP's Resident B****
Imprudens est draconem vivum de consiliis tuis omittere.
Steet team Leader for NYS, OH and Southern Ontario.

This is exactly the type of so-called fan who I detest with a fiery hot passion. 

Sorry, you're not a fan.  You have a self-inflated sense of entitlement that somehow these people OWE you something special because you claim to be a fan.  But the second they disappoint you or you feel slighted, you threaten to boycott and badmouth them.  Grow up.

Who the hell are you to expect special treatment?    They just provided you with several hours of solid entertainment and expended a lot of energy in doing so, but that's apparently not enough?  Get over yourself.   You will not find any sympathy here.

A true fan would realize that once the show is over, it's their personal time.  Sometimes they're in the mood to be social. Sometimes they're not.  One night after a show, we sent a round of beers over to Alan and Murray and some of the crew and they invited us over to chat for a bit.  But even in those situations, you still respect their need for non-intrusive, probing questions and don't monopolize their time and respect their privacy. There's a fine line between being appreciative and being annoying.

And please learn proper Internet etiquette.  No paragraphs and all caps just proves even more that you're immature.

 

Gonna throw out some friendly suggestions as an OKPartier...

Yes, perhaps the original poster was over the line with the caps assault and not following great netiquette, but is telling the original poster that she's "not a true fan" and "entitled" and "needs to grow up" much better? That kind of takes me back to high school just a little bit, arguing over who's the better fan, and it's a little silly. The original poster was very disappointed by not getting to meet the GBS army and felt slighted and expressed it really bombastically. It's her choice when it comes to continuing to listen to the band, and probably I'm just going to guess that being bombed with "you suck!" from a lot of people isn't going to create a very welcoming atmosphere.

I have to admit that the selfish part of me would be bummed if I didn't get to say "Hello, Great Big Sea" after a show. I wouldn't go so far as to renounce my fanaticism, but I'd definitely say "aww man" or a swear. Who wouldn't? They are probably hilarious people.

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The monument was in the shape of a seahorse and the plaque read we got hot and died. (RB)

Well I traveled from Oklahoma City for the show.  Arrived around 4pm and wandered around a bit with my 3 kids.  I bet we had not been at the auditorium for 15 minutes when we crossed paths with Alan.  He was happy to pose with the kids for photos and then with me.  About 20 minutes later it was Bob we encountered and he too took time to pose for the pics and such.  So that was a great beginning for us.  Next we met some great people including members of a Celtic band out of Branson called Dirty Old Towne.  They even gave us a sampler CD.  The show was fantastic as always.  We sat on the front row in the center and loved every minute of it.  This is from GBS official setlist:

Set 1

1. Donkey Riding
2. Captain Kidd
3. Love Me Tonight
4. The Night Paddy Murphy Died
5. When I'm Up
6. Jack Hinks
7. England
8. Gideon Brown
9. I'm A Rover
10. The RIver Driver
11. Captain Wedderburn
12. Run Runaway

---

Set 2

1. Tunes
2. Lukey
3. The Chemical Workers Song (Process Man)
4. When I Am King
5. General Taylor
6. Scolding Wife
7. Helmethead
8. John Barbour
9. Consequence Free
10. Mari Mac
11. Ordinary Day

---

Encore

1. Excursion Around the Bay
2. Fortune Set
3. Old Brown's Daughter

Great time had by all!!!!

 

 

In my experience, you're much more likely to get time with the band BEFORE the show. If you arrive early and they're just passing the time before hitting the stage. After the show, they're exhausted. Its been a long hard day at work. They don't have the time, energy, or inclination to hang out with people that they don't know. That's their down time. You're a stranger. Please understand it from their point of view. A "meet and greet" isn't part of the ticket price. And, for that matter, the Joplin show was a freebie!  ;-)

my wife and i meet alan before show last year in ny at irish fest. he was throwing around football early morn, we interupted, said hello, he was very nice. sorry  you had bad experience

I understand that you're extremely disappointed that you didn't get to meet them, but seriously that's just how it is. These guys play shows day after day, always on the road, with everyone constantly wanting to talk to them. They aren't going to be able to make time for everyone, and frankly if I was in their position I would get tired of everybody trying to talk to me for weeks and weeks at a time.

I know how you feel. When I was at the Sudbury, ON show I tried to get the set list from a crew member after the show and the guy just rudely said "no" to me. It sucks, but the fact is he had to tear down the entire stage into pieces, put it on the truck so the bus could leave and set up in the next city. Then do it all again the next day.

When fans attend concerts, it's often a once in a lifetime thing. But most bands are used to touring and playing shows and having everyone want to meet them and I imagine that the novelty must wear off eventually.

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"But I'll dive right into damn-nation, with a SMILE ACROSS MY FACE!"

Hey, let's face it - this is a business and these are their jobs.  We buy tickets or pay the cover at the venue, they come out and give 200% and everyone should go home happy.  Anything else is gravy - the lucky folks who've met the boys always say they're polite and personable and genuine. Let's face it, the personalities are part of the total package that makes the show so much fun. I've had several chances over the past few years to meet different members of the band, and I have no doubt they would have obliged with a smile or nod, maybe a pic or an autograph if I pushed it.  But that's kind of an invasion, I think, and this is only my personal opinion.  When I'm on my way to work in the morning and stop at my coffee haunt, or stop in at the pub after work with my friends on the way home(not a frequent occurence, but it does happen occasionally), I really would prefer not to have anyone approach me for pictures or autographs (unless they're asking me to sign a lottery ticket to share with them!).  If all of us who are good at what we do were approached after every work day, well, the world would really be a little too busy.

I'm sorry you were disappointed in your quest to meet the boys, but they did give you a night of entertainment, so it's not so bad.  For the record too, I've met some pretty kind folks from the Maritimes and the rest of Canada and I've met some really, really cold rude ones.  People are people - I don't hold it against an entire country.

Cheers to all!

 

Kati 

 

 

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"Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength." - John Wesley

"If you wanna touch the sky, better learn how to kneel" - U2

Well I agree that things definitely seem a bit more special when you get to meet the band.  I was very excited to meet Alan and Bob in Pampano Beach after my 2nd concert.  It sounds like Alan is the one most open to meeting w/people and taking the time to take pictures etc.  I am a fat ass which makes me a bit shy, and he was super sweet taking a picture with me and my girlfriends.  I have been to about 5 shows, and most times hear of sightings in different establishments after the show.  How you know where they are going seems to be the tough part...which is understandable.  I was so sad when I found out the Alan had gone across the street after the Louisville concert.  My ride was late picking me up...would have been great to pass the time partying with them. A little tough with 5 of them and hordes of us.  I honstly have never had so much fun at their different concerts!!