I met Melissa Etheridge.
it was her first tour back around 1990 or 1991.
this was back when hardly anyone had heard of her.
I was in college at New Paltz, and she played this small club in Poughkeepsie.
We got to go backstage and meet her!
She was very cool..
I have also met and chatted with all 4 members of Moxy Fruvous, several times.
great guys.
(they might only be considered "famous" in Canada and in the North East US)
I also met Rob Schneider from SNL ("making copies").
not a major thrill.
When my sister was in college, (SUNY Cortland) she was a member of the SAB..Student Activities Board.
that was the group that booked bands and comedians and all that for college shows.
(thats how I met Rob Schnider)
well one time they booked George Carlin for the college!
My sister and one of her friends drove a college van to the Syracuse airport to pick up George Carlin!
and they drove him back to the college!
just the 2 of them with George in the back!
she said he was very cool and very nice..
I didnt get to go to that show.
so I didnt get to meet George Carlin..
would have been much cooler than Rob Schnider.
I also met Billy Sheehan.
http://www.billysheehan.com/main_bio.html
one of the best Bass Players in the world, but fairly unknown.
At the time he was a member of the band "Mr. Big"..they had one hit, dont even remember what it was.
(I wasnt really a Mr. Big fan!
In 1991 I was in college and had just started playing the Bass,
I picked up an issue of "Guitar for the practicing Musician" magazine.
just a typical guitar magazine.
well they always had these contests in the magazine.
"Win Yngwie's guitar!"
"Win Eddie Van Halen's Amp!"
that kind of thing..
they had all these contests to win stuff.
so one of them was "Win Billy Sheehan's Bass!"
it was just one of those tear-out postcard things,
I filled it out and mailed it in and forgot about it..
well..I WON!
it was my last week of college, and I got a phonecall from my parents saying some magazine called, and you won some guitar and stuff? what is this about?
(I must have given the magazine my "home address" since I was graduating soon)
when my parents came to school for my graduation they bought the bass!
Its beautiful, a Yamaha Attitude Limited,
the Billy sheehan signature model.
http://www.harmony-central.com/Bass....01.html
http://image.www.rakuten.co.jp/ikebe/img1029364541.jpeg
Mine is Blue, and has the "limited" script and all that on the headstock, but otherwise its identical to that picture.
In addition to the Bass, I also got a Yahama Bass Amp!
very cool..
well part of the prize was that you also get a phonecall from Billy Sheehan!
so its now summer, 1992, I had grauated from College and was home, just about to move out for my first real job, and I get a phone call, its Billy sheehan!
very cool guy, we chatted for about 30min.
He asked how I liked the Bass, was I in a band (no.)
Where I lived. (Waverly, NY)
Billy -"Where is that?"
Me - "Near Binghamton"
Billy - "I know that area! I used to play the bars in Binghamton"
(He is originally from Buffalo)
so anyway, he asks me how close I am to New York City, I say a few hours..he says "hold on a sec"..
he comes back and says "How would you like a couple tickets and back stage passes to our show at Madison Square Garden?"
So later that Summer I went to NYC, took my best college buddy Bill (who got me into the Bass in the first place)
and we went to the show at MSG where Billy sheehan's band "Mr. big" was opening for.....RUSH!
We got to go backstage, I stood next to Alex Lifeson while he was talking to some people, I heard Neil Peart practicing in another room..
didnt see Geddy Lee anywhere though..bummer.
and I briefly met Mr. sheehan as he was going on stage.
I introduced myself "im the guy who won the bass"
he shook my hand, said "hey man, nice to meet you, sorry I cant chat right now, gotta go onstage, but stop back after the show!"
We tried to go back after the show, but Mr. big had already left, and the place was closing down..so we didnt really get to do anything after the show..oh well.
it was still a very cool "Rock & Roll" experience!
Rush was amazing, as always..
I will always cherish my back stage pass!
Roll the Bones tour.
I was in a band here in Rochester from 1995-2000.
So I go to use the Bass a lot.
We had a lot of fun.
I sold all my amp equipment, but I will never sell that Bass.
even if I never play it again..
scot