May starts with the M3 Rock Festival. One of my main wants the original guitarist of the band Boston, Barry Goudreau. Get the combo with him. Get an update with longtime drummer of Typo-O-Negative Johnny Kelly, and some others.
Then go to another city to a venue for R&B singer Lisa Fischer best known for the 1991 song "How Can I Ease the Pain". She met fans after her show and was nice as can be. I also got her opener.
Next day I go back to M3 fest. My main want is the original lead singer of the band Faster Pussycat, Taime Downe. Starts with an update with Mike Tramp who the week prior was charging at Chiller. Got Rudy Sarzo of Quiet Riot updated photo op and also got him to sign. Then get Taime Downe and his barely valid band members. Also get a Barry Goudreau combo again.
Then I get word that actor Omid Abtahi (The Mandalorian) is doing a signing at a comic book store. I'm over an hour from said store. So, I bail on this spot and I rush there and go through tolls. I make it with plenty of time and get the photo op.
Then a flight for comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. Already got him but I was commissioned for autographs. He remembered me from the last time. Also got his openers.
Final spot for the evening is for Graham Parker of Graham Parker & the Rumour. After the show he comes out and is very nice. Get a photo op and some autographs.
Couple of days later I wanted to try for George Thorogood (Bad to the Bone) at a venue. Sadly never saw him and he seemingly drove out of town. I only got his barely valid band member Bill Blough. Bust.
Next day I was given a meet and greet for a country band called Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The band has 2 original members and 1 longtime member. The rest are barely valid. At the meet and greet I got my 2 vinyls signed (which by luck are valid for all 3 of the members you want to get) and I get photo ops. Sadly, the venue wouldn't let me take my camera inside so I couldn't use it for the meet and greet. SMH. But I waited outside after the show and got individual photo ops with the 3 members using my camera.
Next, I go to a venue for Vanessa Carlton, best known for the "A Thousand Miles" song. If you bought merch after her show you could stand in line and meet her. She wasn't trying to do photos but would sign merch that you bought. I bought the vinyl (which stung) hoping I could end up pleading for the photo op. And indeed, I did. Success!
Next day shortly before leaving to NYC for the festivities of the Televisions (report coming) I went for the band Lords of Acid, best known for the Pussy song. Unfortunately, the line up only has one original member touring, Praga Khan. The lead vocalist is singer/actress Carla Harvey who isn't original. However, Praga Khan also composed and played the iconic Mortal Kombat theme song of the early 90s. He fellow Lords of Acid band member Olivier Adams who also played on the theme song sadly doesn't tour.
Waited by their bus and got blown off by the barely valid members of the bands including Carla Harvey. Saw Praga and he was nice as can be as he signed and did photos. Also saw Princess Superstar who is opening for them. She was super nice for the photo op.
No rest for the weary, a couple of days after a week in NYC (report coming) I was nearby at a venue, and the show was ending shortly. Playing was Tony Lucca. So I thought let's go. He was in the Mickey Mouse Club, has studio albums dating back from the early 90s into the 2010s and later. Finished third place on the voice. It is a small venue.
Mooched inside the venue after the show and it was the most fascinating sight. Inside where people of all ages. From kids to older people. And it was well attended. In a place where typically the only graphers are myself and people I know, there was people that had multiple CDs to get signed. And unlike most of the other times I was there, people were staying to meet. Usually most people leave and don't stay. It felt like I was in some kind of alternate reality. What am I missing? What is so popular about this guy that he would attract such a varied and quantified spectrum of people. The mind boggled. It made no sense to me.
Tony Lucca himself was super nice, as where the two people playing with him, Ernie Halter and Keaton Simons.
Couple of days later I went for a Rachel Platten, best known for the Flight Song. She wasn't do friendly, barely did the photo op, and wouldn't sign.
Next day go to Rachel Platten's event which also featured actress Caterina Scorsone (who I have). Was hoping to maybe get a better shot with Rachel. Start off at the event then check a hotel for baseball player Keith Hernandez who was also in Seinfeld. Not long after arriving he pulls up in a car. He wasn't very nice and begrudgingly did a photo op.
Back to the Rachel Platten event and it ends. See Caterina Scorsone sitting around and she was super nice. So, I got an upgrade. Never saw Rachel. Went to another spot for Noah Wyle but it was dead. Went to check out a show to get some actors but the web site had the wrong running time and it was over.
The next evening, I go back to the show. Wendell Pierce is the star of the play, but I have him. Lucas Iverson (The Pitt) and Ben Turner (Dr Who) are my main wants. This time I had the correct running time. First off get the barely valid Todd Scofield. Then Lucas Iverson comes out and is super cool. Actress Melanie Field comes out next and remembers us from before. Then the barely valid actress Olivia Cygan. And finally, Ben Turner who is super cool. Never see Wendell so he must have come out a different way.
Next day starts at the train station for Stephen Colbert. He wasn't overly nice but stopped. I got his book signed and an updated photo op. Next to the airport get an update with Andy Grammer (had nothing to get signed). Later that evening I went to a venue for Chico DeBarge. After his show he charges $20 for the meet and greet at his table. I got the combo.
Towards the end of May I went for country singer Steve Earle who also was in The Wire. After his show, his opener Zandi Holup was meeting people in the lobby. Got a photo op. Then went outsdie and got Steve Earle. He was cool. Went to another spot to see if I could catch Charlie Puth but he was seemingly gone. I got Brandon Brown aka Pastor Funk.
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