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hi folks. been a loooong time since i was around these parts, but its nice to see the site still kicking. im brett from colorado. im sure ive met some of you, and maybe traded with a few of you way back in the day …
anyway, im glad to say i went and saw the band last night in denver. i was hoping to give you a review, but instead im here to vent. basically about the tour manager. dont know his name; im sure most of you know who im talking about, though. last night, he threw me out of the show. this was apparently in response to me asking him whether the decision to not allow dancing in one section was a band decision or the venue. the section was behind the stage on a concrete slab (the stage was set up in the middle of a field, in an in-the-round type format, and i was basically on the rail behind the stage). i asked only because it seemed a little strange, as dancing had previously been allowed in that section, and i felt bad because i was otherwise in front of a lot of folks who were sitting, and i didnt want to be in their way. i was just curious. if thats the way the band wants it, thats fine, but sometimes local event staff arent aware that dancing is allowed/encouraged at a BH show, etc. i didnt think this was an outrageous question to ask. i should mention, i asked politely, didnt ask him while he was on stage but was right near me, etc. i also drank about 4 drinks over the course of the previous 3.5 hours, so i wasnt drunk or obnoxious. when i asked the simple question, this dude lit up, freaked out. i was pretty shocked. it was a power trip like ive never seen. so, i walked away. no argument, no biggie. several minutes later, i was told that the “tour manager” said i was out.
it is totally accurate to say i was thrown out of a BH show for politely asking the tour manager a question. period. there are no other aggravating facts that im keeping from you. thats it. first time im thrown out of a show, and this is why?
so anyway, i was wondering if anyone here has had similar experiences with this individual? mine cant be an isolated occurrence. indeed, im betting this is the same guy that i saw behave VERY rudely to a woman a couple years ago at a boulder show. i think she said some thing like she sees bruce a lot, and he responded “who the hell are you? ive never seen you before.” kind of a nasty tone, too. im pretty sure this must be the same guy. so, im figuring others may have some additional 4-1-1?
and if you thought i was out of line, please say so. needless to say, i wish i had done things differently, but cant really see how i was wrong to the point of being escorted out of a show, leaving my girlfriend at her first show by herself and all of my other friends who i brought. pretty frustrating.
Dude,
You so deserved to be tossed.
Only joking!
Wasn’t there, so it’s hard to understand the reaction. Maybe some DNC big shot was in the audience before the Democratic convention and the tour manager thought you were a plant from the McCAIN camp!
Did you mistakenly offer the GOP secret handshake and unknowingly use their code word: “rutabega” — ? That’s all it would take, my friend.Hope you have better luck in Boulder tonight, Brett. I’ll look for you in your green shirt with the British Petroleum logo and commiserate with you!
Vic
LOL. i actually do own one of those shirts. but probably wont wear it tonight. might go BP stealie, though.
i also think i should mention that i wrote a polite letter addressing my concerns, and sent it to management, bruce fan mail and jv.
believe it or not, jv just emailed me back with a personal note, saying hed investigate it, he was sorry it happened, that hed guest list me next time they were in town, etc. that pretty much affirms right there why this is my favorite band, and why ive always felt they really care about their fans. props to the NM’ers! that was a really genuine thing to do.
I have emailed JV in jest and for real, and he has been nothing but a gentleman in all his answers. I think he is truly one in a million.
Brett,
Bruce really called you out last night!
Bruce laughed about JV receiving e-mails from disgruntled fans.
But I saw you there in your BP shirt after all … looked like you had plenty of leeway to dance as much as you liked off to stage right. It was a fun night; sorry I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself!Vic
LOL!
he sure did!
im going to assume it was in fun, and not take offense, especially since the second part (complaining he wouldnt play my favorite song) wasnt actually something i said. but i did chuckle at that little swipe.
i didnt think they all actually checked their emails on a daily basis. now i feel dumb for emailing derryberry, jv AND the fan email. a little overkill, in retrospect. but its nice to get a prompt response, lol.
wish we had met, but next time. yeah, chautaqua is great about letting folks dance, as long as you dont pass the imaginary line … which is easy enough to do. the folks at the venue are really friendly and fun.
nice show, too. little mellow, but sure throttled towards the end. nice to hear a couple tunes i hadnt heard in a while, too.
hope to see you down the road …
The moral of the story is…..That just goes to show you that whatever begins poorly can end well!
Thanks for keeping the faith!
David Day
Lake Lanier, GADavid Day: Spoken like a guy who knows what it’s like to almost get thrown out of a Bruce show! 😯 😉
Vic
ok,- so i’ll have to tame down my antics or i’ll be out on my ear at baydays!
so, no flashing the locals, and I guess throwing bottles of urine in the air is frowned upon? – oh and would stage-diving be a problem?
Seriously though,- I always thought you’d be ok as long as you didn’t wear a Marc Cohn t-shirt?
Kind Regards
Dave Rich
Can you get thrown out of a free, outdoor show??? How far away do you think they would make me….I mean, somebody…..go from the stage??? 😉
daverich wrote:ok,- so i’ll have to tame down my antics or i’ll be out on my ear at baydays!
so, no flashing the locals, and I guess throwing bottles of urine in the air is frowned upon? – oh and would stage-diving be a problem?
Seriously though,- I always thought you’d be ok as long as you didn’t wear a Marc Cohn t-shirt?
Kind Regards
Dave Rich
What would they do, Dave? Tell you that you can’t come to BayDays again? Considering that you’re one of the “locals” who would be there, that might crimp your future style!!! 😈
– Rich
just wanted to update, because fair is fair. i wrote that letter the other day when i was a little sore.
not only did jv write me back, but bruce just called. i shit you not. my work number was on the letterhead of the letter i wrote. im pretty floored. i never expected any kind of response, much less something like that.
he says hes sorry it happened, he could tell by my letter is was a real fan so he wanted to call, says that he doesnt really want to get into what happened, but that theres sometimes a lot of tension between the “yuppies” and the “hippies” and that theres even been fights. asked me if i was behind the stage during the show, and said he remembered me. i told him how i was a little sore over the whole thing, but was impressed that he would bother to call, he said he hoped i would keep coming, and i told him that id be front and center unless i get thrown out again, lol.
just wanted to give props. this pretty much confirms why i love this band so much … always felt they really care about their fans, and it shows by the way they play. this call was a pretty good confirmation. call was totally unnecessary, but real genuine. and since i had started this thread complaining, i thought it only fair that i let you all know about this.
MVF wrote:Can you get thrown out of a free, outdoor show???hmmmm grasshopper, – that is indeed a deep and puzzling question….
Kind regards
Dave Rich
Brett,
Sorry to hear about your run-in with the officious official. They are everywhere. My Wife is a Bruce fan and I go because I have to go—it could be worse, she could like Wayne Newton or God help him, Don Ho, before he died.
She worked me into buying tickets for her and three friends as well as myself. I am one of those people that fall asleep, when I sit still, so I always have to be doing something. I had to leave the Concert because I was using my blackberry. This happened last year at the Guilford College concert in Greensboro, NC Bruce didn’t call me. I thought about writing Bruce but my wife discouraged it. To add insult to injury, while I was sitting outside working on my blackberry, one of the men for whom I had bought a ticket, cane outside. “Why did you come out?,” I asked.
“People were talking and laughing behind me and I could not enjoy the music. Where was the witch that took issue with my Blackberry?
I explained to the lady that I had the antenna turned off. She said the light would bother other people. The auditorium was well lit during the concert. Like I said, they are everywhere.John
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