What A Guns n' Roses Meet and Greet Is Like
I'm a huge Guns n' Roses fan, and more importantly, I am 100% Team Axl when it comes to the current divide amongst the fans of the band between Axl Rose and the other four original members. So when it was announced that Axl was bringing the show to Las Vegas for a 12 night residency from October to November of 2012, my interest in attending was immediately peaked. I ended up getting tickets to attend the last night of the series of shows (November 24, 2012). Reviews of the show have already been posted, and the videos are out on Youtube, so everyone can see the actual show for themselves. The point of this post is to tell you about the biggest gamble I took in Vegas: I bought the meet and greet ticket option for the show!
In all honesty, I went back and forth on whether the extra money was worth it, because it was advertised that you would meet "members of Guns n Roses." We all know that there is only one member anyone wants to meet, and he isn't known for doing meet and greets, or even for getting to the stage on time. But I thought, "Axl's been more fan friendly these days, it is the last show of the residency... maybe he will show up," and I decided to go for it.
It was a rather disorganized event, but the staff was nice enough. Upon checking in, we were lead to a side room with a private bar where we waited for the meet and greet to begin. I met a mother/son duo who flew to Vegas from New Hampshire to attend all three shows that week, and they did the meet and greet each time, and Axl hadn't shown up for the prior two that week, so I was disheartened, but I had faith. He would be there!
After a half hour, we all lined up at the door to go upstairs to meet the band. Those with GA floor tickets were first in the line (which included me). I was about 50 deep in the line of probably 200 to 250 people total. Upon getting upstairs, we saw Robin Finck walking around, but we all stayed in line. It was tough to read the faces of those leaving, and no one was overjoyed, so doubt started setting in. After 20 minutes or so, we were led into the room and saw who was there... DJ Ashba, Tommy Stinson, Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal, Dizzy Reed... and NO ONE ELSE! I was bummed, but hey, it was Vegas. I took my gamble and I lost. Such is life.
To their credit, all four of the guys were extremely friendly and personable. They have a tough job because they know that everyone in that line was hoping to meet someone who wasn't there. They took pictures, made small talk and then moved you along. Thankfully, the cost for this meet and greet wasn't like the KISS or Aerosmith price range ($1000 - $1500), but rather was about an additional $80 or $100. It was still a good time and the show was amazing. Team Axl for life!