I’m almost embarrassed to admit this, but… a few months ago, I took my wife to see the Air Supply in concert here in Austin.
I have no idea what they’re like in “real” life, but Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock could not have been nicer to fans. They signed every autograph, posed for countless pictures, and seemed to get a kick out of being treated like teen idols. They hung out a LONG time after the show was over, chatting with anyone who wanted to talk to them.
Hitchcock, in particular, seemed to KNOW how silly it was that so many women wanted to pose for pictures with a short, pudgy white haired man, but he took it all in stride and with good humor.
I guess there are a lot of 40-something women who lost their virginity while listening to “Lost in Love” or “All Out of Love,” and still get excited by the memory!
Oh… and Spyro Gyra, the old mellow jazz band, are either a wonderful bunch of people or a brilliant group of actors.
Willie Nelson is famous for this. He frequently wanders around in the audience, making friends, and his rapport with his audiences is really something to see.
They do this after every single show, and they always have done as far back as anyone can remember. These days their show is in Vegas, of course, and quite a few Vegas acts will meet and mingle with the audience after the show, including Mac King, who has the best magic/comedy show in Vegas. But Penn and Teller have always done this. I saw them back in 1991 on their ‘Refrigerator’ tour, at the Eugene O’Neill theatre in NY, and the ‘meet and greet’ after the show was already an established tradition with them. They also did it during their one and only theatrical run here in London. I can’t speak for them, even though I’ve know them both a long time, but I think they do this because (a) they’re both nice people who realise it’s another way of adding to fans’ enjoyment of the evening and (b) they never make the mistake of taking their audience for granted.
Bernadette Peters and David Hyde Pierce were two of the most gracious people I ever met at a stage door. Bernadette especially, who is a total Broadway legend, has nothing of the diva to her–very down to earth and willing to mingle with her fans.
John Sebastian was absolutely delighted to be performing.
Carol Channing gave off a similar vibe – like she was surprised and grateful that people would show up to see her. She mentioned “Hello, Dolly” and seemed surprised at the applause, saying “Oh, you remembered.” She also brought out her husband and talked about meeting him. It was more a conversation with friends than a performance.
Last time I saw Wilco was in October – they were playing the last show of the season at an outdoor venue in KC just a few blocks away from where Elton John was playing the inaugural concert at the new Sprint Center the same night. Tweedy was really having fun with the crowd and making fun of the people who decided to go see Elton John instead. It was the best show I’ve seen in a long while.
I’ve seen Richard Thompson in concert a few times doing a solo acoustic show, and there is always a lot of interaction between him and the audience. He’ll chat with people in the audience who call out requests, play some requests, he gets the crowd involved in sing-alongs, and really seems to be having a blast.
Though now defunct, the Australian band **Midnight Oil ** were the nicest bunch of famous guys I’ve ever encountered. They were “forced” to do an after concert meet and greet for fans who had bought a recent CD single. This was at an outdoor arena around midnight after a 2hr plus show. They treated each and every fan like they were old friends; bullshitting about other bands, answering questions about lyrics, etc. And of course they all signed the CD single artwork.
One of the band told me he remembered seeing me in the parking lot before the show (while he was taking a pre-concert bike ride). He remembered me because I was wearing a t-shirt of an obscure Australian band that had supported Midnight Oil in the past.
I laughed because I remember a guy biking around the lot and had no idea it was a band member.
I recently performed with Bernadette Peters, and she is one of the most gracious and genuine human beings I have ever met. She was well aware that a group of 96 gay male singers/dancers would absolutely idolize her, yet she never wore a metaphorical tiara.
And though I’ve never met him, James Taylor comes to mind.
If my friend Brooke is to be believed, Roger Bart qualifies. Brooke is that girl in the theatre department that even the theatre students think is REALLY weird; she seems to spend all her money and spare time watching the shows in town, going to Seattle to see out-of-town tryouts, or even- often- going to New York to see Broadway shows. Last year she saw our big musical every single night, even though she only had one or two free tickets through her classes. (It was Urinetown, so I don’t blame her.)
Brooke has met Roger Bart at the stage door multiple times, and on the second meeting, she asked if she could get a picture with him. His answer was, “Only if you send me a copy,” and he gave her his email address so she could. He genuinely seemed to (or does) recognize her at all their later meetings.
I came in to mention them too- after my wife and I saw their Vegas show a couple of months ago, they waited outside and posed for photos, signed autographs, and I even had a brief conversation with both of them. They were really friendly, seemed genuinely happy that people had enjoyed the show, and came across as top blokes, for want of a better phrase.
That and my brother (who is quite a talented amateur magicican) is insanely jealous that not only did I get my photo taken with them AND get my program signed, but I also got to talk to both of them.
LOL. I was just coming in here to say exactly that. She has a very interactive myspace page with plenty of entries about what she finds of interest in the world, and she takes the time to interact with her fans, in person and online, on a regular basis. One of the most memorable moments that I had last year was chatting with her after a concert. There were about 50 of us waiting after the show, and she took the time to talk to us and sign autographs, even though she had a show in Boston the next day. She was so very nice and down to earth.
Another of my favorites is Dolly Parton. She’s been doing the same type of thing for a number of years. Her fan club is very important to her. At most of the concert dates, during her current tour, she sponsors “Meet and Greet” times for fan club members, and contest winners. Heck, during the concert she thanked us all several times, simply for buying tickets and coming to the show.
Like her or loathe her, Rosie O’Donnell has a big fan base and she has a very popular and interactive website. The “Ask Ro” feature can be a very fun read. She also does quite a few video blogs, on a regular basis, just to say “hi”, talk about whatever is on her mind, or show whatever project she may be working on.
I have to agree with the folks that talked about Wil Wheaton and Neil Gaiman. I love reading their blogs, on a regular basis, and they really do show a love for their fans. Warren Ellis is like that too.
Although I don’t go on MySpace anymore, Jenna Fischer (Pam from American TV’s The Office) has a page where she regularly posts blogs about her life/career. She seems genuinely humbled by her success.
Then there’s the late Bob Hope’s famous line, “Thanks for the memories”
And let me be another person to mention BB King. Seeing him in person left me downright giddy - the smile on his face while he played was priceless.
Billy Connolly’s a lovely man. I once chased him down the street to tell him how much I loved him, and instead of reacting as if I was a crazy person, which he would have been perfectly justified in doing, he seemed genuinely touched, said: “Aww, thank you very much”, and gave me a big cuddle.
Fourthed. I saw BB King invite a local guitarist he’d met backstage on stage with him. They jammed for a good 10 minutes. BB then proceeded to play for 45 minutes longer than scheduled. The good vibes felt like they could heal.
My brother and I traveled to London for the Lifehouse concert at Sadler’s Wells. Ray Davies was hanging around in the lobby before the show. My brother approached him and said that Davies looked at him like something scraped off the bottom of a garbage bin. He was a bit more friendly when my brother assured him that he didn’t want an autograph, just to thank him for making music.
I’ll third Penn & Teller. I meant them last night and it was really fantastic. I told Penn how much I appreciated Bullshit! and the work they do on that show, and he was genuinely pleased and appreciative to hear it.
On Friday I saw Swell Season, and Glen Hansard is one of the nicest, most genuine performers I have ever seen. He didn’t treat his audience like we were some strangers randomly assembled to listen to him, he treated his audience like we were his best friends, and he was just chilling out and telling stories. It was a fantastic show.
