We hear allot of contact with musicians at clubs and hanging at know locations. I was reminded of a funny encounter I had with a band, a strange encounter, and wondered if anyone had any similar bizarre stories?

As for me, My brother and our wives went to a Stalone movie, Cliffhanger and settled in the second row. The opening scenes have stalone rock climbing and hanging buy his finger tips, about a corny as you can get. Right out of the gate and right behind me comes a very funny outload remark dissing Stalone, which brough chuckles from the audience. A few seconds go buy and another guy in the same row a few down lets go with another one, the audience laughs again. My brother being in theatre is getting a little mad at someone talking over his head and gives me the low brow. On a third remark I turn around to say something and encounter the entire Barenaked Ladies Band and their significant others. I just turned around and pointed for my brother to turn around, he backed off with a smile. Since they were getting a possitive reaction from the croud they did it through the whole movie, great stuff.

There have to be some great chance encounters out there.

tom waits - we were standing next to each other at a high school baseball field watching our sons work with a pitching mentor. he looked at me and i looked at him. but, he didn't say anything to me...i could tell he understood that would be inappropriate.

I hear that one. I'm from the same town as Dianna Krall and encounters with her and Elvis in grocery stores and on the local ferry are very common. You keep to yourself and smile.

one time I went to a Ramsey Lewis show, and during the opening band's set I noticed Lewis's drummer standing a few feet away...he was watching the band, then he commented to me about the type of instrument the bass player happened to be playing..

i better not repeat what he said, but it was really funny, about the design of those basses.

Martin Barre asked me the nearest way to the M4, after a Jethro Tull gig.

Nick Mason, on the runs in the Alps!

Just after Hurricane Katrina, I ran into Allen Toussaint shopping for appliances at Sear's.

That man wears a suit with socks & sandals 365 days a year !

At a Lakers game in mid-80's and noticed that Kevin Cronin of REO was sitting in front of me with his son. Also, at a Stones show about 7 or 8 years ago in Seattle, during the Stones' set, a couple of big security guards came down the aisle and stood next to me, and Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue took a seat in front of me. They had opened the show. He stayed for a few songs then left. I did go to Graceland in 1974. Some friends and I were talking to a security guard at the gate. He was very cool and didn't mind us being there. He said that Elvis would be home in a few minutes. Sure enough, the limo drove up, the gate opened, and Elvis was in the building. (Never saw him though, tinted windows!)

Ran into Elvis Costello on the Brighton Pier last May. I had been following his tour around the UK, so this was a real treat. He stopped and chatted with me quite pleasantly for several minutes. Even when I said "I'll let you go" he said "no, that's ok". A real gent.

Walked out of a restaurant in Lake Geneva, WI to see Guns N Roses getting out of a Rolls Royce limo. - Summer '88

Met Paul Williams in the Frankfurt Airport Exec Lounge in Fall 1995 - he was on his way to a Film Festival.

A few years ago I was shopping at Trader Joe's in Scottsdale and a guy covered in tats was in front of me in line. He looked like he was going to a Halloween party, only it was July. The clerk told me that he was in Korn.

George Thorogood was a few places in front of me in line to buy a beer at an Oakland A's Spring Training game in Phoenix in 1989.

At the Ottawa airport in 2001, Geddy Lee was there with his daughter buying muffins.

[thepowergoats.com]

This isn't a famous musician, but he played with a somewhat famous musician and met plenty others. He's sort of a forgotten sideman, and I mean completely forgotten. Not that he was ever an A-lister, but he had the talent and the connections before he flushed his life down the drain. I always find it a somewhat interesting little story, it's amazing the people you meet in the strangest places.

When I was a teenager I got picked up with a little blow and ended up doing some fun time in the old county jail. While I was there I met a very interesting, and very crazy man named Miles "Nighttrain" Rhea. We began discussing music and he used to go on and on about how he used to play with Charlie Musselwhite. He played in a limited capacity with a few other famous musicians, the main one that sticks out is Joe Walsh, but there were a few others. It's been a long time. He eventually talked me into joining the jailhouse band that played at the church services. I wasn't a religious person, and I was basically going to get out as soon as I had a court date so I wasn't planning on getting too confy, but musicians were kind of slim pickings and I thought it might help pass time, and it did. He got me on bass, and this guy was the best musician I've ever met in my life. Harmonica was his main thing, but he was a HELL of a guitar player, bass player, drummer, whatever you put him at. I learned a lot from him musically. And he turned me on to a lot of blues stuff that I had never heard back then. Even though we were the "church band", we spent most of our practices playing blues numbers, as the pre-requisite religious songs had been learned quickly. I forget all the songs we played, though I remember we played "Back Door Man", which in hindsight is maybe not a song you want to be singing in jail.

Anyway Miles turned out to be extremely crazy. I never had any problems with him, he liked me, kind of saw me as his musical protege, and being a somewhat naive kid I tended to believe all these stories he told about touring with Charlie Musselwhite, the musicians he had met, etc. So he probably liked me because I was the only one who didn't think he was completely (though I suspected he was somewhat) full of shit.

I got out after a short stay at the Iron Bar Inn, and mostly forgot about the guy. As I got older I started to think he was completely full of shit. For some reason one day I got curious and looked to see if Charlie had a website (I had actually never heard of him prior to Mr. Rhea, and wasn't actually sure he existed) and sure enough he did, and there was an option to send Charlie a question via e-mail. I sent him a question that basically explained everything I just said, and asked him if he knew Miles and all that. To my surprise I did get an e-mail back from Charlie, and he confirmed everything Miles had told me. He also expressed a good deal of regret and sorrow over what had happened to Miles. As a kid I was certainly impressed with his musical ability, but so was Charlie, and like most people he was upset how the guy was throwing his life away.

Several years ago I got curious to see if Miles ever got on the right track, and unfortunately it got worse. Doing a Google search I came across a documentary some guy was making about homeless people, and one of the subjects was none other than Miles "Nighttrain" Rhea. He was living in a cardboard box in Lubbock I think, swilling beer (he was obviously drunk as well) and telling some of the very same stories he told me. I think he likes it when people listen about the olden days. He played harmonica and sang some songs for them. It was all very sad.

In the process of typing this I tried to find that video, but couldn't. Though I did see that as of 2012 Miles is still, to my surprise, alive. Although he's apparently back in the system, as I found his mugshot and arrest report for Assault With A Deadly Weapon in 2012.



Very sad story. On a side note though, he HATED the Stones. He knew quite a bit about them (I don't think he ever claimed to meet them though) and told me some stories I hadn't heard yet at that time. He seemed to especially hate Bill for some reason, going on and on about the only reason he was in the band is because the others liked his PA system.

Nikki Sixx - at Johnny Rockets in Calabasas
Tommy Lee - at Trader Joe's in Westlake Village

I was living in Singapore at the time during the Licks tour. I was able to score front row seats for both nights at the Indoor Stadium. A few days after the second show I was walking home from the gym. To get to my street there is a short cut through an open air bar. As I was walking through I saw Bernard sitting with a very attractive Asian girl. We locked eyes, and I really didn't want to say much, but then he nodded at me, so I had to! I went up and thanked him for a great show, and then I said, "your vocals on Flying on Slide on This live are absolutely stunning!" I think he was surprised, as most casual fans know he sings with the Stones and thats about it. So I turned and walked away and he called to me, "hey! Who are you?!" So I went back and introduced myself and we chatted a bit. Very nice guy!

After The Stones gig in Shanghai, I was standing in the immigration line to leave the country. The hall was quite crowded and I was in travel mode so not paying to close attention, when I realized standing right in front of me was Bobby Keys! I pulled out my ticket stub from the show, and asked if he would sing it. He had a lot of stuff in his hands, and handed it to me to hold while he signed. We chatted a bit and he said the rest of the band was already through, and Keith, Mick, and Ronnie got a VIP exit. I thanked him and he turned to move forward, and I called to him again, and said, "ah Bobby you might need this!" He forgot he had handed me his passport and paper work. He laughed and thanked me.

My 4th grade girlfriend was the daughter of BJ Thomas (Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head). He made me a milkshake and I saw his Grammy!

The Robinson brothers (Black Crowes) - I was in Santa Cruz to see the band play that night @ the catalyst in Downtowm SC.... any hows, having a bite & a drink a few hours before the show, I notice an entourage coming down the stairs and heading out onto the Pacific Garden Mall... I recognize the 2 brothers & tell my buddies I'm gonna check out where they're heading too... they head out (me following) and they make a B-Line for the HEAD SHOP, LOL... well, while they were in their I walked up to Rich (Guitarist) and tell him I'm their to see them play tonight & would he mind signing something for me, I get a Business Card from the headshop (Pipeline) and he signs it & tells me "If I ask nicely Chris 'may' sign it too!" - I got a kick out of meeting those two guys, two bad the concert was cancelled because of a power failure... here's a scan of the Business card

Interesting topic. Favorites seen on the streets of New York: Buck Dharma, Mike Campbell (actually pushing his kid in a swing at a Central Park playground), and all of NRBQ! And I sat behind the Smithereens at the New York premiere of the Brian Wilson biopic "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" (directed by Don Was).

I was in a production of "Mister Roberts" starring Martin Sheen years ago, and Roy Orbinson was there and ended up doing a cameo in our drunk scene walking a goat! He was sweet and very funny.

Along the lines of the Miles Rhea story -- my brother played bass in a band in the Palm Beach County area back in the 80s. Who walks into a gig but Jaco Pastorius! My brother worshipped him. Jaco had a bucket of fish and a basketball with him and was yelling to everyone that he was black. Then he grabbed my brother's bass and started making a terrible racket. My brother was really upset trying to get his bass back from one of his heroes. Maybe just a few months later I was visiting a girlfriend in the Tribeca area (when it was pretty shady and not chic). She was complaining about this crazy guy that had moved in with a girl downstairs and was always making disturbances. It was Jaco. Sadly it was these sort of instances that eventually led to his death.

To end on a lighter note, I can say I smoked reefer with members of B.B. King's band and the great Johnny Shines, and did shots of tequila with James Cotton (in all instances paid for by me!). And I lost 5 bucks shooting pool with one of the Gurvitz brothers of the Baker/Gurvitz Army.

I was in a casino in las vegas in 1996, cashing in my chips at 3am. i looked to my right, and there was B.B.King. I said hello, shook his hand and he autographed my Keno card. Cool......

I've been lucky - I've had a lot of 'em.

In the little college town where I went to school, I saw Bowie & Iman at a local burrito shop (he was rehearsing for a tour in my school's basketball arena one summer) and waited for a traffic light to change with a mountain bike-riding Bob Dylan idling right next to my girlfriend and I. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt (kind of looked like the Unabomber) and asked us how we were doing. I was rendered speechless. My girlfriend didn't recognize him and chatted with him until the light changed. As soon as he wished us a good evening and rode off, she stopped dead in her tracks and said "Oh my God - that was Bob Dylan, wasn't it?"

In NYC, I see Craig Finn (singer for the Hold Steady) all the time in my neighborhood - we go to the same bars, same gym, same supermarket. Nice guy. I once ran into Lenny Kaye at a pub in Brooklyn and we talked about the Nuggets comp and R.E.M. for a little while. He was so nice I decided not to ask him what he was thinking when he wrote that Exile review for Rolling Stone.

About ten years ago, I was at a Mets game at Shea and sitting in front of me was Rod Stewart with an entourage of about 10 people. When they all got up to leave in about the 5th inning, I yelled "Hey Rod - you gotta make another album with Ronnie!" He laughed and shrugged and said "We're trying - but he's pretty busy with his other band!"

Oh, and I once saw Sting riding the subway and reading the New York Post.

But my favorite... one Saturday night I got home at about 2 AM, steaming drunk. My roommate and his girlfriend and an older, kind of mod-looking guy were sitting at the kitchen table just talking. I was introduced to the other guy - his name was Johnny. He had a British accent. 5 minutes into our conversation it suddenly dawned on me - it was Johnny Marr from the Smiths, etc. Turns out my roommate's girlfiend was good friends with him when she worked for his management agency in London and he was in NYC with the Healers. What a cool and genuinely nice guy. We hung out for maybe 10 minutes and when I saw him again at the girlfriend's birthday party about two years later, he came over to me, remembered my name, and asked me how I'd been. A straight-up gentleman.

One last one. About 12 years ago I was pregaming for an Oasis show at a little Irish pub near the venue (Radio City). The guy sitting next to me was also quietly pregaming for the Oasis show - except he was in the band. It was Liam. I told him I was looking forward to the show that night and that I was a huge fan. We wound up shooting the shit and buying each other a round. He's a really funny guy - not the idiot he comes off as in the press. After three beers, he said he couldn't get too loaded before the show but encouraged me to do exactly that. I didn't let him down.

I've still never randomly seen a Stone, though. I'd probably lose it completely.

At the O2 Arena on 25th november I was waiting to see the Stones gig with other two friends. We were drinking a beer and watching the people passing by on their way to the concert.

All of a sudden, I saw Jimmy Page with an unknown friend. I talked to him, but his answer was too straight (but polite): "Sorry, mate. I'm busy".

Met Joe Walsh before an Eagles show here in Columbia, MO a few years ago. I was a senior in high-school--just switching from playing bass to playing guitar. I was a "big punk rocker," ha-ha, so I HATED (and still don't like) the Eagles.

ANYWAY, me and my best friend, also a guitarist, are in one of the local guitar shops, gawking at what we can't afford. I was playing a Fender Jazzmaster, and this old guy, who looked like any 50-60-ish year old guy you see in a guitar shop, comes over to me, and asks me: "That a Jazzmaster you got there?" "Yeah, it's a pretty nice guitar..., so me and Joe Walsh converse for a good few minutes. Eventually, he says he's got to get going, but before he left, he bought a Gibson SG, all while the shop owner's breathing down his back, not giving the poor guy some space.

The worst part out of all of this? I had no idea I was talking to Joe Walsh, a living legend, until the shop owner told me who that was. I've had a healthy admiration for the guy, as a songwriter and person, ever since. Was a humble dude, and the fact that he took time out to talk to some snotty eighteen year old really speaks volumes about his character, I think. Maybe if I'd have been more engaged, he might've bought me that Jazzmaster.

Met Tommy Ramone too, a few weeks earlier than that, but that was anything but strange chance. His bluegrass band came to town, and I was determined that I'd come back with my Ramones album signed by the only Ramone alive who played on that album. I wasn't dissapointed. He was pretty nice, too.

Keith Richards-2007 Seattle Olympic Fairmont Hotel
Ronnie Wood-2006 Seattle "" "
Mick Taylor-1995 Ventura , CA club gig
Paul McCartney- 2003 Seatle, WA- University Ave
Robert Plant- 2011 Seattle, Wa. Pine St.
Bryan Ferry- 2005 Seattle, WA. Sorrento Hotel
Kris Novoselic-Nirvana- 2008 Seattle WA. 1st AVe standing in front of a spa waiting for his wife
Peter Buck REM- 2012 Seattle,WA Swerve Records 1st Ave.
Steven Tyler- 1987 Twilight Zone coffeshop -Amsterdam Netherlands
Mick Fleetwood/John McVie- 1984 Malibu, CA
Ian Hunter- 1980 Los Angeles Roxy Nightclub
Al Stewart- 1978 Westwood Plaza LA
Will Sargeant-Echo & the Bunnymen- 2001 Seattle,WA.
Jackson Browne- 1984 LA at a Springsteen concert
Rod Stewart- Seattle ,WA. 2008 I think? Ran into me exiting the stage on the floor in a concert in the round wearing a parka!!

All of them were very nice. And no, I never asked for an autograph.

This is a very enjoyable thread.

You never know where you'll run into someone famous. Some of the stories remind me of when Steve Martin used to be a comedian. He had a joke where he said, "I've always wanted to meet Jackie Kennedy. Well, recently I was in a laundromat in Tucson . . ."

A couple more:

Late winter/early spring '95, I was driving through Cambridge, MA, one rainy Saturday with a friend of mine - we were going record shopping. We were stuck in traffic on a typical narrow street right by Harvard Square (Mt. Auburn, maybe - right by the old House Of Blues). Traffic was lurching forward at random small intervals. The car in front of me went ahead about 10 feet - I followed. At that point, two guys stepped in front of my car to cross the street and I slammed on the brakes and skidded a few inches. The tall guy with the long blonde hair smacked the hood of my car but never looked at us - he just kept on walking. My friend let out a piercing shriek. The shorter guy with the not-as-long brown hair heard her scream and looked at us and laughed as he walked by.

I don't know what Robert Plant and Jimmy Page were doing at the House of Blues on a Saturday afternoon (though they were in town at the Boston Garden that weekend on the first Plant-Page tour), but I do know that I came within inches of killing Led Zeppelin's front line.

Not a musician but she slept with a few of 'em:

About 4 or 5 years ago I was down at J&R Music World in Lower Manhattan after work one summer day doing some CD shopping. It was about 5:30 PM and the place was empty. The only other customer near me was an older woman in a blue sundress with yellowish-blonde hair. She was very slim but her skin kind of looked like a tanned leather bag. Something about her seemed familiar, though. She was holding the deluxe edition of Eric Clapton's first solo album. I was about 7 or 8 feet away from her and noticed her pulling a copy of Black & Blue out of a discount CD bin. She looked at the front cover for a second, flipped it over and checked out the back cover, and put it back in the bin. Then it hit me - it was Anita. Part of me wanted to go and say hi, but what would I say - "You've got great taste in musicians?" Plus, there was something about her that was totally terrifying - I can't describe it, but it jibes with everything I've read about her over the years. Put it this way - she's got aura to spare.

I stood behind her in the check-out line. She was very sweet to the cashier. I still kind of wish I'd said something to her, though I still can't think of anything I could have said.

I grew up in Los Angeles so early on I came to encounter or know many celebrities.
My parents brought me to be well-mannered and treat them politely as I would anyone else.

This little story might interest some of you:

In the 1960's, my mother was running errands for an elderly friend in Beverly Hills, which was then more of a village than THE tourist-ridden Beverly Hills of today Several young men were driving down the street in a Cadillac. The car pulled over to the side of Rodeo Drive and a young man jumped out of the car, walked up to her car and said with a Southern drawl, "Ma'am, we're lookin' to rent a house in Beverly Hills. Could you tell me who we should see?"

She gave him a few pointers and told him about some areas he might like and offered a couple of names of rental agents. He thanked her three times and went back to the car.

A few months later she was driving in Beverly Hills near Mulholland Drive and a man in a Cadillac waved to her. He had his friend pull over and got out of the car and said to her, "I'm real glad to see you again! We found a house!" She looked at him, and this time she recognized who he was -- Elvis Presley.

Euro disney opening day, was backpacking with some mates and we decided it would be a good idea to go to Euro disney ( not that special ). walked through the main gates and here is sir bob geldof. all my mates were not game to say anything so i yelled out "Bob rather loudly, he just turned around had a quick look and then went on his way..

the boys from Jet (aussie band ) for those who don't know them. they opened for the Stones on the licks tour in Oz. the bass player was cast on the floor of the pub after the gig. no one in the pub seemed to care, all too buzzed from the theatre gig the stones had just played at the Enmore Theatre.

Nick Barker who is also another aussie muso. not over huge but he was playing the local pub for bands and he and his and covered YCAGWYW and as he was moving through the crowd i approached him and commented on how i liked the version of YCAGWYW. i had a home made pair of stones jeans with the iron on tongue as well as a steel wheels shirt i had cut and had sewn on my jeans as well. he was blown away by the jeans and wanted to know where i had bought them. anyway he invited me to party with them after the gig but i got so hammered i forgot.....

It's funny sometimes about the people and stories you meet surrounding famous people. Without trying I met a guy that was 17yr's old at the time of the Stones 1972 tour opening show in Vancouver B.C. If you remember there was a major riot after this show. Well the Angels killed a guy at the bands last show in 69, and this 17yr old kid was too young to have been there but as it turned out he became an Angel years later, an took me to the B2B show in Vancouver years later. Small funny world sometimes isn't it?

I met Bernard in Bergen, Norway. A really nice guy! He was complaining about never getting the setlist before a few hours prior to the show

After we shared a cigarette, he went into the club and guested on Satisfaction with a local all star band.

Bumped into Paul and Linda McCartney at a Pink Floyd concert at Wembley in Nov 1974. We were both heading for the exit and being young and tongue-tied I could only think of asking him if he enjoyed the show. He's apparently a big fan of the Floyd and especially Dave Gilmour's guitar playing.

Then in 1993 I met him and Linda again backstage at one of his shows at Earls Court. I had tickets for the 'b list' party but then someone came to get a bunch of Japanese guests to take them through to the 'A list' party in another part of the building. I tagged along and couldn't believe my luck when no one checked me for the right pass.

Paul and Linda arrived at the same time and I asked him to sign the programme for me but he just walked past me. I had a few drinks and after 30 minutes or so Paul and Linda went to leave. I approached Linda first and asked her for her autograph. She signed. I then asked Paul again and amazingly this time he signed too. I think he liked the fact that I asked Linda first. I still have that autographed programme.

Quote
Silver Dagger
Bumped into Paul and Linda McCartney at a Pink Floyd concert at Wembley in Nov 1974. We were both heading for the exit and being young and tongue-tied I could only think of asking him if he enjoyed the show. He's apparently a big fan of the Floyd and especially Dave Gilmour's guitar playing.

Then in 1993 I met him and Linda again backstage at one of his shows at Earls Court. I had tickets for the 'b list' party but then someone came to get a bunch of Japanese guests to take them through to the 'A list' party in another part of the building. I tagged along and couldn't believe my luck when no one checked me for the right pass.

Paul and Linda arrived at the same time and I asked him to sign the programme for me but he just walked past me. I had a few drinks and after 30 minutes or so Paul and Linda went to leave. I approached Linda first and asked her for her autograph. She signed. I then asked Paul again and amazingly this time he signed too. I think he liked the fact that I asked Linda first. I still have that autographed programme.

Ha ha, good story!