Backstage 101...part 2

I began to realize that by being a fan alone, it was not necessarily enough to gain entry to a band’s private world. I was moving away from Moncton and taking on a new life living in Toronto, and in a bigger city there would be far more fans looking for the same handouts as I was. I knew this from experience.

I had tried my same methods and approach when I had travelled to Montreal for some concerts in 1989-1990 and found it much harder to get my foot in the door in the larger centres. In January 1990, I came up with a new ruse while in Montreal for two amazing shows, one night featured Aerosmith with Skid Row and the following night was Alice Cooper with Great White. A pack of friends had travelled with me to Montreal on the train for these shows and we were all sharing a hotel room, getting wasted and having a great time. I had bragged to them all about how it would be easy to get into the concerts but I was having a great deal of trouble getting past the French guard dog receptionists at the venue box office, and having no luck wading through the very long list of hotels in the city. I managed to get tickets for the Aerosmith show but had no luck with any backstage passes. My friends were starting to doubt me so I had to think of a new approach to ensure we got in. If I could actually connect with someone from the band’s entourage, it would give me the needed guarantee beyond being just a hopeful fan. My friend Sue was sitting next to me in the audience watching Skid Row and waiting for Aerosmith and we discussed our disappointment at not being able to go backstage. As we tossed ideas back and forth, I noticed a group of guys in dark, hooded robes shuffling along the aisles near us. I pointed them out to Sue, and the one in the front heard me and turned towards us. Holy shit! It was Steven Tyler! And the rest of the guys in Aerosmith too, trying to quietly check out Skid Row from the audience! Steven Tyler slightly lifted his hood and smiled at us, putting a finger up to his luscious big lips and mimed, “shhhhh”, to which we replied with our cutest little waves and smiles, and then the quiet line of robed rock stars, continued on past us. Wow! That was a little bonus for us! It wasn’t quite backstage but it was still a thrilling moment! Sue and I sighed and giggled excitedly but then Sue returned suddenly to our previous brainstorming with new incentive.

“I think Steven Tyler thought we were cute! Did you see him smile? Wouldn’t it just be easier to look sexy and smile and flirt with the roadies to get backstage passes?”

“Of course not!” I retorted. That was exactly what I wanted to avoid! Sue had a hotter look than I did so she could pull off sexy rocker chick better than I could. My confidence was all behind the phone receiver. But then it hit me. Why couldn’t I just “create” a slutty, sexy voice as easily as I had created a professional sounding one?!

I tried my best come-hither voice on Sue and she laughed at me but told me it could definitely work. Road crew guys generally thought with their dicks anyway! So why not dangle something temping in their ears if not in front of their eyes? I knew from past backstage experiences that I never ran into the crew member who gave us the passes, with the exception of Zach from Metallica. So maybe it wouldn’t be too difficult to lead someone on through the phone, secure the passes and tickets for my friends (both guys and girls), and once backstage, just blend in. The roadie who liked my sexy voice would more than likely be busy with some other blow-job willing groupie, and he may even think the girls he ends up with are the ones he gave passes to! The possibilities were endless and I felt up to the task.

The next day while everyone slept off hangovers in our piled up hotel room, I pushed on with my mission to get in touch with someone from the crew for the Alice Cooper show, through the box office or a hotel. At last, when I did get lucky and found myself on the phone with a very burly sounding roadie backstage at the Montreal Forum, I was more than ready for what I knew I needed to do.

“Hi, is this Mike Reynolds? You work for Great White, don’t you?” I purred into the phone.

“Yeah, who’s this?” he demanded impatiently.

“I am a saucy sweet thing who partied with you and the boys last time they were here…I kept your name in my little black book because you and I had a really great time! Tee hee!” I flirted away shamelessly. I heard him laugh and knew I was in. My bluff had worked, and he gave us tickets and passes quite happily, and I am sure he anticipated much more than we were going to be giving him! But I had done what I had boasted I would do, I had come through for my friends and we all enjoyed another free show, this time wearing our backstage passes proudly. However, even with the prized passes, a backstage experience doesn’t always amount to much as neither Great White or Alice Cooper appeared for pictures and autographs no matter how long we waited with a crowd of other hopeful fans. I had done all I could do though and I now had laid the foundation for the new direction I would be taking my concert access in.

There was no internet back then so finding the details I would need to validate my sleazy claims would take some hardcore research. Music magazines would provide me with much of the information I would need. And I had a large stack of those so it was just a matter of reading, making notes and highlighting the relevant details.

Finding out through an interview where a band may have partied, what city, what date, etc, could give me a great cover story. If I wanted to tell a roadie I had partied with the band in Buffalo during the winter 1989 tour, then I had better make sure the band had definitely been there. I spent many hours making sure I had all the facts correct. I took note of everything and everyone and was going to be very prepared when I took on my first concert in Toronto.

By November, 1990, I was settled into my new life in Toronto and the first big rock show since my arrival had come to town: Poison and Warrant. It would be an amazing first concert for myself and my friends in the big city and as soon as it was announced I dug out all my notes on both bands. At this time both bands were at the height of their careers and everyone was very excited to see me make this one happen.

Unlike Moncton which only has a handful of high-end hotels, there are many in Toronto where bands could possibly stay, so I focused on the 20 best in the downtown core and it didn’t take long to locate Poison’s road manager, Scotti Ross. He was mentioned often enough in interviews and Poison had a well known party reputation, so I had been able to find some great detailed information to make myself believable. Since they were playing at the Skydome, they were staying at the most obvious choice, The Skydome Hotel.

“Good afternoon, Skydome Hotel.”

“Hello, could I please be put through to the room of Mr. Scott Ross?”

“One moment please.” That was too easy! But I was ready.

“Hello?” a deep voice answered after two rings.

“Hi, is this Scotti?” I said in my most syrupy sweet voice.

“Yup, who’s this?” Road people were always quick to get to the point when bothered in their hotel rooms.

“I don’t know if you remember me, but I partied with you and the boys in Cincinatti last year…we got really drunk and then Rikki told me to write down your name to be able to contact you all at the hotel when you came to my home town…and here you are! I hope I haven’t bothered you…”I sounded like an airhead cheerleader, and added some high pitched giggles for extra effect.

Scotti Ross chuckled softly but didn’t sound like he doubted me in the least. After all, according to the pictures and article I had seen in Metal Edge magazine, the party they had in Cincinatti looked exceptionally wild. Mr. Ross had been in many of the shots with a very glazed expression on his face so I felt it was a good bet that he would have no idea whether I had been there or not! And if I said I was there, why would he doubt me?

“Yeah sweetheart, that was a great night….I’m sure the boys would be happy to see you again, come on down and hang with us after the show. How many tickets and passes do you need?”

I smiled and asked for 4, for myself and my 3 hot girlfriends. Except my “hot girlfriends” were actually my best guy friends! This was too easy! We had a great night at that concert and Scotti Ross didn’t even appear backstage in the meet and greet area to see where the mystery sexy caller was! Bret Michaels, the singer from Poison was warm and charming and shook your hand like he meant it. He looked directly at you when speaking to you with full attention, so I felt compelled to tell him about how I came to be backstage. He laughed with good humour and said he was impressed! And then advised me to keep it up, that I had a great future ahead of me as a lawyer or in band management! He was the coolest and nicest rock star I had ever met. He was the first rock star I really connected with, but there were many more to come....

My friends and I went to dozens and dozens of rock shows throughout my time living in Toronto from 1990-1992, and using these same methods I rarely failed to come through.

....end of part 2.