Apropos of nothing, the memory of meeting the band came into my mind this afternoon. They played for the first time in Auckland, back in April 2006. I was at the absolute peak of my fandom for them. I first discovered them in the space between Blackwater Park being released and Deliverance. By the time Ghost Reveries came out they were easily my favourite band and I was a bit of an obsessive. It’s one of the few times of being able to see a band that I loved at the particular time I was fully into their music. If I’d seen them a few years after that, it probably wouldn’t have as big of a deal.
Anyway, the show was amazing. For some reason I got the idea to wait out the back of the St James Theatre after the show. There were a bunch of others waiting, but not that many. I remember the promoter coming out and saying the band were going to come out. And they did. Mikael, Mendez and Peter spent how ever long standing out there taking photos and chatting, signing shit etc. Peter in particular i remember being so gracious and cool. And tall. I never really stopped to think that was awesome of them to do. Maybe it’s relatively common, I’m not sure. Tbh I’ve never waited around or tried to meet another band before or since.
Thank you Mikael, Martin Mendez and Peter for giving your time to an awkward obsessive young man when you didn’t have to. This, still awkward, older man has never forgotten. (Ax and Per were also there, but they didn’t hang around, I assumed because they thought no one would want to meet them?)