So meeting Armored Saint and the show were absolutely awesome.
This was my sixth time seeing Saint, and they just continue to get better live. A ton of energy, John sounds amazing, They played about 55 minutes, and 10 songs total, I think. They played two from their latest record, which was great (two of my three favs from it), and then did a bunch of classic tunes that were perfect for a WASP crowd. My wife and I ended up first into the venue, and were center, up on the barricade in front of the stage. We were only staying for Saint, so we figured we'd be okay. But 10 minutes later, when the WASP folks started filing in, some meatball strolls behind us (clearly wanting us to move for him and his...lady friend), and yells out. "YEAH! WASP RULLLLLLLLLES." It took all of 20 seconds for me to turn to Mrs. Samsara and go - lets go stand in the back by the soundboard. Glad we did. Talked to a guy filming for Saint. Friends with the drummer, Gonzo Sandoval, and apparently he's shooting several shows for Gonzo and the band for the archives. Multi-cam, too. There was one by us, and another close to the stage.
The place filled up when Saint hit the stage at about 8:05 or so. They were done by 9, and we split. The guy running sound was nice enough to give me the setlist from the show, and we left pretty thrilled with the show.
So, the pre-show meet and greet was totally worth it. It's 100 per person. But that includes a t-shirt of your choice. The shirts are running $40 these days, so if you're planning to get a shirt, the M&G really was only 60 per person if you think about it. They bring you into the merch area, and you hang with the band for about 20 minutes. They just all sort of mill about real casual. The one thing I love is how personable they are. Phil Sandoval asked about what my wife and I did for a living, and he was honestly interested in what we had to say (you can tell if it's just asking to ask). Jeff Duncan was chill. He said he's a total road dog. Loves being on the road (after I asked him if he's ready to get home). Gonzo is like the don of the band, man. Chief Gonzo. Love the guy. He loves everyone right back. Joey Very I've met many times. Class act. Indulged me on questions about Fates Warning and Mercyful Fate.
But John Bush. Hahahahahaha. Before the band came in, my wife is standing there listening to me talk pretty quickly about Bush and what I want to say. She turns to me and goes "All these decades of marriage and meeting all these rockstars, and this is the first time I've seen you fanboy. The stoic Italian-New Yorker has lost it for John Bush."
She was dead-on. ha ha. But once we actually met him, I was fine. John and I went to shake hands, he had a fist bump, I extended my hand, then we reversed, laughed, and then he brought me in for a hug.
Then he hugged the Mrs. and we talked for a bit about Anthrax. He tries to be respectful, and is, and is glad they are doing what they are doing, but he misses the songs he did with them too. He signed my wife's vinyl of Sound of White Noise, and my vinyl of Volume Eight: The Threat is Real. He talked about the tour a bit, and how while he can't say the band or any of the details (I am assuming it is still WASP), that it looks like they are going out again in the spring. The other thing we talked about was how we're really happy that Saint keeps doing new music and how that's really important. No b.s., I have found the last couple Saint record to be some of their best.
After all that signing and chat, we each (there were about 10 total) took individual pics with the band. My wife and I wanted to use the restroom, so apparently we missed the group pic with all the other VIPs and the band, but whatever, I really didn't care about that. Once Mrs. Samsara and I returned, we said goodbye to the band, cracked some more jokes with Phil, and that was that. of course, 15 minutes later we ran into Jeff Duncan going to get some early dinner, and joked that we're really not stalking him, which was a good laugh.
All in all, a worthwhile experience for $100 bucks (plus the ticket, the hundo is just for the m&g). So when they tour this spring, if you're a fan and you've never met them, and plan on buying a shirt, do the m&g. It's worth the price.