Meet and greet

[ThisIsTheLife]

Hi there, does anyone had a meet and greet with the band? Can you tell me how long it was and how the whole procedure was? I wonder if I should buy a VIP package but I'm not quite sure because it is a big amount of money for such a few minutes...

[Lonk]

I did for the Astonishing in 2016. It was pretty standard (though at the time I was a little underwhelmed). You get some items (I still use my NOMAC water bottle), get a chance to take a picture with the band, and then you get a chance to get something signed and/or chat with the member for a bit. Then you get a chance to purchase any merch without having to do a long line.

I don't remember how long the whole thing lasted. I purchased the Meet and greet package for this tour just to secure a good seat (Front row  )

[geeeemo]

I agree with the above poster.  I have done it 2x and am doing it again! You get better seats - yes front row for me !! - and I just like how it adds a little more to the night.  In addition, since I can afford it, I like to feel that this is my way to support the band. I am a later comer to Dream Theater.  I have only bought 2 straight up CD's. I have 2 DVD's and a couple art books that came with the CD's. My car now has no CD player so I don't buy CD's anymore and I didn't buy the earlier ones as I hadn't discovered them yet.  I could still buy some for the art, but as for now I love the band and they deserve to make money. 

For a show that starts at 8, I have had to be there at 5:30 - after a bit - maybe 20 mins - the band comes out and the whole thing is over maybe an hour or a bit less. You can have 2 things signed. I have brought the art books (Jordan was digging my Distance Over Time one as he hadn't seen it yet) and my Scenes DVD. The swag you get for the VIP has things to sign as well. A poster... and the last time a Very Cool room 137 drum head. It's fun to talk to the guys, but be ready and practice your question! I definitely get nervous 

[bosk1]

You can get other things signed as well.  First thing I ever got:



And, no, we don't have official forum apparel.    That shirt, which I made copies of for JP, Maddi, and some of the mods here, was the closest we ever got.  Oh, and this:  https://www.cafepress.ca/+llamas_womens_vneck_dark_tshirt,135572199

[DT1138]

I did it for the Nov 2017 show in Chicago.  We had to be there by 5 pm and you were allowed to bring two things to sign.  When we went in, they wanded us and you had to sign in to prove you were on the list.  Then they gave us a DT bag, a small poster of the band, a plastic badge, and one of those power bars for charging your phone.  It was cool talking to the guys for a bit and they were all very nice.  The only minor complaint I had was that when it came time for the photo I literally walked up to the band, said hello, and the second I turned around the person taking the photos was already saying "Here we go...3..2..1..." CLICK! before I even had a chance to get into position.    Regardless, they later email you the link for the photos.  As others here said the VIP gets you a better seat and I could see everything really well (I was in the pit section).

I also did the VIP G3 2018 show in Chicago and was first in line for the M&G.  I got to talk to JP, Joe Satriani, and Phil Collen for a longer amount of time and they were all very cool.  Pretty much the same procedure as the Nov 2017 show in terms of the overall procedure.  I also got to speak with the guy who was in charge of the M&G who was very funny and really interesting.

I had fun with at M&G and don't regret it for anything.  Best of all, I have great memories and some autographed stuff on my wall.  It's not something I would do every time however as it would no longer feel special, but if you're on the fence I say that life is short - go for it and have a great time.  It's definitely worth doing it even once.

[Ben_Jamin]

I don't know why I didn't get my NOMAC signed.

[|KirK|]

In the past it was different, cause the ticket was not included in the package. That's probably why I could get just the third row for the show in London...
It's something you should do at least once in your life, but it's a bit too fast...

[nobloodyname]

In the past it was different, cause the ticket was not included in the package. That's probably why I could get just the third row for the show in London...
It's something you should do at least once in your life, but it's a bit too fast...

"Just" the third row

[|KirK|]

In the past it was different, cause the ticket was not included in the package. That's probably why I could get just the third row for the show in London...
It's something you should do at least once in your life, but it's a bit too fast...

"Just" the third row

Well... You're right, it's not that bad...

[Dublagent66]

I did the M&G with front row seats at the Mesa AZ show on 10/24.  Awesome!