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Geddy Book Signing Question


clem
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HI all. Sorry if this is the wrong place on the board to ask. Did a search and couldn't find much.

 

I have the opportunity to go to one of Geddy's book signings November 4 in Austin.

 

I'm leaning towards "no" because $90 is a huge chunk of change even if it comes with a book. (I know, I know, the book is $60. Again - too pricey for my tastes).

 

For those of you that have been, what were your overall thoughts?

 

MOST IMPORTANTLY - I'm curious to know how many people show up? 50? 500? 5,000? Varies depending on location?

 

I honestly have NO idea and I really don't want to go if it's mega crowded - especially if you're not even allowed to take a picture with the guy.

 

thanks in advance!

 

Clem

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You might be able to find some helpful information in these threads- (they have been ongoing with the ongoing book tour, lol)

 

http://www.therushfo.../page__hl__bbbb

 

http://www.therushfo.../page__hl__bbbb

 

 

The short version is that some members here have gone to at least one of the signings and felt it was worth it! :heart: Your mileage may vary. Starting with your last question- except for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame event last winter, the venues usually sell 500 to 700 tickets. My husband and I went to Philly in July and had a great time! Ged usually is scheduled to sign for about three hours, so you can do the math. That is about 20-25 seconds with him, it is up to you if it is worth it. During the summer dates he seemed to have it down to signing, a thank you and a fist bump with the fan. I had a very small gift that I gave him and that seemed to surprise him for a moment (probably because he didn't have a free hand to take it, lol.) There are no posed photos with him and no selfies, but the person in line behind you can take your phone and take pictures of the two of you together while he signs your book. At some places and with some people he is more outgoing than with others.

 

It was worth it to me because it was somewhere I could reach by train and I knew I would kick myself for years to come if I missed a chance to interact with GEDDY LEE! And the book is beautiful; it is really a work of art. It was cool to me, also, because the book store was full of Rush fans! We went early, so it was an all day experience with people who share the same love of Rush and I really enjoyed that. That meant almost as much to me as meeting Geddy, even though there were a few glitches like the bookstore not managing the line well. (They did however, manage to eject the fan that showed up with no ticket and a huge electric bass that he was convinced Geddy would sign if the store would just let him up the escalator with this huge thing! :LOL:)

 

Anyway, I hope this information helps you make your decision! Good luck and welcome to TRF! :hi:

Edited by blueschica
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Thank you.

This was VERY helpful!

 

Something else came to mind:

With many of these events being rushed (pun not intended; i swear), does Geddy at least personalize the signature?

 

In other words, can he write something like:

"To my #1 fan, Clem - Geddy Lee"

-or-

Does he just have enough time to scribble his name before you get pushed away?

 

thanks again!

 

You might be able to find some helpful information in these threads- (they have been ongoing with the ongoing book tour, lol)

 

http://www.therushfo.../page__hl__bbbb

 

http://www.therushfo.../page__hl__bbbb

 

 

The short version is that some members here have gone to at least one of the signings and felt it was worth it! :heart: Your mileage may vary. Starting with your last question- except for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame event last winter, the venues usually sell 500 to 700 tickets. My husband and I went to Philly in July and had a great time! Ged usually is scheduled to sign for about three hours, so you can do the math. That is about 20-25 seconds with him, it is up to you if it is worth it. During the summer dates he seemed to have it down to signing, a thank you and a fist bump with the fan. I had a very small gift that I gave him and that seemed to surprise him for a moment (probably because he didn't have a free hand to take it, lol.) There are no posed photos with him and no selfies, but the person in line behind you can take your phone and take pictures of the two of you together while he signs your book. At some places and with some people he is more outgoing than with others.

 

It was worth it to me because it was somewhere I could reach by train and I knew I would kick myself for years to come if I missed a chance to interact with GEDDY LEE! And the book is beautiful; it is really a work of art. It was cool to me, also, because the book store was full of Rush fans! We went early, so it was an all day experience with people who share the same love of Rush and I really enjoyed that. That meant almost as much to me as meeting Geddy, even though there were a few glitches like the bookstore not managing the line well. (They did however, manage to eject the fan that showed up with no ticket and a huge electric bass that he was convinced Geddy would sign if the store would just let him up the escalator with this huge thing! :LOL:)

 

Anyway, I hope this information helps you make your decision! Good luck and welcome to TRF! :hi:

Edited by clem
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Thank you.

This was VERY helpful!

 

Something else came to mind:

With many of these events being rushed (pun not intended; i swear), does Geddy at least personalize the signature?

 

In other words, can he write something like:

"To my #1 fan, Clem - Geddy Lee"

-or-

Does he just have enough time to scribble his name before you get pushed away?

 

thanks again!

 

You might be able to find some helpful information in these threads- (they have been ongoing with the ongoing book tour, lol)

 

http://www.therushfo.../page__hl__bbbb

 

http://www.therushfo.../page__hl__bbbb

 

 

The short version is that some members here have gone to at least one of the signings and felt it was worth it! :heart: Your mileage may vary. Starting with your last question- except for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame event last winter, the venues usually sell 500 to 700 tickets. My husband and I went to Philly in July and had a great time! Ged usually is scheduled to sign for about three hours, so you can do the math. That is about 20-25 seconds with him, it is up to you if it is worth it. During the summer dates he seemed to have it down to signing, a thank you and a fist bump with the fan. I had a very small gift that I gave him and that seemed to surprise him for a moment (probably because he didn't have a free hand to take it, lol.) There are no posed photos with him and no selfies, but the person in line behind you can take your phone and take pictures of the two of you together while he signs your book. At some places and with some people he is more outgoing than with others.

 

It was worth it to me because it was somewhere I could reach by train and I knew I would kick myself for years to come if I missed a chance to interact with GEDDY LEE! And the book is beautiful; it is really a work of art. It was cool to me, also, because the book store was full of Rush fans! We went early, so it was an all day experience with people who share the same love of Rush and I really enjoyed that. That meant almost as much to me as meeting Geddy, even though there were a few glitches like the bookstore not managing the line well. (They did however, manage to eject the fan that showed up with no ticket and a huge electric bass that he was convinced Geddy would sign if the store would just let him up the escalator with this huge thing! :LOL:)

 

Anyway, I hope this information helps you make your decision! Good luck and welcome to TRF! :hi:

 

I'm sorry, there is not a definitive answer on the personalizing! He does write "To XYZ" on every book, I guess in part to keep them from being so easily sold on Ebay? There was a guy at the Philly signing who just wanted Geddy Lee and he was disappointed that it had to be to a name.

 

The venue staff comes around with little note papers and they have you write out your name, then they stick it in the book so Geddy can be sure to spell your name correctly. At some of the signings, people on here and on a Facebook group I am in, said they were able to write short dedications, like yours, and Geddy wrote that as well as his signature. Other people from other signings have reported that he was doing names only at their event. So I guess it just would depend if you would be lucky that day? But he will write "To Clem" for sure.

 

There was kind of a mixup when we were in Philly. A man came around with the little papers and told us all to write our name AND short dedication on the paper. Then as we were like second in line, a woman (from the store, not Geddy's staff) would look at the dedications and cross them out with a Sharpie and say, "There's NO WAY he's writing that, OK?" :LOL: :banghead: So why did the store tell us to write a dedication? I did hear that the event was sold out at 500 people and the store got permission to sell another 200 books/tickets so it was up to 700. Maybe when they did that, it was names only, just to get everyone's book signed before Ged's hand fell off. I dunno, I got nuthin'. I wish a had a more definite answer on the dedications but it has happened both ways. Good luck!

Edited by blueschica
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Definitely worth going. How much did you pay to see them in concert? In this case you get to meet Geddy and take home a collector's item. I am sure that it will be worth a lot more than $90 someday. The book has a lot of cool interviews with fellow bass players. So even if you are not into the technical part of the bass, it is fun to read the interviews. The pictures are great too.
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Definitely worth going. How much did you pay to see them in concert? In this case you get to meet Geddy and take home a collector's item. I am sure that it will be worth a lot more than $90 someday. The book has a lot of cool interviews with fellow bass players. So even if you are not into the technical part of the bass, it is fun to read the interviews. The pictures are great too.

Thanks.

I used to work in the biz back in the 90s and got to meet many musical celebs. Because of my line of work, most were Country-Western and sadly, I'm not a fan. I actually had lunch with Garth Brooks when he was at the top of his game, and he was a super super nice guy. Made me wish I liked Country music. The biggest rock celebs I got to meet were Steve Perry and Mark Farner of Grand Funk. I also got backstage passes at a Boston concert back in 1988. All this to say, I think meeting celebs is a tad overrated. Especially since they'll never remember you a couple hours after the event. And I would MUCH rather go to a 3 hour Rush concert than spend 3 hours waiting in line in a moldy book store, but you make some great points.

I'm leaning towards going. Maybe whoever is in line after me will be kind enough to take a few snaps with the iphone.

Thanks again!

Clem

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Definitely worth going. How much did you pay to see them in concert? In this case you get to meet Geddy and take home a collector's item. I am sure that it will be worth a lot more than $90 someday. The book has a lot of cool interviews with fellow bass players. So even if you are not into the technical part of the bass, it is fun to read the interviews. The pictures are great too.

Thanks.

I used to work in the biz back in the 90s and got to meet many musical celebs. Because of my line of work, most were Country-Western and sadly, I'm not a fan. I actually had lunch with Garth Brooks when he was at the top of his game, and he was a super super nice guy. Made me wish I liked Country music. The biggest rock celebs I got to meet were Steve Perry and Mark Farner of Grand Funk. I also got backstage passes at a Boston concert back in 1988. All this to say, I think meeting celebs is a tad overrated. Especially since they'll never remember you a couple hours after the event. And I would MUCH rather go to a 3 hour Rush concert than spend 3 hours waiting in line in a moldy book store, but you make some great points.

I'm leaning towards going. Maybe whoever is in line after me will be kind enough to take a few snaps with the iphone.

Thanks again!

Clem

 

I'll be at Monday's signing. Planning to get there 2 hours before start time. If you'd like to coordinate so that I can be behind you in line and take your photos, you can pm me.

 

I'm not setting high expectations on the 'meeting Ged' part of it. He really doesn't have more than 15-30 seconds he can allot to each person and with Austin's signing being the last one of 4 straight days (in 4 different cities!), I imagine he'll be a little extra weary. I'm just looking at it as a chance to see him in person (the only way possible at this point), get a quick hello and fist bump, watch him personalize my book and then take it home as a souvenir. I wouldn't have travelled anywhere for such a brief moment or probably even bought the book otherwise, but since he's actually coming to me, I'm quite happy to support him.

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Definitely worth going. How much did you pay to see them in concert? In this case you get to meet Geddy and take home a collector's item. I am sure that it will be worth a lot more than $90 someday. The book has a lot of cool interviews with fellow bass players. So even if you are not into the technical part of the bass, it is fun to read the interviews. The pictures are great too.

Thanks.

I used to work in the biz back in the 90s and got to meet many musical celebs. Because of my line of work, most were Country-Western and sadly, I'm not a fan. I actually had lunch with Garth Brooks when he was at the top of his game, and he was a super super nice guy. Made me wish I liked Country music. The biggest rock celebs I got to meet were Steve Perry and Mark Farner of Grand Funk. I also got backstage passes at a Boston concert back in 1988. All this to say, I think meeting celebs is a tad overrated. Especially since they'll never remember you a couple hours after the event. And I would MUCH rather go to a 3 hour Rush concert than spend 3 hours waiting in line in a moldy book store, but you make some great points.

I'm leaning towards going. Maybe whoever is in line after me will be kind enough to take a few snaps with the iphone.

Thanks again!

Clem

 

I'll be at Monday's signing. Planning to get there 2 hours before start time. If you'd like to coordinate so that I can be behind you in line and take your photos, you can pm me.

 

I'm not setting high expectations on the 'meeting Ged' part of it. He really doesn't have more than 15-30 seconds he can allot to each person and with Austin's signing being the last one of 4 straight days (in 4 different cities!), I imagine he'll be a little extra weary. I'm just looking at it as a chance to see him in person (the only way possible at this point), get a quick hello and fist bump, watch him personalize my book and then take it home as a souvenir. I wouldn't have travelled anywhere for such a brief moment or probably even bought the book otherwise, but since he's actually coming to me, I'm quite happy to support him.

 

Well, I PLANNED on going, but it looks like the event is sold out. Not sure how many tickets were being sold, but sadly, if a sell-out, you'll definitely be limited with your time with him.

I'm not terribly disappointed, but I guess I should have made up my mind quicker.

I'm guessing you'll have plenty of time to chat with the person your in line with, and Rush fans are generally cool people, so I'm guessing they won't mind snapping some pics for you.

 

Would love to know how the event goes!

You'll have to give me a play-by-play

 

Clem

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It’s a personal decision. For me it was worth it for the signed book alone—it’s a ton of book, and it’s autographed for really no extra money at the time, just the cost of the book. But, yes it is a lot of people (around a thousand give or take a hundred at the first one in NJ), you get only a few seconds to say hello and thanks, and they discourage photos other than from while waiting on line. On the plus side, yes personalized signatures if that’s your preference, and the place I went to was careful to warn you to keep your book open for around ten minutes to dry the signature and let everyone linger for a bit to do so. Advice for those who are still deciding or planning to go—don’t worry about being the first one there or you’ll just wait around for hours before Geddy even arrives. Get there as late as possible, and you’ll be in and out much quicker with no waiting on a motionless line Edited by HalfwayToGone
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Absolutely a personal thing. I took my son (25) with me. I let him get my fist bump! His first show was VT tour and and S&A second. Geddy signed the book to both of us so it was a special moment for us. Ged told us he was happy to see fathers and sons connecting like this and I informed him that my son was listening in his crib which Ged laughed and said thank you for being fans. I would of paid the same without the book but the book is just a beautiful masterpiece! When the guys of Rush do stuff they don't half-ass it! Rush on my friends! Edited by symedubois
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Absolutely a personal thing. I took my son (25) with me. I let him get my fist bump! His first show was VT tour and and S&A second. Geddy signed the book to both of us so it was a special moment for us. Ged told us he was happy to see fathers and sons connecting like this and I informed him that my son was listening in his crib which Ged laughed and said thank you for being fans. I would of paid the same without the book but the book is just a beautiful masterpiece! When the guys of Rush do stuff they don't half-ass it! Rush on my friends!

Edited by symedubois
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