RE-Release: Episode 6: Superfans!

The C@LL Time 4 Events Crew delves deep into fandom and talks with Super Fans (and Super Friends) Timmy and Joe! Everything from AC/DC to ZZ To; rocking in the Hooptie and good ole Rock n' Roll! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_08 0:26

Hello, everyone. Welcome to Call Time for Events, a place for event workers. I'm Jeff, and today we have Colin.

SPEAKER_04 0:35

Heather. Kristen. Woohoo! Woohoo! Hi guys. Hey.

SPEAKER_07 0:40

Welcome.

SPEAKER_04 0:42

Call Time for Events is proud to be sponsored in part by Mike's Stadium Sports Cards, Colorado's best card shop. For all of your collecting needs, from sports cards to Pokemon and beyond, head to Mike's, located on the northeast corner of Parker and Quincy in Aurora, Colorado, but is also available on most social media platforms at Mike's Stadium Sports Cards. Mike is also a member of the event workers community, and we graciously thank for thank him for his support. Thank you, Mike.

SPEAKER_08 1:11

Amen. Dude, I totally said Pokemon when I did that script. You know, I know that I'm 60. Let it go.

SPEAKER_07 1:18

Deploy the Pokemon. At least he didn't say Pokemon.

SPEAKER_05 1:23

Oh man. Oh man. Okay, well, everybody, thank you so much for joining us today. Today we're gonna chat with a couple of super fans. These are people, they're amazing people. We talk and we kind of joke and we have memes about living the dream. These two are actually living that dream. Colin, please, please tell us about Timmy and Joe.

SPEAKER_07 1:44

Well, I I will let Timmy and Joe also tell us about Timmy and Joe here shortly with our being our interview today. But Timmy and Joe are two of mini concert goers that uh we've seen over the years. And I've known Timmy and Joe for about 24 years now, seeing them going to concerts. And at first the interaction was just polite and cordial. And over the years, it just built to this friendship to now where I'm also uh getting to live a part of the dream of the super fan with them and have got to go to out-of-state concerts with them and see them all over the place. And it's it's no longer just a concert goer or patron, it's a friend family type of relationship uh for myself and several other event workers in the Denver metro area with these guys. So we had them on and can't wait for you guys to hear it.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Yeah, there you go.

SPEAKER_04 2:35

Yeah, Colin. That is so wonderful that you've forged that relationship with them and that you enjoy such special experiences with them, even out of state sometimes. I think that's super, super cool. Um, I'm really excited to also be interviewing um these two, and I'm excited for all of our listeners to uh hear what they have to say as well. Just because I, as our listeners know, um have always been a huge super fan as well of events. And I went through that special transition to being an event worker after have having already been a super fan for many, many years. Umpposite of what Colin's experience was, but I thought it was cool to gain a new experience uh or new perspective rather of the behind the scenes operations of these events. And now it's funny, when I go to events, it's almost impossible to separate the two experiences. I mean, no matter how hard I try, they are just one and the same now, and that's okay. But it really, it's interesting being seeing that.

SPEAKER_08 3:42

Agreed. And as another, as a newer person on the show, uh, people don't know me as well, but um I started as a super fan, especially of music. Um, I didn't really get into sporting events until later, but music has been my thing for so long, and it is you're you could not be more correct. It's completely impossible now to separate those two experiences. And you know, to an outsider that sounds horrible. Well, you can't just go to a concert and just enjoy it and blah, but for me, I love being able to scan around, see where the security is, see what's going on in the room while enjoying it. And it does, it just completely changes your perspective of live events.

SPEAKER_04 4:23

It's honestly so unique.

SPEAKER_05 4:26

Go ahead, guys. I was gonna say, I feel like it it makes the experience better for anybody who says you can't just go and enjoy. It's like not only do I enjoy, but I enjoy it more because knowledge is power in this situation. And you know, when I sit in uh Broadway production and I watch whatever show that I've I'm watching a show that I've been a part of, I mean, I feel superior to everybody in the room because I know I know everything. I know what it took, I know what it took to achieve that moment, which is why those moments, those epic moments in concerts and and in productions, at least for me, the big epic moments when they happen, floor me. Like they give me chills. They're my favorite thing. Because if I can still get chills from those epic moments, knowing how what it took for them to get there, I think I'm enjoying a more robust experience.

SPEAKER_07 5:17

Exactly.

SPEAKER_05 5:17

I totally agree.

SPEAKER_07 5:19

Go ahead. I mean, yeah. So, like for me, I I can recite to you. I mean, you guys know that I have this sick memory that I literally remember everything. I could tell you I'm not going to, but the very small, small handful of events that I went to before I started working doesn't mean I wasn't a fan of things. I just thought it was such an unattainable, unrealistic goal to like go to that many events. And then I started to work in the events industry and I became a super fan of bands that I never had heard of or never thought I'd be fans of. Um, I I feel uh almost this different type of fandom, if you will, of the sports teams that I work and that I follow. It's just it's a different type of connection. I'm not saying it's better or worse than what the the fans that are paying to see all the events are. It's just a different kind of uh connection I feel. But Jeff, you nailed it like when you go to an event, you can't you can't not watch the event workers, not just the security, not just the bartenders, but you're watching. I mean, you look up in this in the rafters and you know where the spots are, you know where the backline riggers are, you know where the producers are, you know where the sound guys are, you know how every little little person on the sideline of an event or at a uh on a football stadium or whatever, you know each one of them has a job and what their what their job is and what they're doing.

SPEAKER_08 6:34

Um not just know but appreciate. I mean, you know, you go to buy a drink and you appreciate that person who's been slinging drink for four hours, and you appreciate that that guy pushing the giant trash bin around empty and trash cans so people have you know places to put stuff. These are things the average concert goer would never think twice about, but I get to walk around and appreciate all of these people around me.

SPEAKER_04 6:56

Absolutely. I think that extra knowledge gives you an elevated, uh, an elevated experience. You just you have an entire overarching picture of all of these little details that other people don't realize. And I think it just makes it that much better.

SPEAKER_06 7:13

Could you nod it out?

SPEAKER_05 7:14

That is the way that is, and we've all been we've all been there on both sides of the events as a fan and as a worker. And I actually believe, and I believe this in my soul, that the very best event workers are some of the best fans, and vice versa. And the best fans have been event workers, and that's what makes the events so so incredible to all of us. And so today we want to have a discussion about kind of that um fantasy list, what we wish all audience members knew about our job, and maybe put some of that out there for them to kind of hear, and maybe I don't know, maybe we'll help audience members be have a have a better time, just like us. I mean, we shouldn't be so selfish with the fact that we've had such great times. Um so what are those things that you all really wish every audience member knew about the facets of our jobs? I will start. So I've done, as we've talked about many times on the show, I've done tons and tons of different things. Um, and something that always kind of hits me as, huh? Is um I've for several years in my life, I was in the um audio position. I was either mixing microphones for performers on stage or I was running sound for a show. Um and if the audience, I don't know why this is, but if the mix position or the audio position is within earshot or arm's reach of an audience member, hands down, every single time, every single show, there will be an audience member that comes up and asks you to adjust the volume for them. Like they really believe that position is a constant.

SPEAKER_08 8:59

I'm not supposed to do that. Yeah, you're not supposed to that explains so many angry looks I've gotten.

SPEAKER_05 9:06

Turn it down. It's like, uh, could you turn that down? They're a little loud. And I'm like, ah, that's you know, and and part of me wants to ignore them because technically I guess I I'm not in a customer service position when I'm behind a board and I I don't have to talk to them, but they're like, no, it's not a this is not a clunky air audio.

SPEAKER_07 9:27

Depends on the country.

SPEAKER_05 9:28

Exactly. So I just kind of wish all audience members knew that um one, the uh the volume cannot be um customized for individual listeners in a live situation. And two, um, maybe don't even approach that position. Maybe don't talk to them. I mean, they're all great humans, all awesome people, but they are there's a lot of there's a lot of um wheels turning at the same time and they got a lot of things on their plate.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

So maybe approach someone else.

SPEAKER_08 9:59

This is gonna sound odd because this has absolutely nothing to do with events, but I'm a drone pilot and I drone, I I fly over all kinds of events, and I actually had a vest made up. It's bright green. It says drone pilot, do not talk to me on the back of this vest because I'd be in the middle of an event. I am trying to fly this drone four feet above people's heads of through a crowd up towards the stage, and I got guys coming up. That's pretty cool, man. You guys could have a try at it, like the dumbest stuff.

SPEAKER_07 10:30

And I'm like, oh, yeah, no, no, again, there's a there don't say that that has nothing to do with events. Drones are very much becoming part of crowd management.

SPEAKER_05 10:41

100%.

SPEAKER_08 10:42

That's true.

SPEAKER_07 10:42

I got a buddy over in Europe that has a uh that owns a company called uh I'm sorry, Andrew, if I butcher that butcher this, but it's crowded space management, I believe. Um we'll put it in we'll put it in the social media um a link to his his company, but it's pretty sweet the footage that he gets of of crowd management um from the drones.

SPEAKER_04 11:01

So and I think that that really boils down to the idea of respecting boundaries. I mean, as event workers, respecting fan boundaries and then also you know, not being in their face constantly letting them enjoy the experience, but also fans respecting those specific positions that aren't customer service-oriented positions of very technical, very like very focused situations that you should not be interrupting for your own, you know, personal benefit. So I think, yeah, that's one kind of best practice is to respect boundaries during a- I'm not trying to crash my drone and cut somebody's hair off, like leave me alone for a minute. Uh that that in part affects somebody else's boundary, their spatial boundary, like yeah, a drone, right?

SPEAKER_05 11:50

Yeah. I mean, it it I guess I'm always surprised at the questions that we get in all the positions, like ushers get strange questions. But I and and I kind of want to kind of want to cock my head, but then I have to remember, oh, they don't know why they can't do this a lot of times, or they don't know that they should never have done it. So I have to always take myself back and say, they don't know what you know. Take a step back.

SPEAKER_08 12:20

Well, and that applies to I mean, I've only really worked security at events, and that applies, you know, you come into a situation and you're trying to do something and you're gonna get a thousand questions, and it does get frustrating because you're just like, listen, I know what I'm talking about. You don't, and you don't want to have to stand there and explain it. You just want to them them to expect that you know what you're talking about, you're right, let's do this. And that's that ends up not being the case. But you know, like Heather was saying, the flip side of that is we're there for them, so we have to take that time to explain what's going on or what's about to happen. So yeah, it's difficult from both sides.

SPEAKER_05 12:58

Yeah, and you don't want to ruin their experience. Yeah, you don't want to ruin their experience, they're there to have a magical time, but you know, safety first, or you you cannot do these things, and you you have to get in there and get really fast and say, get down off of those rocks at Red Rocks, and you know you cannot step up there. Um and then get back to enjoying the concert. You know, you're not there to ruin the concert either.

SPEAKER_07 13:19

So I I I think uh one of the things that that would that I always appreciate is when a fan is very patient and understanding of the situation. I mean, they're they're not gonna sit there and tell you their life story. So I don't know if everybody that's been patient has been an event worker in their past, probably not. But when there's that patience and understanding of knowing that like their situation may be one that's been repetitive or one that may be unique, but um that patience with the event worker, whether it's the the bartender or the bar back that's changing kegs or or trying to get uh a case of your favorite beverage open, or um somebody who's it's their first day, or maybe it's somebody who's doing a new position, uh whatever it may be, or maybe it's whatever that interaction is with the fan, but that patience goes a long, long way. Because all in return, you'll get really good customer service by showing that patience. Um, you know, and and uh also not trying to slip money to like hey, can you can I get backstage? Can I can I meet so and so? Can you give me an autograph? Hey, hey, can we go to the like like those are those fans are fun to talk to as well because they just don't know. Um, they don't know that, yeah, none of like believe me, that none of the event workers have that kind of access or that power up to it, including the building management, the venue management, like just the companies that are working there, the management they don't have that. Only the artists have that ability to be like, hey, you want to come meet me? So, or the athletes or whatever.

SPEAKER_05 14:55

So, yeah, that's yeah. So, please don't talk to the audio guy. Please don't try to bribe your way backstage. Please have patience. I think another thing that that happens a lot is um at least in the theater, and I know at some concerts, we have to be really hard on the fans with regards to taking video and photographs during the performance. And we have to, you know, again, I go back to I don't want to ruin this experience for you, but put the camera away. You know, I don't want you to miss the show, but put the camera down because you can't take and it gets really ugly, especially if you have to take the camera and you have to erase pictures. Um, Disney is a big one for that at their shows, like absolutely not. And we have to take the camera, we have to look at their social media, we have to look and we have to get it off of there. Um, and well, yeah.

SPEAKER_08 15:43

I mean, that's what that's what happened at the Trump rally I had talked about. Somebody was in an area that should not have been taking pictures. We had to do that very thing, social media, everything. And you're right, people don't get it with cameras. Cameras are on everything we own now. I mean, my phone has five cameras on it right now. Yeah, so it's just second nature to show up and want to do this stuff. And, you know, phones tend to be okay, but GoPro's on a selfie stick or weapons, and you know, they just don't they don't get this.

SPEAKER_05 16:08

Yeah, and it's I'm I'm always willing to explain it the first time. Um, but I don't want to have a big discussion in the middle of the show, you know, and so we're sneaking up in the dark and we're trying not to get in anybody else's way who's not doing anything wrong, saying, please put the camera down. But at least where theater is concerned, that's a licensed show that is has the copyright control over everything you're seeing, hearing, and in a lot of cases, feeling. And you are not allowed to take pictures and then put it on social media because it's a copyright, it's a violation of copyright. And that's that's as simple as it is. You are just not allowed to do that. And um, that's a that's something I wish they knew so that they wouldn't do it and we don't have to explain it to them. I would say somebody comes in.

SPEAKER_07 16:50

Go ahead, Heather. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_04 16:51

No, go ahead, go ahead.

SPEAKER_07 16:52

I would say to that end with a like we're just we're just we're batting a thousand signs, fantastic. So um, I would say in the immortal words of one Rob Zombie, put your phone down. And and I say that because in today's day and age, everybody wants to have their own personal connection with that moment. And you go to an event and you see more phones up than not, and you know, just just even not, and I'm not just talking about concerts, but just watching like the the highlights from this last weekend from the the PGA championship in South Carolina. You watch Phil Nicholson walking onto the 18th hole, every single person had their phone up. I saw that. Every single person had their phone up, and uh you you go to a show and you look up, especially if you go to a show and you stand at the back of the audience and you look towards the uh the stage or whatever, it's you'll see more phone screens than anything. Um, go to a sporting event, and when it gets to a point where there's a potential, you know, game-changing play that could occur if phones come out, or right after something happens, everybody's phone comes out and they want to start taking pictures, and they lose the connection with the moment, in my opinion. Like because right now you you're gonna you're looking at it on your little screen when you could have it, you could be watching it in full stereo, full surround vision and everything, and then you know, there'll be pictures of it online, don't worry. Probably pictures much better than yours. You can go get those things, but put the phone down and enjoy the moment, you know, because nobody cares, nobody cares truthfully about what's on Instagram live or what's on your Snapchat or what's on your Periscope. And you know, we talk about having to have times where we've had to like do that technology hunting. There was a while there where we had to make sure that people weren't streaming shows by logging into our Periscope accounts and walking around the Pepsi Center and finding the people broadcasting it. I got really good at it, and then people were kind of like, Yeah, Periscope is not what we use anymore.

SPEAKER_04 18:58

So yeah, I was about to say, Colin, you're dating yourself.

SPEAKER_07 19:01

Right.

SPEAKER_06 19:01

I am I forgotten that was even a thing. So I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 19:04

I don't even know what Periscope is.

SPEAKER_05 19:06

I think we should go to Colin's MySpace page to find out.

SPEAKER_07 19:09

Hey, I can't be kidding. You could you gotta you gotta get you can get a link to my MySpace page through my uh YIM account as well.

SPEAKER_08 19:17

Um what what I don't understand is why people will video record fireworks who goes back a year later and was like, oh man, Facebook says a year ago I watched those fireworks. Hold on, nope, don't talk to me. I'm watching these fireworks from a year ago. What? Who's watching fireworks on their phone?

SPEAKER_04 19:39

Hey, I will interject real quick. The most amazing, most amazing fireworks show because I have done that. I still go back and watch the fireworks show. Of course you can. I'm not even kidding, you guys, from the electric TV carnival that happens in Vegas. Their fireworks show is the most insane thing you will probably again.

SPEAKER_08 20:06

Me running down to the old county fair grounds to watch their fireworks show. I I can't, even the next day, I wouldn't be like shit. I gotta rewatch that from last night. That was dope.

SPEAKER_06 20:18

In that respect, yes.

SPEAKER_05 20:20

On July 4th, who does that? Oh my, that's that is hilarious. But there's I I think I like Colin just patience, my friends, my fans, just patience because event workers are there for your enjoyment as well, like there to make your show and experience awesome.

SPEAKER_07 20:40

Yeah, I I'd say I'd say to build on that patience, come ready to have fun. Yeah, come ready to have fun, like uh be ready to dance, be ready to celebrate, be ready to cheer. I know that you know different events evoke different types of emotions. I mean, uh, I've never seen anybody get angry when a band starts to play a song. Like, oh not this one, this is ridiculous. I could have picked a better set list. Like, there's no armchair quarterbacking at a concert or a theater necessarily, but uh the different emotions that are evoked, but everybody is everybody's going to the events to have fun, you know, nobody's buying tickets to the event and saying, God, I hope this sucks. I know so that that goes on both sides, though.

SPEAKER_08 21:23

Everybody should come to the events to have fun, including workers. If if you're coming to work for the night, immediately be thinking tonight's going to be a fun night. I do that unless it's country shows, and then I'm like, oh god.

SPEAKER_06 21:35

Um, but for the most part, I will show up really excited to work.

SPEAKER_08 21:41

And and if if you have that mentality and you go in and have a great time, you know, it it you may leave and didn't even feel like work that night. That sure was like a good time. Yeah, that's fantastic for sure.

SPEAKER_05 21:54

I'm here's a theater girl telling you that she became a hockey fan by working the av season. So I still don't understand hockey. I don't care who you are and who you think you what you think you know about. I don't understand it. But man, I had a great time.

SPEAKER_07 22:07

Oh, you need to do that.

SPEAKER_05 22:08

Sometimes you don't have to know every bit of it to enjoy it. I cheered when everybody cheered, and there's a really loud horn that goes off when the abs score, and I always knew that was a good thing. It's a great thing. That's what I know. That's it. That's it. All right, guys. Well, let's get to the interview. Um this is this was this was really great. Colin, tell us what we're about to hear.

SPEAKER_07 22:33

So what you're gonna we we're gonna go right into this interview here with Timmy and Joe, and you're gonna hear a pretty substantial interview. It's not quite 60 minutes, but it's a it's a it's a good one. I promise you, it's nonstop entertainment and laughter. And um for our moms out there, sorry about the language. Uh yeah, but it's a good one. It's a great, it's a great interview, great stories, great uh time by everybody. So take it away, Timmy and Joe. We have Joe and Timmy, two folks that I've known for about 24 years now, uh, who I met working concerts, and uh they they were not working, they were attending. Uh so welcome to Call Time for Events, Joe and Timmy.

SPEAKER_05 23:23

Woohoo! Super fans. Hi guys.

SPEAKER_03 23:25

Hi, we were we were attending and drinking. Yes. We have a mental rules for us, right, Colin?

SPEAKER_07 23:36

Yes, that is. That's it, it's not a concert unless Joe and Timmy are there and and imbibing adult beverages. It's pretty fantastic.

SPEAKER_05 23:43

Um, are they the ones that made your job harder? Is that how you met?

SPEAKER_07 23:48

No, they made it easier. Um and and that's some of the stuff that we're gonna get into here. But but first of all, uh, I think the two of you have a really remarkable friendship story about how you two came to be Joe and Timmy that everybody knows, like all the venues you guys have been to and your frequent flyer miles and whatnot. But people know who you are and tell us how that came to be.

SPEAKER_01 24:10

Okay, yeah. Well, I mean, uh, I actually worked with Bib, Timmy's wife. Uh, first job I had when I came to Colorado. And uh I coached a lot of softball teams back in Michigan where I come from. And they asked me if I wanted to coach the softball team for Tree, which is the company we worked at. I said, sure. And Bib's like, yeah, if my husband comes out to play, I'm like, Of course, the more the merrier. And after the first uh softball practice, I was like, I'm from Michigan, who wants to go out for beers after we played? And Timmy's the only one that wanted to go out for beers. I'm like, let's go. We went out to Woody's Pizza and uh we sat down and we're like, you know, it's cheaper to get a picture of beer than a couple of pints, so let's get a picture of something. And Timmy's like, well, all I drink is MGD. I was like, that's all I drink. There we go.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

There we go. And the rest is history.

SPEAKER_05 25:04

Oh, you start talking about music right then and there.

SPEAKER_03 25:06

Yeah, I just told him I go to a lot, you know, what do you do? Oh, I go to a lot of concerts and stuff. He goes, Yeah, I like concerts. The next thing you know, him and I are fiddlers five nights a week, and and uh thank goodness we got to know one of the gals at the hotel there, and she gave me the uh the employee rate for a couple of concert tickets every year. Nice, and then um, so we we would crash down there, and Joe would get up and go to work and suffer through it, and then drive back and for another concert. Back when fiddlers had shows five nights a week and they were all awesome, so you couldn't say no to any of them. That's right.

SPEAKER_05 25:46

Well, fiddlers, fiddlers is why I started doing the work that I started doing in Denver and how I met Colin. So apparently Fiddlers just brings people together.

SPEAKER_03 25:57

Yeah, it does. It's just like a big party, a big family. So very cool.

SPEAKER_05 26:02

Yeah, I really like that venue.

SPEAKER_07 26:03

Yeah, I would definitely like to point out that there were many occasions where we would see Joe and Timmy the next day and say, I'm glad you're alive and I'm glad you're back.

SPEAKER_03 26:14

So Joe likes to tell the story about, you know, a little sometimes we didn't remember the whole evening, but we would always ask, were we okay? And they went, No, no, you were guys were a blast, you were a lot of fun. So I'm like, Oh my gosh, so funny.

SPEAKER_05 26:32

What uh do you remember the first concert you saw at Fiddlers? At Fiddlers, not first concert.

SPEAKER_03 26:38

Uh that was probably before I met Joe. It was my wife and I went to Rallapalooza. Okay. I believe Pearl Jam was the headline, and she was pregnant with my son Dan, who you met.

SPEAKER_00 26:50

So nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:52

That was right after I moved here from California. So I hadn't quite done the VIP, figured out how to find find the VIP stuff in Colorado yet, because I was transitioning from being a Waz Wozniak, Steve Wozniak VIP in the Bay Area. Okay. Right on his box at Shoreline every every concert in town.

SPEAKER_00 27:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 27:17

I moved here and I, you know, we started our family, and so I was like, oh, we won't go to so many concerts and all that. That didn't last very long. And then once I met Joe, once I met Joe, it was full speed ahead. I love it. That's I love that.

SPEAKER_07 27:35

Ain't that the truth? Uh so both of you guys come from out of state. Uh, what are your favorite venues that you've uh attended over the years, whether Michigan, California, Colorado, anywhere in between?

SPEAKER_01 27:48

I mean, Michigan, they also have an outdoor venue called Time Knob. Um, I think it's now Diki Energy Center because everything has a name now, besides uh the old name. But uh it was uh it was a cool venue. And then my favorite Colorado is probably Fiddlers. I think I have more fun at Fiddlers than I do at Red Rocks. They're both fun.

SPEAKER_05 28:09

I was I was gonna I was gonna guess Red Rocks. I'm and I'm pleasantly surprised to hear it's fiddlers.

SPEAKER_03 28:15

Well, you know, a lot of people look at it as funny when we say that because we both know we'd rather go to Fiddlers. It's like, you know, hey, you know, Def Leopard's coming to Red Rocks. Yay, everybody, yay. We're gonna damn it's fun at Fiddlers. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 28:29

That's so funny. That's so funny.

SPEAKER_03 28:31

A better setup for a couple old parts, you know.

SPEAKER_05 28:34

It's like climb a mountain to get here. You are not wrong. You are not wrong.

SPEAKER_07 28:39

It's there's also some some amenities that Fiddlers has that Red Rocks doesn't, and it's just by the nature of the of the mountain and whatnot, and Fiddlers is about twice the size, and you know, and working at working at Red Rocks and working at Fiddler's and whatnot for 24 years, I definitely see the comparison, and I don't have any bad things to say about either venue.

SPEAKER_03 29:00

Like I love having that and having having that residence and a stagger to after the show is the big plus too. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 29:10

Yeah, how would you compare Fiddler's to California?

SPEAKER_03 29:14

Uh yeah, we well, I went to Shoreline, is where I started going all my concerts in Mountain View. Okay. Um, so my mom was uh big in the ballet, and she she met Steve Wozniak and got him to donate. So he became part of the ballet family, and then I found out he uh he owned Shoreline or built Shoreline. Okay, and had plenty of concert tickets in his box that he was willing to share with everybody. So once I figured out all I had to do was call the office, call his office and say, I would like to go to this, and there would be tickets waiting for me at Will Call free of charge for every show.

SPEAKER_05 29:53

Holy cow, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 29:55

It didn't take long to get on a roll. And Shoreline, of course, back then was great because who wouldn't with that set up? Right. But but my few trips back where I've gone and tried to do it the hard way, it it's uh it's a lot more difficult to get into because it's just so crowded out there.

SPEAKER_07 30:15

Yeah, definitely, definitely different.

SPEAKER_03 30:17

Yeah, but that was fun. That's where I learned that if you're gonna be in the same spot and you're gonna see the same people three or four times a week, you don't wanna, you know, you want you're gonna say hello, you're gonna be nice, you're gonna, you know, and that's where you get to know people. Like I got to know Colin. Yep, and uh and Rick and all the bartenders, and it's like it's like a family, it's like a party. It's like I'm going to a party every day. It's like if you want to go to a party and not get to know the guy who's you know, hosting who's walking up down there and hosting the party and making sure it all goes off without a hitch. And uh, you know, you just become friends real fast because music unites people. Yes, it does.

SPEAKER_07 31:04

It does that brings me to one of my next questions, actually. Was you know, the the two of you uh have you know are well known and and your families, I mean Viv and and all of you, I don't know, the extended friends and family that you all would all bring to shows. Uh, but the you know, tell us about your perspective with venue staff and how good relations of good relationships with staff are important to you as patrons, especially as regular patrons. And as you just said, you know, it's good to meet the the party host, but you know, you guys are you guys are just the the best part of every event there. So tell us more about that, that importance for you.

SPEAKER_01 31:42

I mean, I think to us, I mean we've always lived by the old golden rule of treat others as you like to be treated. Therefore, to us, it's just second nature to treat people well because we want to be treated well. So you want to be nice to people, and there's just uh I think the world needs more of that, obviously, uh especially right now, but that's just the way that we grew up and the way that we'll always be. Yeah, and uh so our interaction with everybody is always gonna be that way. And we always felt bad when we saw people be rude to staff at fiddlers, because it's like they're just doing their job and they're trying to enjoy the music and they're trying to have a good time, and you're just being rule. What's the point in that?

SPEAKER_00 32:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 32:28

I wish all fans were like you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:32

I mean, it's like, you know, it's you're yeah, you're gonna like I say, you're gonna see them three or four times a week if you're like crazy like we are, and of course you're gonna go if you're a normal person, your instincts are go say hello. Hi, I'm gonna be sitting right here in the same seat for them, you know, and you're gonna be there and we're gonna say hi. And and and I've met some of the coolest people, like that little guy in my left-hand corner there.

SPEAKER_07 33:00

And you're too kind.

SPEAKER_03 33:04

And I uh, you know, I wanted to have some really good people in my life if I was the kind of person that didn't, you know, want to say hello and respect them. Right.

SPEAKER_07 33:14

You know, and that and that carried across like all the venues that that I know that you guys go to. I mean, the Fillmore, you know, the the the VIP area at the Fillmore is is one area where your names are synonymous there in all the positive ways, and of course, Red Rocks, uh, you know, Pepsi Center slash ball arena and and you know, many, many more. Um it just we we always knew it was a big show when Timmy and Joe and company were there.

SPEAKER_05 33:45

When they were there. So did you I would imagine with with with folks like you and and the uh family and the culture that you've created inside your own world and inside your own lives, COVID was about the worst nightmare ever. Shut all that down.

SPEAKER_03 34:03

Yeah, it was uh it was a big deal. Um because uh most my you know most of us going to Vegas and travel and shows and this pretty much was my calendar. So but uh my bank account did really well.

SPEAKER_05 34:21

I was gonna say that's it's not cheap to do it. I know it's tough. I mean, we've talked about this before on the podcast. The big, you know, the best known secret in our industry is that you start working concerts because you can no longer afford to go to them.

SPEAKER_03 34:36

So yeah, yeah. I got a good gauge on what I spend annually now.

SPEAKER_05 34:42

Oh gosh, I don't I don't even think I want to know, but that's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 34:46

That's pretty much one solid year off. So I got to see exactly what one year's budget, what the difference in the uh in the checking account was that year. So it's a decent chunk.

SPEAKER_00 34:58

Yeah, it's a decent chunk, absolutely.

SPEAKER_07 35:03

Well, you know, interesting interesting enough with COVID is uh I was with Timmy and and and a few others in Vegas when COVID hit and shut everything down. And we just watched Vegas slowly disappear pretty much and and become like a zombie war zone by the time we left on that Saturday night. And I remember Timmy, if I'm not mistaken, you were not ready to leave Vegas. You weren't supposed to, you were supposed to stay and hit up a few more shows. Like I think on that 14th, you were supposed to see Lionel Richie.

SPEAKER_03 35:33

Had a meet and greet with Lionel Richie on the 14th.

SPEAKER_07 35:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:37

And they canceled the meet and greet on the 12th, but they said the show is still gonna happen, and then on the 13th, they say nope, the show's not gonna happen. Show's not gonna happen, and so then I guess Colin got to go to the last concert on Earth on the 13th, which is 311.

SPEAKER_05 35:53

Yeah, we've talked about that a lot. We think it might have been the last concert that and post Malone here, right?

SPEAKER_07 36:00

Yeah, post Malone was the night before.

SPEAKER_05 36:02

Oh, okay, yeah, that might have been the very last concert on Earth.

SPEAKER_03 36:06

I think it was so the next day when everybody was going home anyway, and I was the one that was gonna stay. I'm like, it just feels like I should go home.

SPEAKER_05 36:16

Yeah, I did either of you actually get COVID? No, not that we ever oh good, excellent.

SPEAKER_01 36:24

Everybody had colds and stuff, and you're like, Is it COVID?

SPEAKER_03 36:27

It's a COVID, but I don't think any of us had COVID. No, if we we did, we didn't have any symptoms that would have been recognizable. Oh, good.

SPEAKER_07 36:36

I have another one for you guys. What are your favorite bands or shows to see?

SPEAKER_01 36:41

Mine would be ACDC, they're they're my favorite band of all time. I just always love them. I never to get to see what Bon Scott. I would have loved to have seen that, but I was quite young when he passed. Um, but uh I've seen them about 20 times. Always use it.

SPEAKER_03 36:59

Yeah, they're they're top for me too, but something about Z Z Top gets my blood flown more than most bands. Awesome. Same three guys, the same three cords, as Billy says. And it's so true.

SPEAKER_05 37:15

So Colin and I have a mutual friend who's significantly younger than us, and she texted me the other day because she just got a brand new job as an event manager in um Omaha, Nebraska. And she texted me and said, How do we feel about ZZ Top? And I was like, What? I mean, she's very young, she doesn't she doesn't get it. I said, We love them. We feel all the things about ZZ Top. She also asked the same about Ario Speedwagon.

SPEAKER_07 37:40

So my first show that I birth purchased tickets as an adult to go see at Red Rocks was ZZ Top in '97. That was great. Um Kristen, you're gonna love this. Timmy has the sticks logo tattooed on his arm.

SPEAKER_05 37:59

Best band ever.

SPEAKER_03 38:01

I can guess I could show that to you, even though the camera's not gonna see it or the uh podcast.

SPEAKER_05 38:07

Oh, I gotta see. What I'm like looking around. Hold on, I'm not seeing it. You know what? Take a picture and send it to us.

SPEAKER_03 38:15

There we go.

SPEAKER_05 38:16

So excited.

SPEAKER_03 38:17

Yeah, we'll we'll take care of it. I got Aerosmith on the other arm, Steven Tyler. I got to show that to Steven Tyler and he pulled his tattoo up. So our picture together is our arms out side by side comparing our tattoos.

SPEAKER_05 38:31

So well, that's that's not a big deal at all. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 38:36

So Aerosmith's really high on my list too.

SPEAKER_05 38:39

So is it is it live music for you guys, or do you cross over? Do you do you put the same value in your world on sporting events or theatrical events, or do you is it rock and roll all the way?

SPEAKER_01 38:52

We we've been uh plays together, like spam a lot's always fun and stuff like that. Yeah, Pokemorman.

SPEAKER_05 39:01

Right on. I've been trying to get Colin to get to see that one.

SPEAKER_01 39:04

Yeah, it's pretty funny. It's it's it's real funny. You know, we do a lot of poker games together at Timmy's and and parties and get togethers. Yeah. So like during COVID, about every two weeks I'd go over to Timmy's. We'd get together and just uh get get our drink on and hang out, catch up, and then we take two weeks off to make sure none of us gets any COVID during the two-week stretch. And then we get back together and do it again. So yeah, that kind of got us through COVID.

SPEAKER_03 39:33

So I I think sporting events, we would go to one hockey game a year. Joe would want to go when Detroit was in town, and then we used to do one Bronco game a year, but we kind of burned out on that. So it's pretty much music. All right, 99% of the uh activity, and then we did we do both like uh live theater too.

SPEAKER_05 39:58

Well now you're just talking right straight to my heart. So yeah, I love that.

SPEAKER_03 40:04

She comes from the theatre, yeah. Um I can't even say that word correctly. I got to see that Springsteen on Broadway was amazing.

SPEAKER_05 40:12

Did you? Was it? I heard that show changed people's lives.

SPEAKER_03 40:15

It was just I got to sit in the I got a signal in the third row, so I got to sit next to Chuck Lori, the producer.

SPEAKER_05 40:21

So no, you didn't. That is amazing. Oh, I love that. Did you know that in New York City? I didn't know this until recently. In New York City, um, when you purchase a ticket to an event, it's an actual city ordinance that your view cannot be obstructed. And if it is, you have to receive um discounted tickets and it has to be printed on the ticket. And if it isn't, you can get all of your money back. So if you somehow have some sort of obstructed view and they don't print it on the ticket by law, they have to refund all your money. I think that's an amazing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 41:05

So I have a call, I have a two for I have a two per questionnaire. Um, have you ever gone to a show? Because I know you guys would go you go to a lot of shows. One, how many concerts do you think that each of you have been to? An estimate, doesn't it? I mean, I know I mean that just the ticket stubs alone that I've seen are just astronomical. Uh, and two, have you been to a show where you heard a band for the first time and then became a huge fan of them uh because you uh just the show and the performance they put on there.

SPEAKER_01 41:37

Do you want to go first or me? I've only I've only been to about a thousand concerts, so that's my guess to it.

SPEAKER_05 41:43

Like actually a thousand? You're not exaggerating.

SPEAKER_01 41:46

No, about a thousand would be my guess. Yeah. Timmy puts me to shame. Uh and then as far as uh band, there's been a few. Probably my biggest one would be uh this is back in probably 1990, 91. I saw uh I went to see Guns N' Roses in Detroit, and Metallica was Lorna band. And at the time I wasn't into Metallica. Uh speed metal thing just wasn't really my thing. And just as for all, I just come out, so they played some of that, which is where a lot of their old fans say they sold out, slowed down, but I could actually understand a few words. So to me, I liked it better. Uh and then just blew the doors off that place. That's awesome. Funny enough, Axel Rose being the prima donna he was back then, walked off stage three times after they came on after him, just because they knew they'd had the doors blown off of them and they could not compete. So I was I'd saw them at talk every time I could after that. They just put on such a great show.

SPEAKER_03 42:51

I'm gonna I'm gonna guess to make somewhere around 2500.

SPEAKER_07 42:56

What I don't I don't I don't doubt that one bit.

SPEAKER_03 43:00

What I've I've done the math when you know added up the years and the shows, and then that comes out somewhere in that range. Um and uh they were I'll you know, most of the bands I went to I knew really well and I loved already. I love their music already, but one I went to in Vegas a few years ago that I didn't know too much about was Bastille, and they kind of blew me away. Nice. That show just it just hit me with an emotional time, and yeah, the band put on a great show. So I should say Bastille was the one that I went in, not really caring, I just went to go and came out of sugar.

SPEAKER_05 43:44

So yeah, that happened to me with train. I um my my daughters, when they were little, wanted to go see Andy Grammar, who opened for Train, because that was about the age. And I said, Okay, well, he's the opener, so we'll go see. But we might as well stay for train. I mean, they've got a couple of good songs. Well, first of all, I knew so many more songs than I thought I did. Right. And they were amazing. And now I try to see them anytime I can because their show is really out of this world.

SPEAKER_03 44:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 44:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:15

My first Guns N' Roses show, I didn't know who the hell they were. They were opening for Aerosmith. Oh, really? They were they were no, they were nobody. Yeah. And they blew my socks off and went, Oh my god, those guys are gonna go somewhere.

SPEAKER_05 44:29

And somewhere they did.

SPEAKER_03 44:30

Within a year, they're the headliner and everything else, and you know the rest. So yeah. But uh nobody had heard of them when I when they opened for Aerosmith that year. So wow.

SPEAKER_05 44:41

Nice. Yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_07 44:44

So to that end, um, has there been a musical act that you have not yet seen or um would not get a chance to see that you would have loved to have seen but are not able to or never never were able to?

SPEAKER_03 44:57

Uh I would go with the Beatles for me. I would have loved to see the Beatles. Definitely.

SPEAKER_01 45:03

I would have liked to see the Queen with Freddie Mercury.

SPEAKER_03 45:05

Yeah, that I'll double that out, second that one. Definitely huge.

SPEAKER_07 45:10

But I would those are my top two answers right there. Two the Beatles and the Queen with Freddie.

SPEAKER_05 45:15

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I and actually specifically for me, it would be Queen at Live Aid.

SPEAKER_03 45:22

Yeah, that I would have liked to plug yourself into that.

SPEAKER_05 45:26

Yeah, I was listening to that the other day, and I just went, oh, oh, to have been there would have been so great.

SPEAKER_03 45:32

Yeah. Well, I wish I would have known Wozniak when he did the Us Festival. Because I saw the I saw the documentary, and uh actually a lot of the security people couldn't stand them because he just kept putting on backstage passes on all his nerd buddies, all his computer buddies, and they kept getting in the way. And everybody was like, should they have these passes? And it's like it's like uh it was a real funny documentary because it brought back a little memory that one of the guys in his office said, Well, send me a picture and I'll get you an all-access pass, I'll make one for you. Steve makes them right here in the office. And at that point, I'd already was friends with everybody in the VIP lounge and everything. And this was actually my last show before I moved to Colorado, and it was Bon Jovi, and he made me this all access pass. It was fake, sorry, Colin. So when I got to the VIP lounge and I showed the pass, they all looked at me and went, Well, it's about damn time. It's like we thought you're gonna be backstage a long time ago.

SPEAKER_05 46:35

Oh, that is awesome.

SPEAKER_03 46:36

So I stood on the side of the stage for Bon Jovi for that whole big deal. Yep. That was uh oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 46:46

Oh, of course you were there.

SPEAKER_05 46:48

Of course you were there. I'm trying to see. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_07 46:51

Oh, I was gonna say, I was uh there's a couple of stories that I know personally from both of you that I definitely want to have on this podcast. And and one of them is first of all, Timmy, you have to tell the food fighter story.

SPEAKER_03 47:03

Oh, the food fighter story. Okay, well, when I went to high school in Virginia back in the 70s, my uh English teacher was Virginia Grohl, who is Dave Grohl's mom. Okay, so we didn't know that at the time who Dave Grohl was gonna be. He was just little Davy when she'd talk about little Davy in class. So years later, you know, little Davy became little Davy, big Davy, and and it was like, oh, everybody's like, Yeah, that's Mrs. Grohl from high school son. He's the one in Nirvana. I was like, Oh my goodness. So all these years seeing him in concert and stuff, I went, I bet I'd have a lot to talk about if I could ever just get to him, you know, and just have a chat. So the year they were at Fiddlers two nights in a row. The second night I brought my high school yearbook into the seats. And you know, Dave Roll is always looking at the crowd. So I kept holding it up, and every once in a while you could see glance over at it, but you know, the timing wasn't right. And then eventually he said, Turn the lights up. I want to talk to these people. And he went right at me. And he goes, That motherfucker has my yearbook. So everybody starts yelling, Timmy, and that's on the big screen. And I go, Yeah, your mom was my teacher. He goes, My mom was your teacher. He goes, Yeah, he goes, What year? He goes, What year is that yearbook? I said, 1979. He goes, You're an old motherfucker. And it's like it's like, oh my god, he goes, What's your name? And then I go, Timmy, you know, everybody starts screaming, Timmy, and all the people sitting around me because everybody's starting to know the regulars, and then he goes, We got to talk about this after the show. So he's sent his guy over to our seats and he gave us uh backstage wristbands, and we were the only ones back there. There was no meet and greets or official meet and greets or anything. So we were just back there with the whole band. And a couple of his local friends were back there, and they they referred to me as yearbook guy. Yep. So love it. I sat on the couch with him and we went through the yearbook. We had mutual friends. He had one friend he brought up, and I go, Oh, yeah, him and I he moved to California after graduation like I did and spent two years there before he went back to Virginia. And I said, We were practically roommates for two years in California. And he goes, Really? So he takes a selfie, Dave Grohl takes a selfie with me. Of course, and sends it to my my old high school buddy in Virginia and says, Look who I'm hanging out with.

SPEAKER_05 49:42

Oh man, so he was the one hanging out, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 49:47

So awesome. So then my my old high school buddy writes back, he goes, I was just thinking about him when I watched Shark Week because we used to hang out in Monterey all the time. So that made a total, totally legit connection there besides his mom, you know. And uh we just spent about an hour and a half going through the yearbook and chatting and then just had a great time.

SPEAKER_07 50:10

I the thing I remember about that night was it was you and Viv were backstage, and Viv was just socializing with everybody, like she was talking with everybody, it's just the members of the band, the crew, everything. Um, she kept checking on people too, as she always was, you guys doing all right? We're doing good. Um, but then like it got to the point in the evening because Dave was that was when he had his leg was broken, and he was in the he had he was in the throne on stage and and all that stuff. But I remember uh remember being backstage with all y'all, and and we got to a point where like, okay, well, we're done. So I I left the venue and they were still there hanging out with with Dave Grohl and the Food Fighters, Food Fighters.

SPEAKER_05 50:48

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 50:50

A little little follow-up to it was a couple years later, my mother was at an event in LA, and Dave Grohl was at the table next to her. So she went up to him and showed him the picture of of Dave and I from that night and said, This is my son. And he went, and he went, I remember that night, that was so much fun. Aww, that is awesome. Kind of went full circle there. So that's fantastic. I didn't know about that part. That's great. Yeah, I love that pretty pretty recent, actually, just before COVID. Oh wow, yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_05 51:23

I think my favorite stories from you and from everybody are when you get to meet the bands and the talent, how human they are and how relatable they are, because my big fear, and I've been in theater, you know, my entire life, and so I've met plenty of people, but my big fear is actually meeting people because I don't I don't want them to be jerks, I don't want them to be cocky, I want them to be cool people, and so I love stories like that. And I know you know, Garth Brooks came to town a few years ago, and um one of our one of the people that Colin and I work with, her only assignment was to sit like by his dressing room and not let people and he befriended her and he did the sound check and dedicated his sound check to her. And that's awesome, you know. It just it did it does my heart so good to know that they love the fans as much as the fans love them in some cases.

SPEAKER_03 52:20

It's again again, it's that genuine thing, yeah. And I think that's why they're successful. I mean, I'm sure there's a few jerks that are successful too, but you know, what I met Ringo Star, he couldn't have been more humble and more gentle. And he he saw me again sitting in the crowd, and he said, Hey big guy, I see you there. You know, and just the sweetest, nicest guy. You go, he's a freaking beetle.

SPEAKER_01 52:50

I love it. Things like you know, you're talking about Garth Brooks, uh Zach Brown is another one like uh just the the nicest guy in the world. And uh me and Timmy actually met him before he was he Zach Brown. He was just he was just uh trying to make ends meet on a Leonard Skinner cruise back in 2007. And he was the midnight to 2 a.m. in the middle of the boat, the small little bar stage. And we were doing shots with him and telling jokes until two in the morning. Just the nicest guy in the world with little beanie on and everything. We had no idea he'd be something big, and but I've heard that he kept that. They tell me that he has like barbecues for his fans at his concerts and stuff. So he was genuine when he met him when he was nobody, and he got to be huge, and he's still a genuine dude. Yeah, so you do love hearing those stories.

SPEAKER_05 53:42

I do. I it yeah, it it gives me a really huge sense of relief to know that these mega huge people are down-to-earth, salt-to-the-earth people because yeah, I I I wonder a lot if they know what event workers go through to make their concerts amazing. I think they do, and and I know for a fact Phil Collins does, you know, he's that like the event workers are really important. Well, they were because he's not touring anymore. Um, but he was that way, and I just and I I experienced that working for him, and um, to a little bit of an extent, Pat Benatar did the same, but yeah, yeah, really like that.

SPEAKER_03 54:24

Our friend Pat, she's worked backstage at Fiddlers a lot with the artists, so she'll always tell me little stories about who the really nice ones are and stuff. So yeah, most stories are good.

SPEAKER_05 54:36

Awesome.

SPEAKER_03 54:36

Yeah, over your Paul Rogers story. Oh, yeah, that was another night at Fiddlers where Joe and I kind of staggered out the wrong direction, and we were what to do. Ended up right by the tour bus, tour buses and stuff, and and one of our security friends, I won't name names, wasn't Colin. He saw he goes, Hey guys, stand right here for a minute. And then, because he knew bad company was about to come out, and I'd gotten the set list that night. So here comes bad company walking out, and I was like, Hey, can you sign the set list and everything? And Paul Rogers is like, Yeah, absolutely. And we're sitting there chatting, and I had a stupid hotel pinned, and he goes, That's not gonna work. And he goes and he digs in his bag and finds a nice Sharpie and and tells Simon Kirk to sign it, says, Hey, this is Simon, and introduces him, like, I don't know who the hell he is, and like no big deal. And he's just chatting away. And Joan and I were telling him about a show we saw at the Paramount that we they did the video, and we actually are in it, and and uh so they had actually had a car come up, a limo come up, and and someone tried to give him an out and say, You're okay, your car is here, come on. And he goes, No, no, no, we'll we'll we'll wait till we're done talking to these gentlemen before we get in the car. We're we're enjoying this conversation, and uh just was really super sweet and nice guy, just another good moment.

SPEAKER_05 56:06

I love that.

SPEAKER_07 56:07

Yeah, those guys are great. Tell us, uh Joe, this could this could be for you too, of course, but tell us about the hoop tea.

SPEAKER_01 56:15

Um so it um started as there's rock festivals everywhere, but the one that Timmy had heard about was this rock festival in Canada, Wisconsin called Rockfest. And they'd been having it for years. But the lineups, Timmy finally looked at the lineups were incredible uh back back then, and we're like, we really need to go, but we were already getting on in years, and neither of us really wanted to camp anymore. We're like, yeah, we're too old for that. So we're like, we need to get an RV and then we'll do it. So then I was like, I'll keep an eye out for one. So I found a 21-foot 1983 Coda RV, uh an old dolphin. Actually, it was a huntsman, but the same kind of thing. He probably saw those in the 80s. Yep. And bought it for $2,500 in Dallas, Texas. Me and my little brother went down and drove it back and fixed it all up, and we drove it to Rockfest. And on the way there, uh where would Clinton land? Yeah, so Timmy's like, he bought a bumper sticker, and he's like, Well, let's put a bumper sticker on the hooky. We're like, sure, why not? And then he's like, We're gonna do that every place we go. Like, sounds good. So then we went to the Mall of America, put a bunch on, put a bunch on a rock fest, and just everywhere we want, we grab bumper stickers. And then when we got back to Michig to uh Colorado, we're like, well, it's too slow, it was a four-cylinder engine, it's too slow to really ever do a trip like that again. But it'll be a great party mobile in town, and we'll just fill it up with stickers, and that's what we did for 20 years is we take it around to the venues and tailgate in it, and uh we tell everybody bring stickers, and Timmy called it popping their cherry, popping their hoopty cherry. Yep. So then they'd come in and they'd pop their hooptie cherry by putting a bumper sticker on it, and we took a picture and Timmy put it, Timmy made a Facebook page, and uh so the hoopti became infamous throughout all of Denver. I love that. Do you have pictures?

SPEAKER_05 58:26

We're gonna need to put those on our social media.

SPEAKER_01 58:28

We're gonna need to we do have pictures on the website, Colin. Are you on the Facebook page? The hoopty Facebook page.

SPEAKER_07 58:34

I don't remember. I might be, I might not be, but I'll definitely we'll be uh checking that here when we're done.

SPEAKER_03 58:39

It will be very soon. Very soon. Yeah, you should be able to find the good ones out there. Take through mine and Joe's Facebook profile photos, and you'll find some on there. I love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_07 58:52

You know what's funny is that like I think some of my more vivid memories of the hoopty happen of all places at the VIP a lot at the filmmore.

SPEAKER_03 59:01

Like oh, fucking out out there, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 59:04

Just yeah, down in the alley, yeah, in the alley, and just like hanging out and and having like a couple of pre-show or post-show adult beverages, and then watching just like some random people walk by and it's right next to the police station. So you got the cops coming and going, and just yeah, that's great. Yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. Um the other thing I want to ask you guys both about, and it's one that I think a lot of music fans and and concert goers appreciate, but I don't know if I've ever seen anything quite like what you guys have, but the memorabilia that you've collected the ticket stubs, the passes, the picks, the posters, the hats, like how much how much do you think you've collected of that over the years and and all that? Just talk about the memorabilia piece.

SPEAKER_01 59:54

Yeah, I mean, the the funny thing is that uh we kind of came into the picks by accident. Can't remember what concert we were at. We've been going to concert together for probably five years, and all of a sudden somebody threw a pic out. And we're kind of like, oh, that's kind of cool. Like, we'll pick it up. So because Timmy had already he had already been putting ticket stuff into baseball card holders because he used to own a baseball card shop. And he's like, Well, that'll keep you know the from getting too bad to sun damage. And then we're like, well, you can put a pick right in behind that, and that'll look great. So then after that, we started trying to get picks as con little test too. After after well, I'd say we probably did 50%. It's not bad. About 50% of the time we get a pick from the band. And then we put in a card with a ticket and just paste it up on the bulletin boards in my wall. And uh I would guess I probably had at least 800 picks and tickets that I still had. Might have lost a couple over the years for some reason. Somebody got drunk and would lose them somewhere. Don't know who that was. Neither of us, it was somebody else. We were somewhere, yeah, right. Uh and then yeah, also those drunk guys would buy hats and lots of t-shirts. Yeah, and uh I wake up in the morning with lots of hats and t-shirts and picks and all sorts of stuff, and drums, drumsticks, and drum a couple of drum skins. We didn't get a lot, but we've got a couple, and yeah, the collections just grew. Uh setless, just uh yeah, it just kind of grew until all my walls were full, and then uh just yeah, it ended up being quite an impressive collection after a while. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:43

The set list is something that I didn't realize was a thing until I was on a crew, and people would ask for them and they'd they'd ding their fight to get it. And I worked, I worked uh coast heat in Cambria, and they there was like there was a fight over who got the set list, and I didn't even realize it's a literal piece of paper with Sharpie on it. I didn't realize they were a big deal until until I was on the crew, and it was OAR set list that I learned that lesson on. It was crazy.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:16

I guess if they're handwritten or it was crazy, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:18

I didn't know, I didn't know.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:20

But you know, if it's just printed out, it's like anybody could print that out.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:23

Yeah, I guess, yeah, of course they would be.

SPEAKER_07 1:02:25

Yeah, it's funny to watch the kids tear them apart.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:28

But it's still it's got a story, yeah, yeah. So like, look what I got you. I have one exactly one pick of all the contours I've been.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:39

I have one, so you guys are cool. My first memorabilia was completely accidental. It was um in California, I was still in California, and it was uh Valentine's Day, and there was six of us going to John Mellon camp in a limo. And I was nice, it was I wasn't date with on a date with this other girl, but she was a friend of my friend, and they were having a contest for the local radio station. I said, Wear something with our logo on it, and you might win front row seats. So the whole way there, I'm wearing my K O M E button, and I go, I'm gonna win those seats, and they're all laughing at me, blah, blah, blah. So we're going to our average seats, and I tell the girl, I said, stand here because we got to look like a couple because it's Valentine's Day, and we're gonna win those tickets. And within five minutes, this guy walks up and he goes, Why are you wearing that shirt? I said, Because you got front row seats for me. And he goes, You're absolutely right. I'm the I'm the DJ for K O M E. My name's Jay Cruz, and here's your front row seats. And he goes, All you gotta do is give me your seats. I go, Good, you go tell those four people you're sitting next to that I'm in the front row. Like I said, I was gonna like so enjoy. So that particular tour, John Mellencamp, was experimenting with having the front row be really, really close to the stage. And so we were like right on the stage, and Kenny Arnoff threw his drumstick before the encore, and then they went off stage, and the drumstick was on the stage about 10 feet from me. So when John Mellencamp walked out, I was so close, I pointed at it, he looked at it, he picked it up, and he handed it to me. And that was oh my gosh, that's amazing. That was my first taste of memorabilia. That's fantastic. 1991.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:30

That is amazing.

SPEAKER_07 1:04:34

That's my my dad has like a bunch of old show posters from stuff that was in the late 60s and early 70s that is crazy, but he never really had anything else. I mean, ticket stubs were you know gone or whatever, but to have that, that's pretty rad, like to have that stuff as the start of the moment the memorabilia. One thing that's kind of interesting too about the uh the family and not only like the family of the concert goers, but just like with your own families and whatnot. But like for both of you, you've both taken that aura of the uh memorabilia and also like just kind of like letting the legacy of the events world and people they're in live. But both of you, Timmy, you with like with the the live like viv memorabilia, the wristbands, the t-shirts, the headbands, everything, the beer koozies uh for Viv and Joe with your J Mentos are awesome. Uh like I it's just I mean, I I get it's like the it's the it's the part of this whole family and this little thing that just makes it all special is that that stuff probably means more to me than anything that I have in my possession is those things, the Jom Mentos and the the like Viv stuff.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:52

Yeah, I mean we've always said and uh our whole group, like you've seen, we're very blessed in that we both have Family that are like friends and friends that are like family. Therefore, we have a huge, extended, great, awesome family. And uh, you know, that's the way we like to live. I mean, if you want to be cool and have fun, strong yourself with people that are cool and want to have fun. And you end up just having a just an awesome, exciting, fun life with lots of laughter and cheer. And that's just life's too short to live any other way. And yet a lot of people choose to live the other way. That's true.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:36

Amen. Oh, amen.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:39

Life is like a rock door, it's like your own little rock door. It is. I mean, we've always said that basically going to live music and seeing all these bands is the soundtrack to our lives. That's right. So our concert history has been the soundtrack to our lives. Amen to that.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:57

And that that's a great, that's a great way to put it. And I mean, it's for the two of you, just even like know how much like you've exemplified that to a way that I think a lot of people just they we love it. Like, I mean, I I know all of us that know you guys are just like, God, like the the way that we not only is it just here in the Denver area, but you've traveled, you know, all over the US to see shows together. And that's that's fantastic. Like, that's that's the fans and the fandom that I think we're all in it for, and we all have it in our hearts, and you guys got have got to live that, and that's extraordinarily envious. We love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:35

Yeah, and up to up to today, I thought the coolest person I knew was my brother who followed the Grateful Dead around the country. It's you, it's you guys.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:47

Yeah, I saw lots of those shows in my California Waz days. I'm sure you do.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:54

I'm sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:55

Another silly story is I ran into Jerry Garcia on the beach in Hawaii once.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:00

Just ran into him, just bumped in. Hey Jerry, how's it going?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:03

I was walking down the beach, and there we all saw him and say, Hey, so I go, I go to all your shows in the Bay Area. And his response was, so do I. Of course I did.

SPEAKER_07 1:08:14

So I love that. That's fantastic. Um so I have one more question for you guys, and that is do you have any stories or anything that has happened to you through the live events that just if you weren't there to live it, you would swear that it was a dream or surreal, or that if somebody else was telling you this story, you'd be like, No, you're lying.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:37

I think I might have told a few already.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:41

Yeah, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:45

That one comes to mind, Joe. Uh there's been so many crazy events, but someone that just jumps out of the rest of them.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:56

Yeah, I I find it amazing that you've seen so many concerts that you can't you can't pick out what was a dream come true and what wasn't. You know, I think that's I mean, I guess it's the I guess it's that way with me with theater, but uh I love that. I love that it's all been amazing.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:15

Yeah, yeah, it's bad, but I mean one that will stick in my mind just because it was the last concert I did with Viv was uh we were in Vegas for Donnie and Marie. And uh, you know, Timmy, we have front row tickets and Marie is playing like three feet in front of me, and uh she's just sitting there plucking away and she was at a guitar pick that she had made with her face on it. And when she finished the song, me and Timmy, you know, the universal do the pick thing, and she's like she handed me her pick, she's like, here you go, enjoy. And I was like, ah, that was cool. And actually we talked about Joe Mentos as I'm giving away all my mementos. Uh I gave that one to Timmy because I was like, That's the last concert I ever did with Bib. Yeah, we were sitting right next to me, and Bib was sitting right next to me. So that one was special. Yeah, I love that.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:11

That's very special. We did the meet greet after too and got hugs from Marie. And Donnie and Donnie.

SPEAKER_07 1:10:18

I remember seeing those pictures on your Facebook and just like Donnie, like the look on your guys' faces, just like, hey, we're with Donnie and Marie, this is fantastic. It just that is awesome, pure joy.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:32

And that's talking to Dave Grove from stage, and of course, and and Ringo acknowledging me from the stage and saying uh saying hi, big guy, you know. So I love that.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:45

And you always kind of wonder, do they know who they are? Like you're looking at Ringo Star, like, do you understand the impact? Do you think they do? Do you think they understand not just the global impact, but the personal impact they have, like those tiny meetings? Like, you know, I spent I spent one evening with the tour manager of sticks, not even sticks, their tour manager, and it changed my life. It's it's like something I can't get over. And I just wonder if they know about that.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:11

I'm sure they do. I think to a certain extent they do. They have to have been surrounded by that fame enough to know that that it's a it's a powerful thing and they could use it for good, and Ringo does. And uh I think a variety of them do. Right. Another steering wheel type thing is uh we've been backstage at Fiddler's a few times with Snoop Dogg, and uh he's a funny character.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:35

I've heard nothing but good things about him.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:37

Yeah, you're sitting there on a couch backstage as he's puffing away, it's just like uh yeah, we're sitting backstage at Feathers with Snoop as he puffs away. It's like that's different.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:46

All right, yeah, here I am.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:51

Are you on the first name basis? It's not Mr. Dog, it's Snoop.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:57

I don't know if we're that close, but yeah, no, that that was surreal.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:04

Yeah, sifting through the smoke, and there's Snoop Dogg surreal.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:08

Am I really back here?

SPEAKER_03 1:12:10

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:13

I love that. I love that.

SPEAKER_07 1:12:15

So um uh I take that back. I have one more question. Do you have a favorite all-time show that you've ever seen that you're like, wow, if there was one show to see again, that would be the one?

SPEAKER_01 1:12:29

Those are the tough two because that's just for me. That is really hard. And the one that I usually come back with, it's in my top five at least, but it just always sticks in my mind is uh Timmy and I went to Tahoe every uh Single Day Maya weekend to see Sammy Hagar. And um I think it was the third year we went. Uh Sammy came out, did an hour and a half of Montrose tunes, and uh just just you know, Sammy tunes and lavo tunes, just tore it up, and we were like, wow, that was a great concert. And he's like, We're gonna take a five-minute break and we'll be right back. So I took a five-minute break, and then Michael Anthony came out and they did an hour and a half of Van Halen tunes. So we okay a three-hour concert. Uh it just we're rocking out all night. It was just awesome.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:20

To this day, it's the longest show Sammy Hager's ever played. Yep, he said that. He's like, I've never showed that. I was in an intimate venue in Tahoe. That was amazing. Another one that comes to mind is Joe and I were seeing sticks in Vegas for the 1650s.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:35

Oh, sorry.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:39

And they did kind of the same thing. It ended up being two concerts in one. They did the stick set, and they said, Well, if you guys want to stick around, we're gonna have some friends come out and jam with us. They brought out Charlie Parker, Buddy Guy, um, Billy Preston, and a couple more. I can't remember off the top of my head at this moment. I'm joking, but there was like five blues legends, and only one of them still alive.

unknown 1:14:05

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:05

And they played for another hour and a half, two hours, and they just sat up there and jammed and played all these classic blues songs and everything else, and that was a surprise. That was awesome, too.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:18

I love that. Yeah, that is awesome.

SPEAKER_07 1:14:21

I bet you you guys have forgotten more cool moments than most people ever expected.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:26

I have, yeah. A hundred percent I believe that.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:29

I'm impressed how many I'm impressed how many we're getting out today. You're in good company, you're in good company.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:36

That's awesome. We met the X brothers on our that was the second year of Instagram Thursday. Yeah. And uh just a small boat venue out the front of the boat. And we had a dance floor in front of the band. Me and Timmy come in, we're like, well, that's too far away. So we took chairs from the chairs and the tables around the dance floor, took them, put them right next to the stage, sat down and put our feet up on the stage and said, Let's rock dudes. And the whole band just cracked up. They just lost it. And the band had like Joe Bouchard was the lead singer, Andy Hilfiger, Tom Hilfiger's little brother was the lead guitarist uh or bass guitarist, and then his brother Bobby was uh on uh Calbell, and uh that's just torn up with those guys the whole rest of the weekend. Yeah, so it's like just all these little just crazy little music stories throughout our friendship. Yeah, we've we've got you know we do get quite a few, a few.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:36

I love that.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:37

Um somebody should have followed us with the camera and we could have made a reality show for AXS TV.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:42

Yeah, that's for sure. That is for sure.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:46

I love that. So then I have to know, Joe, since ACDC is your favorite band, how do you feel about them selling out to TGI Fridays for their commercial? Because I think I'm offended. Have you seen that commercial?

SPEAKER_01 1:16:04

Yeah, I mean, Malcolm was kind of the one that kind of drew the line on that kind of stuff. And since he passed, I think Annis is kind of the last original one left, so I think he's kind of like just whatever at this point, just like having Axel Rose front for that part of the tour. It's like, you know, it's just not the same.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:27

Yeah. So it's yeah, the the final I was really sad to see that that they consented to a food commercial, but I'm with you.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:38

I'm glad I don't watch commercials.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:40

Well, they're doing a TJ Fridays commercial.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:43

Yeah, I haven't seen it. The the tail end of the ACDC saga is starting to look like Brett Favre's tail end. It's the final part isn't looking great.

SPEAKER_07 1:16:54

Oh you know, shots five truth be truth be told, ACDC is one of the bands that I've had a lot of bad luck with because in my in my career here in in the last 24 years now. Um, every time they've been through Denver, something has happened that day that has prevented me from being able to work or see that show. Sometimes it's just been something as innocuous as you know, got called to another venue or was that whatever. But the last time they were here was right before Brian Johnson had to leave the band. And it was the day after the day after they won the Super Bowl, the Broncos won the Super Bowl. So um there was a lot. Yeah, and and like I was in the building, I was there, I was ready, I was like so excited. I was like, finally, this is gonna happen. And literally in the set break between the last band, because there was two openers, if I'm not mistaken, two openers for them, and I don't remember who it was, but the last band before ACDC and ACDC going on stage, I got a call for a family emergency and it couldn't wait two hours. And so I was very upset, and like literally, like there was a few of the Broncos that had just gotten there and that were backstage, and I was excited. I was like, this is great because ACDC is you know one of my favorite bands uh growing up. I mean, my first one of my first cassettes that I had was uh was Razor's Edge and Back in Black. I got them at the same time, and uh it was you know, Razor's. I mean, it's what they're what 10 years apart and when they were made, but I was 12 and I was like, Well, I got this one, and I'm definitely getting back in black. And even though it's 10 years, I know how it goes.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:31

That's right.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:32

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:33

You've never seen them then?

SPEAKER_07 1:18:34

Never, no, I've always had something else come up, and or I like I had something else happen or whatever, and it was like it was really frustrating because like they're one of the bands I always wanted to see, and so I'm hoping that for some way somehow, you know, uh especially after seeing Brian Johnson perform with with Food Fighters just the other night on that Bax Live thing.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:55

They've gotten them seems like it's protected him from the additional hearing loss. Yeah, so there's still strong talk that they make tour with Brian again. Yeah, it was encouraging to see him singing that. Maybe Cliff said he might come back to that. So, you know, of course, not the original original, uh, but uh he's gonna come back. And then, of course, their nephew, since Malcolm left, the nephew's been jumping in.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:19

Yeah, so you know, it's still family, I guess. Yes, maybe you have to take that night off and be a ticketed patron with me that night, Colin. You know what? Timmy, I think, will make that happen.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:30

Oh my gosh, I am so excited that I was here to watch that happen.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:34

That would be great.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:35

That little I love that. Well, I'll tell you the last ACDC thing I have is that my daughter came to visit, she's in college and she came to visit a few weeks ago, and um she she works out and she's a uh fitness model and a bodybuilder, and she said, You know what I need? I need like classic rock to work out to. I hear that's I hear that's fun. And so I said, Well, listen to this. And I played back in black for her, and she's like, Oh, this is great. This is great.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:07

She got all excited, and that will pump you up.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:10

It will, it will. And she went, Yeah, this is great. So that's been added to her playlist. So, you know, I'm doing what I can to change lives one ACDC song at a time.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:20

You know, anytime, like anytime I got around Daniel's friends and I'd mention a band like ACDC, and they go, Who's that? Uh I go, your parents musically abused you. That's right. That's right, get out. You're musically abused. So if you want to stick around here, you're gonna have to learn something.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:37

That's right. Oh, I would have loved that. You guys, this was great. Thank you for talking to us. Um, as we as we head out the door, um, what is something if you can think, the workers that you call friends and that that have become part of your extended family? What's some advice you would give to to event workers? Because you know, this is a podcast for them, and we always want to make sure that we are a resource for them. As avid, I I would even say as the quintessential definition of super fan and concert goers, what's some advice you'd give to event workers or words of encouragement?

SPEAKER_01 1:21:19

Yeah, I mean, post-COVID, I think there's going to be some rough times. So people being locked in their houses for a year, there seems to be a lot of manners have been lost. So I guess be patient and hope people come out of this hunk. And hope that there's more Timmy and Joe's being born during COVID that uh will come out and become great rockers.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:43

So I have hope in the future that the rock fans of tomorrow are out there and are becoming cool. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:55

Yeah, I just say just keep keep embracing the people that you know are embraceable and tolerating the ones that are just have to tolerate, you know. Thank God. You know, there's a lot of wonderful people there. And if there's people that are dumb enough that they don't want to get to know those wonderful people, then that's their loss.

SPEAKER_07 1:22:14

Amen to that. Yeah, that's great advice. So well, guys, uh, I cannot thank you guys enough for doing this and putting this together and taking the time off. And you know, I know that we've had some kind of busy couple weeks here as well, and and all that, but I appreciate your time and more than I appreciate your friendship.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:33

So it's great. Well we appreciate it, right? We're glad to have this archive. Absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:41

Thank you. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:43

Yeah, it's great to meet you, Christian.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:45

Nice meeting you. I maybe I hopefully we'll see you at concerts in the future.

SPEAKER_07 1:22:49

Absolutely, absolutely, and I hope to see you guys Friday night late. That would be great. All right, I'm no good, so I'm not gonna take your money, so don't even worry about that. Right on. Well, all right, guys. Well, this is us. We'll uh we'll talk to you later. Thank you very much. Okay, guys. Bye. See ya. Bye. Thank you, Timmy Joe, for that interview. And and um that it meant a lot to me personally and for the some of you listening, that it's great to hear Joe's stories. Uh Joe recently had a uh pretty tough diagnosis of uh ALS back in December, and and uh is a very scary disease and a very scary you know situation to be in, and we're wishing Joe the very best. And it's good to have his stories and him and Timmy together recorded, uh telling stories uh immortalized forever. Um, I can't tell you how many times that we've sat around over you know some some beers, or I would say a lot of times it wasn't so much me drinking beer, it was me observing Timmy and Joe and and all of their families and friends drinking beer at the end of an event and hearing these same some of these stories, not the same stories, but some of these stories, but it was great to be able to get them actually recorded.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:12

Um so our podcast is now a Joe Mento.

SPEAKER_07 1:24:17

Our podcast is a Joe Mento, yes. That's right.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:20

I love that. Yeah, so Joe's great, great. I I my heart is absolutely there for them. I I am still floored that Timmy's been to 2500 concerts.

SPEAKER_07 1:24:34

At least.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:35

I didn't honestly, I didn't think that was possible. I I think John Bon Jovi hasn't been to 2500 concerts.

SPEAKER_07 1:24:41

Holy crap!

SPEAKER_00 1:24:42

I mean, hello, that's insane.

SPEAKER_07 1:24:46

I mean, I just wish I could have been there with a camera to watch Jerry Garcia see Timmy approach him on the beach in Hawaii, right?

SPEAKER_05 1:24:55

In Hawaii, no big hey Jerry, who saw you?

SPEAKER_00 1:24:58

Amazing, I love it.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:59

Uh fun fact, I ran into Willie Nelson in Hawaii one time. That was cool. What?

SPEAKER_05 1:25:06

Maybe Hawaii is just where you run into people. I've never been to Hawaii, but I'm gonna keep my eyes open. I sang happy birthday to Dwight Yocham once, didn't know who he was.

SPEAKER_07 1:25:15

On the beach in Hawaii?

SPEAKER_05 1:25:16

No, on the plaza in Santa Fe. So, you know, same thing. Wouldn't that have been perfect though if it was in the right? Remember when I was on the beach in Hawaii? Exactly. Exactly.

SPEAKER_08 1:25:29

I used to ride motorcycles with Jay Leno. It's true.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:32

Like for real, or you're just trying to keep up with the conversation. I'm just gonna that's awesome. Every Sunday smoke, literally. Like you know, we have all these cool experiences, and Jeff like bombs us with one of his epic experiences, like just want to be cool like Jeff.

SPEAKER_08 1:25:52

No, you don't. Trust me.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:56

Awesome.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:57

I'm sorry, Heather, what were you saying? No, I was just saying um that you know, this was a such a great interview, and that we've, you know, put it into the universe and it was it was just so excellent. And I'm happy that we discussed earlier all the things that we wish our audience members knew. I mean, are not our audience members, not only them, but also our event workers as well.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:22

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:23

I agree. I think that um at this point, uh, what we want to kind of close out with and kind of bring it all home is um what can our fellow event workers do to continue to be the best possible event worker um as we're getting back out there? Um, as we're opening back up, there might be some atrophied muscles, you know, there might be some things like, oh, I forgot that this is what makes me a good event worker. And so I thought it'd be really cool if we could kind of in honor of just being and being the best possible fan and worker and having the best possible experience, if we could just kind of put that, put that down.

SPEAKER_07 1:27:04

Um on our podcast.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:27:07

I think it starts with what Jeff just said too before the interview with go with with saying uh come ready to have fun. Like you this that this is the event industry, this is the entertainment, sports and entertainment industry. Come prepared to have fun yourself. And if you do that, it makes your job a lot easier.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:25

Amen.

SPEAKER_08 1:27:25

Be patient with your staff if you're in management. You know, you're gonna be all amped up and we're back at this. Try not to micromanage. I hate micromanagement.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:35

Um say that louder for the people in the back.

SPEAKER_08 1:27:38

With your with your folks. Um, you know, the this is how things need to go, but you know, let them let them breathe, let them get back into the swing of things just like you are. Everybody be patient, take a deep breath and have fun.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:53

Amen. I you know, there's the saying the show must go on, that kind of you flip that coin to the other side. That saying becomes the show will go on, and that's with or without any of us, right? The show will continue, something will happen, something will come to an end, the audience will go home, there will be talk about it. So since that will happen, it's a force that cannot be stopped once it's started. Everybody take a breath, have fun. And kind of a thing that I like to apply is worry about everything, panic about nothing. And I say that because worry can be converted into really productive energy. If you're worried that we're not gonna get everybody in before kickoff, or we're not gonna get everybody in before um curtain call, um, then speed up, turn that worry into productive energy and kind of speed up what you're doing. Bigger smile, let's you know, speed up your job. Panic about nothing because you can't convert panic. You can't. You can just lose logic, you lose your power of thought. And so panic about nothing, have fun and turn it all into positive energy.

SPEAKER_07 1:29:10

For sure.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:11

That is my thought.

SPEAKER_07 1:29:13

I would say again, uh, sorry to jump in here, um, but recalibrate yourself to your surroundings, recalibrate yourself to your job duties. You may have been doing the job for 20 years, maybe 20 minutes, but take a minute to just kind of refocus and recalibrate yourself to the event world. And yes, things are different now. And yes, we have COVID protocols that are in place, they're not gonna last forever, and we've already seen them starting to fall like dominoes around the country. How many of places don't even have COVID protocols in play anymore. Um, so just be patient, uh, get yourself re-acclimated with that. And if you feel uncomfortable or if you have questions, don't be afraid to ask questions to uh your superiors or your managers, whatever, uh managers, supervisors, uh, whatever department you're in, whatever your job task is, take that extra second to just check in on how they're doing. A lot of people haven't had uh personal interaction with coworkers in a year. Um, but take that extra time to just recalibrate yourself to back to why it is that you're doing this because you don't have to be there. You get to be there. So you get to work these events, you get to have fun, and whatever your role is, just remember to have fun. Like I said, we can't emphasize that enough. Jeff, thanks for bringing that up. Um, I'm not trying to understand but I can't I can't emphasize that enough, and it's it'll make everybody's life a whole lot more fun. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 1:30:41

Hey, Matt. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:44

Well, thanks everyone for joining.

SPEAKER_08 1:30:46

Oh, go ahead.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:46

I was gonna say, I just want to before we end before before we get to before we get to the end, um, a couple things I want to say is that something that like I've to give you an idea of how you can make almost any position fun, is that if I've ever come across a person that was, let's say, doing a security position in an area that was there was nobody there, like it was a hallway that was empty with locked doors and they needed to be there. The first question I'll ask them is how many tiles are in the ceiling, or how many tiles are on the floor, how many bricks are on the wall, and they just like really smile at like, you know, this sucks. I'm like, I'd know this is very boring, but um, I I appreciate you being here, and this is you know, this is the other reason why this is uh an important position. Uh without a doubt. But speaking of speaking of our team members and and how we want to be able to check in with them and and we and you you heard in the interview with Timmy and Joe that this becomes a family. Um I was just I was just uh having adult beverages with a lot of friends last night for a memorial, and I was sitting there thinking, I was like, you know, there's only one other thing in life where uh at least one of the things that I've ever heard describe this way is that like unless you know what it's like to be in this events world, like the life, if you will, it's just like there's this thing that you have, there's this thing that you have with the other event workers, and you can't describe it. It's like kind of the way that mafia guys kind of describe the life. They're like, it's just it's our thing. We can't really describe it, you know, it's just a thing. Um, and I'm sure there's lots of other jobs and and circles of life that are like that. But with that, you become really close with people, especially after working with them for a long time. And unfortunately, we lost two very long-term uh event workers um here this last week, and and Pat and then Dirk. And uh we want to you know just take a few moments to thank them for uh all the years that we had working events with them. And um, you know, I've known them for a very long time myself. I'm sure most of you met them as well, or especially if you worked security in the Denver metro area, you definitely met or saw Dirk or Pat at one point or another. So um just want to take a moment to say in memoriam for those two. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:03

Rest in peace, guys.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:04

Thank you. Thank you for that, Colin.

SPEAKER_08 1:33:07

Absolutely. Well, to wrap it up, I want to thank everyone for joining us and uh make sure to subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen, all your favorite places. Check us out on social media to call time for events because um, you know, on a scale from zero to awesome, we're pretty awesome. So thanks everyone. We will see you next time.

SPEAKER_07 1:33:28

See you guys. Bye.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:30

Bye,