Fans tracking the band's flights and staking out their hotels
matineeidyll
940 posts
Apparently this take is so controversial and so brave but what is it with this sudden influx of creepy fans with no boundaries and Main Character Energy figuring out the band's flights to track them down, and lingering around the hotels?
This tour has been particularly bad for it so far - in Australia alone, there were even pilots sharing their flight info, which has to be a breach of something. I even got a DM from a hotel worker with details of how they would be staying at his workplace when they played there, like because i'm a fan, i'd want to do something with that. I reported him to his employer, because ew.
I was even contacted on this run by a long-serving member of Foo Crew stating that they, too, have noticed it and are creeped out by it.
Look - of course I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to have a chat with them, if the moment came and it was in the right circumstances. But as both a fan and someone with past industry experience, this is their job, and they should be able to clock off and enjoy free movement, unobserved, like everyone else. But finding this gross and embarrassing makes ME weird because it's "fun"?
I guess i'm bringing it up now because I heard an NZ radio DJ getting in on it yesterday - reading out the flight number and arrival time - and they said the info came from a fan group. WTF.
Comments
I'm with you on that.
Unless they're in a public place and happy to be approached, leave them to it. They need their space & not invading the privacy is crucial.
Weird behaviour.
I was staying near the hotel in Auckland, there wasn't much around that area and therefore their hotel was really our main source for breakfast and nice non-noisy bar without trekking right around the other side of the marina. All the food outlets are open to the public with entrances on the outside so you don't even have to walk through the hotel to get to them. I did see the cars coming and going and one day saw Nate standing by the car ready to leave. Now I could have ran up to him but I didn't, it would have been way too obvious.
Fans were pretty good in Auckland, I didn't see that many people hanging around the entrance. If we used the bar or the cafe we walked around the outside and yeah, one of the few times I walked through reception to exit as I'd been to the ladies we bumped into Jack Black! I just managed to catch his eye, said hello and quickly said, great song the other night was about to walk on but then he started chatting to us, very sweet man. The funny thing was the night before I had seen him and thought, jeez that guy looks like Jack Black, must have a double 🤣 I had no idea he was in town.
Even if you stayed in the same hotel it's still a slim chance that you'd be in the right spot at the right time! I stayed in the same hotel as Duran in LA and we were all there for a few days and I never saw them, I had no idea they'd be staying in the same place, shame as I'm a massive fan. I did see Nile Rogers though at breakfast each morning!
Apparently in Perth the local news gave out the hotel so that doesn't help. Many of us know where they might be staying and you can casually walk past and you might be lucky but I certainly wouldn't camp out all day at the front wearing a Foo shirt which I have seen, because we were in the area we purposely didn't wear Foo shirts!
I have heard some horror stories though from other fans on how far some will go.
If I do have info then I don't ever share it. If they're not over burdened then they will be nice to fans that do happen to be staying there. In Dublin a bunch stayed at their hotel, probably had no idea when they booked it (it was next to the venue for ease) and a few friends saw them in the hotel and it was all good and casual, I think one even had a beer with Shifty at the bar.
Don't try too hard, a friend met Dave by him running out of a building and bumping into him! Said sorry, can't stop but later that night they were having a drink outside a bar and Foos were next door. Dave, Nate and T came out for a chat...how awesome was that?!
Plus if I did see any of them out in the wild I'd just judge how things were looking, say a casual hello if there was the chance and then see if anything developed from there. The worst thing would be to have them be grumpy with you!
I remember running into Chevy Metal three times when they were doing a benefit show on the beach in Coolangatta years ago. The first time, I was on my way to the show and saw them from a distance, but I figured they were looking for a feed so I hung back and didn't bother them. The second time was after the show and that seemed like a more appropriate time to approach, and those were some great interactions. The third time, I accidentally got swallowed up in their group after the show as they were on their way to a bar, and walked silently amongst them, save for an "excuse me" as I got to my hotel door and broke off. In my head, though, was a string of "WTF WTF WTF" as I couldn't believe the situation in which i'd found myself!
A friend of mine from the UK and a girl I met in Auckland last week, on the 18 tour were at a restaurant and Taylor walked in. One of them had already bumped into him the day before so he recognised her, he went and joined them for lunch!
You weren't tempted just to carry on to the bar?
Nah, I didn't want to push my luck or try and insinuate myself in their thing. I'd already done three shows straight before this one was announced only the day before, so I was buggered. I'd already had my chat with them, that was enough. Plus it was for the best as a Summer flu hit me HARD the next morning!
Oh no!! Still as you say, you had a nice meet with them so all good!