So it seems like there isn't time for individual photos with Trent anymore, but is it possible for somebody in line with you to take a photo OF him as he is signing or something like that? It would require a pose with both people looking at the camera, but just a snapshot of the experience.

juniperus posted:

I was one of the Chicago $300 donors. Much of that has already been described here, so I'll not reiterate that stuff - just me, here:

I'm glad I donated.

Let me say that again: I AM SO GLAD I DONATED (both the shared $300 for the M&G and add'l $ from my 100%-for-Eric pottery sale after the cut-off announcement was made) -- I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

But... I wonder if perhaps I should have donated without actually doing the M&G.

I was a blithering idiot in front of the guys (mainly Trent and Justin- I managed to be safely silent and just smile at Ilan and Robin), and I deeply regret being unable to choke a single real thank you out to Trent (despite repeating the words in my head for days before!) ...the thing I was looking forward to more than anything didn't happen for us (the just-us-n-them photo) and I found myself feeling more than a little emotional about that -- it's my own fault for reading the earlier accounts, as had I not done so I would not have had expectations and would not have been disappointed.
(ie, I rather think my spot should have been taken by someone who wasn't so fucking awkward and who could have made it a more enjoyable experience for the guys instead of being 'that nervous freak with the sharpie')

But yes - there were a ton of people (which means a ton of donations for Eric, and that is SO COOL) and it was a logistical nightmare. I grokked what had to happen and why, and that the amount of time needed was sorely (understandably) underestimated, so I honestly felt panicked about taking too much time when I was in front of the guys for my .3 seconds to say something to them, since there were sooo many people behind me (I was near the beginning of the line). In hindsight, I think I hurried through it (stupidly, I know - you don't have to tell me) because I felt very aware of the situation moreso than just nerves. (I coordinate a large academic conference - I just can't turn off logistical awareness.)


Thank you, Trent, for the awareness of Eric's situation, your amazing generosity, and the opportunity to donate!

next time jus pretend dat instead of real life dat its jus the internet n instead of TR its larhule. cause like then you could prolly say lots more n not b so nervouse. more like yer on the net n nin.com forums.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2009 02:32PM by larhule.

I was at the Toronto meet and greet yesterday and it was completely worth it. I ended up doing the 300 package so before they did sound check we met the band. The band was really nice and my sister managed to embarrass me before I met Trent by saying "This is my sister shes you biggest fan!" Trent laughed and greeted me with "hey my biggest fan" he commented on how he thought my name was pretty and personalized my autograph. Sound check was equally amazing they played Home, The Good Solider, The Frail and The Wretched. It is amazing that they are doing this and like most people have said I would definitely do it again.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2009 04:36PM by Isha_5505.

Wow. Yesterday was amazing, and I'll post a complete rundown later tonight. For now, I'll throw up some pictures. I'll go through them and pick out a few to do some more work on and post hi-res copies of. I also have a lot of video to sort through, which I'll release soon.

I did the Noblesville, IN M&G ($300) and it was a bit of a nightmare for my hubby and I, but it worked out in the end. We were given a TON of misinformation that led us to almost miss the experience, so it went from being an all-out panic fest to joy in a few hours. It was a rollercoaster of emotion.

We went to the Chicago show the night earlier and left in the morning for Indy. We were drifting along on the interstate, stopped at a rest area, looked at a clock and said "SHIT!" because there's that lovely little time change that we somehow managed to forget. When we checked into our hotel, we did like a 10 minute mad dash-and-grab for cameras, recorders, etc and headed out.

The Verizon Wireless Music Center has got to be the most poorly signed arena I've ever tried to find in my life. The signs are literally like 12x12 inches big. (I admit to being an idiot and forgetting to print directions before we left, but I had about 50 different things to keep track of for this huge undertaking of a trip, so forgive me. I'm not sure a map would've helped anyway.) We ended up taking one wrong turn and had to ask for directions at a gas station (and it took 3 people to find even one person who knew where it was and we were only about 2 miles from it!) We had read online at the VWMC website 2 days prior that we could not park earlier than 5 pm, so we assumed we couldn't get there any earlier either. I didn't get the email about the M&G being moved up to 2:30 pm or whatever since I wasn't online each day; I was galavanting in Chi Town. So we arrived at 5 pm and walked up to the main entrance. We asked the girls there where we should go since we figured with the time constraint that they could help us get where we needed to go more quickly. That was a huge mistake. They sent us around back to the bus/loading entrance, where we were told by security that it was not the right place to go (though we could see all of the other fans lined up in front of us.) They sent us back around to the front where we finally got our passes at the pre-sale booth, and then security had to let us through the gate. We saw a bunch of people lined up for soundcheck and figured we should join that line. Wrong again. We had to go back down to the area where the buses were to get signed in and have our # written on our hands (154 and 155 - THE LAST 2 PEOPLE!) After waiting there for awhile, then going to the soundcheck, and waiting for an eternity after that in line for the M&G, we finally met the band after SSSC played about 4 songs already. But it was worth it, and yes, I would suffer this and more again to do it once more! It meant the world to me to be able to tell Trent in person how much his music has inspired me, and I even managed not to pass out or forget how to speak.

This is my hubby and I with the band (and forgive me for being fat, but years of antidepressants will do that to you even if you quit eating entirely.)


I'll hopefully add all of my Chicago and Indy pics to my Flickr account by this weekend. I'm still trying to catch up on sleep! When I do, I'll post a link somewhere for 'em.

EDIT - here's one pic from the soundcheck:


And one during the show:




Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2009 07:03PM by Embrace_The_End.

My friend (Rancaguina) and I did the $1000 experince in Toronto and it was by far one of the most amazing days of our lives and totally worth every penny!!!

Soundcheck was amazing! I never thought I would hear Home live! The Meet and Greet was perfect all the guys were so nice We got to take an individual pic with the band where Trent said "We're giving open mouth kisses on this tour right?" it was really cute and funny.

Then we had dinner which was good. Then we were split into groups and put on the left and right side of the stage in rotations. Toronto had the most donors of the tour (yay Us!!)so there were a few different groups. We were lucky enough to be in the first group and got to see March of the Pigs and Terrible Lie onstage which are 2 of my favorite live songs!

The 20ish minutes we were onstage were priceless and I can't even describe it in words. Trent and co, thank you sooo much. This was truly a once in a lifetime experience and we will never forget it.







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2009 07:42PM by justaglimpse.

osubuckly posted:

So it seems like there isn't time for individual photos with Trent anymore, but is it possible for somebody in line with you to take a photo OF him as he is signing or something like that? It would require a pose with both people looking at the camera, but just a snapshot of the experience.

Did I miss this? I know that they seperate out the autograph session with the photos at some shows, but was their a show where ppl didn't get to take pics at all?

juniperus posted:

Speaking only for the Chicago $300 donor group - yes, there was no time for individual pics... we had very quick pics of 50 of us at a time taken with the guys interspersed through the group.

Did you ever get a copy of your group photo? Did they email you a link?

Has anyone thus far encountered anyone from Jane's during the $300 soundcheck/M&G?

Are they doing the M&G before or after soundcheck?

Rundown of my $300 experience from the Chicago show 5.29.09:

My girlfiend and I didn't decide to get in line until about 3:45pm, got in the $300 line and waited a bit until we went in. Waited in a long line to meet the band, chatted with a couple gals in front of us who were very nice. Girlfriend had PHM cd booklet to be signed, I had them sign my ticket for whatever kind of framed piece we're going to compile with pics and such. All she really wanted though was a picture with Trent (I wouldn't have minded one myself).

Asked Ilan how the tour was going, he said "great", seems like a nice down to earth kid. Told Trent "thank you for the opportunity to do this", unique experience, etc. He was very gracious. Justin was very upbeat, when asked about the long line of people he said "this is the easiest job in the world". I complimented him on his shirt (pink button down, it was nice). Robin was sick, had a little sign saying sorry he had no voice with a smiley face. I thanked him and made a gesture with my head, so he probably thought I thought he was deaf, lol.

Thought it was great how the band members signed around the NIN logo on the PHM booklet whereas Trent signed up around the title, will look very nice when on display.

After that we were re-staged in a line near the stage for our photo-op, but were told there wasn't enough time (I had already kinda guessed this based on how long the autographs were taking). Instead we all moved over to the stage for soundcheck: Home, The Good Soldier, Non-Entity and 1,000,000, awesome. A bit disappointed about no personal photo, but how could we complain after getting the autographs and seeing soundcheck?

Before 1,000,000 he called up a couple kids that had brought guitars and must have mentioned something earlier about smashing them, because they went up to do so. Trent was explaining how they were gonna play a song, and whenever the guys wanted they could smash, but the one just started right away. After a few tries Trent showed him how to do it, and then the guy succeeded. All the while I was yelling for him to wait until the song. His buddy waited until the song started before smashing (good call).

After this we all ran over to get on stage for a brief photo-op with the band. Groups of like 60 went at a time, everyone ran to Trent, Robin took a few pics tho. Then we took our group photo. Just after we were herded off the stage, but not before my girlfriend could quickly ask Trent for a pic which I snapped for her. Made her day, she was all smiles from then on. Even though it came out a bit blurry (I think the stage lights effed with the autofocus on the camera I was borrowing), it's still a pic of her and Trent which she will cherish forever.

After that we waited for my sister to come in with the rest of the crowd and we headed to our seats (no pit for us), had a few drinks and enjoyed a fantastic show. We even got to see the debut of the new Terrible Lie lyrics!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/2009 01:06PM by quannumkid.

I did the $1000 in Noblesville and the $300 in Clarkston. Best parts of both were the 2 lovely ladies keeping track of the donors who were the nicest despite the chaos AND getting to talk to other long-time fans.

Noblesville: got a 1990 ticket stub signed by Ilan, Trent, and Justin. Made Trent an offer to participate in an autopsy (don't ask). Got a picture with all three. Boots, Tom, Eric, and Dave all were out and about. Souncheck ruled (seriously, the reason besides helping Eric that I did this). Ate the BEST food at a table next to the 3 of them still doing the M&G. Got to see them all in their dressing room and then walk out onto the stage. Was on Robin's side of the stage for the first 4 songs. Returned to the pit where my ticket was for the rest of an amazing show.

Clarkston: got a Lolla 1991 ticket signed by Ilan, Trent, and Justin. Trent said--you again? (so yeah, good that I was remembered and bad that it wasn't a good memory). Talked about how many of these ancient tickets I've got (lots). Got a picture with all three again (this time Trent was standing on tip-toe and I was contorting to make myself shorter--not a pretty site). Soundcheck again, very subdued compared to IN but still ruled. Stayed in my seat (6th row dead center) and rocked the fuck out.

KDilello posted:

Did people in those more recent shows who paid $300 get to take individual pictures?

At the Toronto show the $300 people got group photos, but the groups were broken up to be smaller than in Chicago, so it should be easier for people to find themselves and show up in the shot.


I thought the $1000 VIP experience in Toronto was excellent.

My guest (MRR from the forums here) and I arrived around 3:15pm or so. We were scheduled for the second meet 'n' greet (post-soundcheck) and didn't need to get there so early in the afternoon like the $300 group did. People (including ourselves) were somewhat confused upon arrival by the multiple lines to choose from, but that all got sorted out. I saw lots of familiar faces at the show and in the lines as usual!

After getting through the front gates, just before going in for sound check, a staff member walked down the line and genuinely thanked us for the donations. I was also really impressed by the red-haired VIP Organizer Lady who was our guide throughout the process. She has quite the personality. Rob Sheridan came out after sound check to film the crowd cheering from the stage, and we were told the movie would be sent to Eric to cheer him up!

Soundcheck was cool - we got rail in front of Justin.

Our group had been told to meet near the washroom on the raised area near the back of the left of the stage after sound check, for the meet and greet. While wandering around up there not sure where to be, by coincidence I ended up standing at the steps right where security decided to start the line, so ended up first to meet Trent for this post-soundcheck M&G session. I found that a bit intimidating to be the first person, and I take it the people behind us in line thought the same thing as they didn't want to switch spots and be first either, LOL. Being first left more time to eat din-din after though, and it worked out fine! It was a delicious selection of food and the brief time in the food serving area was a nice respite from the cold.

As for the meet and greet itself, it took place on the docks in a white tent by the water, behind the backstage area.

It had turned into quite a cold afternoon after the clouds rolled in, I was frozen, and I warned each of the band members in advance before shaking their hand that my hands were like blocks of ice. One of them, Justin, said, "Yeah, they ARE cold!"

I didn't want to take up too much time since I knew there was an insane amount of donors at the Toronto show, so instead of asking Robin the question I had prepared in my head, I simply said hello, shook his hand, and asked him to sign my Still album. It was good to see he wasn't sick any more and that he could make it to meet the donors, because everybody loves Robin! Is he ever tall in person. I'm no shorty at six feet, but he towered over me.

Next I said hello to Justin and shook his hand after warning him about my liquid nitrogen finger temperature of course. Moving right along...

Next up was Trent. I spent most of my time talking to Trent, which was a longer exchange of words than I was expecting, so that turned out nice. My recount isn't exactly verbatim, it's just the best I can remember since I have a hard time remembering conversations in detail, especially many hours after the fact.

Me: "Hi Trent. I'm Erin, one of the moderators on NIN.com"

Trent nodded: "Yeah, I know you."
Before I had a chance to ask anything he continued on, saying: "I flipped when I read your note last night that there would be 600 donors today!"

Me: *laughing* "Yeah, uhhh, that number I quoted was wrong. There's thankfully only 324 including guests. I think the person who put that number out there yesterday thought the guests weren't included in the total."

I then added, "I have this for you. It's a movie recommendation since I know you like movies."

Since he's already answered enough of my questions over time, I had decided earlier on to simply write a movie suggestion on a small piece of notepad paper to give to him so he'd be able to remember it. The recommendation was for "The Necessities of Life", a Canadian movie which is the best film I've seen this year so far. I was originally going to chit chat about his favourite two or three David Cronenberg movies since I'm a huge fan of Cronenberg as well, but figured there wouldn't really be enough time to wax about film minutiae.

Trent: "I never realized you were from Canada, but I should have known by the accent."

(I felt like saying "You're the one with the accent" but decided not to *snickers*)

We exchanged another few sentences, but I can't really remember the details at this point and one of his questions confused me, so I then handed him my Still CD to sign. He asked if the black marker was fine and I said yeah. Then, I handed him the second item to sign, mentioning it was my guest's item, so that it didn't seem like I was trying to get him to sign two things. The guest item was a sealed disc still covered in the shrink-wrap, but that's how the person MRR and I were getting it signed for as a favour wanted it signed (for whatever reason! heh. I'm still not sure why someone would want the wrapper signed).

So to wrap things up I said: "Well, it was nice to finally meet you!"

TR smiled and reached his hand out to shake mine since we hadn't done so yet. He was really pleasant to meet in person, and it was nice we were able to have a little chat.

I then said hi to Ilan and shook his hand. As I went to walk out, I noticed Brett (who I always think of as NIN's Dancing Man, thanks to the videos) standing at the end of the table, and said hello on my way by.

The photo-taking session for our sub-group of 30ish people was directly after the meet and greet. Trent remembered my name as I was walking up for the pic, and jokingly referred to MRR as "guest" like I had, lol. Afterward, I quickly said thanks to them for taking the time to do the photos. TR has quite a razor sharp memory for people's faces, it seems, and it's cool he remembers/recognizes so many folk.

The photos were of you and your guest with the whole band, taken with your own camera, at the Toronto show (for the $1000 donors).

Nothing to do with the meet and greet, but I spotted Rob on my way out of GA for a break between sets and had the opportunity to say hello and introduce myself then too, before continuing on with enjoying the show.

I was in the 3L group that had to run out back just before the 9th NIN song, to watch three songs from side/back stage. It's amazing how incredibly quiet it is up there compared to the crowd experience, and fun to see how things worked behind the scenes, and Robin's fast guitar exchanges. I also snapped a pic of the amazing setlist while I was back there, which was on a table.

The VIP experience was really worth it, and I hope Eric gets a new heart soon and is able to get better thanks to the huge outpouring of donations.

I hope everyone else has a great time too!






Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/2009 07:30PM by pragmatica.

KDilello posted:

So for the Chicago show there was a group photo....what about the more recent ones...Noblesville, IN, Clarkson MI, Toronto, ON or Mansfield, MA....

Did people in those more recent shows who paid $300 get to take individual pictures?

I was at the Mansfield, MA, meet & greet and I posted a description of the process in the VIP package discussion in the "general tour discussion" section, somewhere around page 28. Short answer: no group photo! someone on staff used the person's own camera to take one shot of donor & guest with band. So, decide ahead of time who has the better camera (or the one easier to use :-)).

icarus242 posted:

Soundcheck video for toronto

Good job, man! I got really close to the front.