I worked three years in concert security, so yes, I’ve met several. 90% of the bands we had to work shows for were people I didn’t even know. Some of them, like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Krewella, and Ed Sheenan (some British pop singer) we worked shows with before they even had mainstream fame.
I’ll let you in on a secret, though. The job sucks! Most are only in it for the paycheck. You aren’t allowed to take pictures of hassle the performers. It is the number one offense to get you terminated. But most of us who work there are working class people, not upper middle class teenagers who think these people are super-important or special. We are doing a job, and the job pays very little. You have to deal with drunk concert goers all night, and the performers handlers are often rude or condescending. So there is no feeling of being star-struck or anything. And I couldn’t care less about celebrities, anyway. Many of them I talked to personally, because i often had to guard their trailers or tour buses after the show was over. The spot where fans would line up in order to get a glimpse at them as they head to them. Some are nice and appreciate all the hard work we did, but most didn’t even treat others like people.
Some of the few names I can remember meeting personally and talking to were Dropkick Murphys (St. Patricks Day 2013), Donald Glover of Childish Gambino and “Community” (Summer 2012), Katy Perry (June 2011 at the Wells Fargo Center), Lady Gaga (September 2011), J. Cole (August 2013), Jack Black & Tenacious D. (July 8th 2012), Beyonce and her bodyguard (Atlantic City, July 2013), The Roots (Roots Picnic, Summer 2013), Demi Lovato (Pop Tarts tour, July 2013), Drake (Made in America, September 2012) and Jay Z (Made in America, September 2012 and 2013). And the rest I probably forgot about.
As I said, these are just the ones I remember or recognize. In case anyone wanted to know my take on them: Katy Perry was the worst person ever. Very stupid and annoying. She almost got me fired. Demi Lovato was a bitch who let her fans pass out in the 100+ F degree heat and didn’t at all care. Dropkick Murphys like it when the fans are drunk and violent, which means more work for us. I had to guard Donald Glover personally. He’s kind of short. Only like 5’8” or so. He’s also RIPPED. He never wears a shirt, ever. He took a girl into his trailer and I left work before she ever came out. Jack Black was a jerk and narcissistic. He got mad someone was smoking a joint in front of him (because he couldn’t get to while performing). He mocked the guy. Lady Gaga was the nicest performer I met. She’s really little, though. She’s like the girl equivalent of me. I’m only 180cm, but she’s like 150 cm, barely five feet tall. She took her platform shoes off that night, and was dressed in something relatively normal. Black lingerie and stockings. Stefani was a sweet person and one of the only nice ones I can remember. J Cole is really tall. Like 6’3” or 6’4”. He also loves hockey, which is kind of lame. He said this to the audience because he said people stereotype him for being an NBA star because he’s tall, black, and wealthy and it offends him. Beyonce’s 6’6” bald Haitian bodyguard was a total d-bag. And so were her mean Amazon backup dancers. I didn’t talk to Beyonce then in Atlantic City, but I had to guard her booth for Made in America 2012. All day long in the heat, for that matter. The Roots are from the same area as me, so I couldn’t care less about them. They’re basically like my neighbors. I’ve never liked Drake. He’s corny and lame, to me. First of all, no one should curse using proper enunciation. Secondly, he’s a crap “rapper” to me. He’s corny and he’s phony. It took a lot to be polite for that event. Drake just makes my skin crawl with how lame he is. Lastly, Jay Z acts like he’s a king. He has a bubble of private security that surrounds him (all of which are shorter than him, even though he’s only about 6’1” or 6’2”), and our job was to keep the fans at bay. I guess he WOULD be the equivalent of modern royalty, but I’d like him better if he was more humble.
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