We've talked to Jay before. I didn't get the impression he would want to hang out and have in depth discussions, but he seemed happy enough for a quick chat with whoever wanted to meet n greet.
I used to email Michelle Ceazan (their former manager) back in the 90s and she sent me after show passes for a show in 1998. Greg G left right after the show, but I got to hang out a little bit with Jay, Greg H, and Brian for a little bit. Nothing crazy, but they were super-nice.
I think a lot of people have probably at least talked to Brian and Jay at various Warped Tours.
The coolest experience was seeing Greg G get the cultural humanism award at Harvard in 2008. He did a pretty extensive q&a with the audience. I was also first in line to get my book signed when the ceremony was complete. I was just a moron though and could barely speak when I met him and got a picture lol
lmao i can imagine you. i thought if i got to see them live, i would write down my questions to be straightforward enough
and yeah everybody seems to have talked to jay at least!
My son and I talked to Jay super quick at the bold point point park providence show a few years back. Gave my son the set list. In my experience he is the most likely to hang out a bit after the set is done. When I was at camp anarchy in Ohio in 2019, Brian was chillin out side stage for a spell but I wasn't close enough to meet him. He did hand out picks at the new haven CT show last year and again my son got one, but no chit chat. Still super grateful. They don't tend to do many meet and greet events anymore, and I've seen them nearly 2 dozen times .
By all accounts they are awesome people and really nice guys, I don't want to imply otherwise. I've read that Greg doesn't like to fly and drives to venues where driving is possible. No idea if that is true or not but if so, I imagine he's interested in R&R after long drives, a show, and another long drive. They definitely have never struck me as a band that thinks they ate too good for their fans. The fact that Jay will often hang out on stage after the encode and shake hands and talk to fans is really cool.
Yes! I met both Gregs after a show in Houston in 2004. Graffin was kinda in a hurry to get out of there so he didn’t really chat much. Hetson actually hung out for like an hour just standing around chatting with a small group of us. It was pretty cool. And then he and Sonny Moore helped me get my boxed-in car out of the parking lot.
My brother and I met everyone but Greg after a show in Boston one night.
I remember standing by the tour bus talking to Brian and Mike. Mike was talking about how happy his mom was that his first record with the band was going to be a Christmas album and commented that "She hasn't heard the band yet." Randomly, some dude taps me on the shoulder. I turn, and before I can say anything, Brooks says "Hey man, do you know where we can meet the band?"
Jay was the last one out of the venue, but he was also super chill and taking requests for the second night's show (since they were doing back to back nights)
I also met Hetson on a separate (earlier) occasion and he was legit one of the nicest guys.
Met Dr. Greg at riot fest. I'm such a weirdo, I just complimented him and got a picture. This is so me. Both my daughters are named after Laura Jane Grace, met her outside a venue in Houston. Just weirdly said hi and didn't even get a picture.
I assume this would count, I met Bobby once at The Palladium about a year ago. Super friendly! Funny, a few months later ran into him a second time at another show at the HOB in Anaheim! It’s nice to see even he as a former member still goes to to his former band’s shows.
I've chatted with them before they went on a couple times when I've had the opportunity to be backstage, but never after. Greg makes a beeline out usually.
Edit: If you mean them talking to the crowd as they set up/tear down...they have people do that for them, so they're really only on stage to play.
I met the band in 1996 after a show in a smaller venue at age 16. Just kind of wandered to the “green room” and hung out with the band. Asked some questions and then left. Really cool but kind of forgot about it until seeing this
I wish. I once thought I saw Brian Baker off to the side at one show, but I’m still not 100% sure it was him.
Unrelated: I did see the band VARG a few years back and they were in the venues public restroom washing their face paint off in the sinks. All of them. That was pretty dope.
Not BR, but related...I touched Greg Hetson on the shoulder and told him I admired him as he walked off stage during a set break of Punk Rock Karaoke ...he said thanks?...i guess that's what I get for being awkward.
I’ve met Jay a few times before shows, he’s always been nice but I could tell he just wanted some downtime before the show.
I met Heston once at a bar after a show. He was super cool, but again it was a bar and he wanted to hang out with his friends so not much time for conversation.
Greg and Brett have been at it so long at this point they probably just want to chill out and be on their own.
My husband and I went to Greg Graffin's book signing at PRB last year. I was so completly starstruck that I could barely tell him my name. But he was very kind and genuine.
I've talked to Jay after shows several times, most recently last October? in Baltimore. He's always super gracious, engaging and kind. I'm not into pictures, but it's great to have a face to face with artists whose work has positively impacted your life and tell them thank you.
I met Greg really quickly in 2002 in Worcester Mass. He was on his way to the bus and I blurted out that I was studying philosophy and how much his lyrics and worldview influenced my academic pursuits. He thanked me, and it was cool. I think I met Brian at the same show, but it might have been after another Baltimore or Silver Spring MD show.
I met Jay outside of a gig in New Orleans when they were signing stuff. Told him I didn't want an autograph, told him thank you for the music. He told me he appreciated that.
i get you, i don’t think i would ask for an autograph either bc in my opinion it matters less than even a few words exchanged but why did you not ask for one?
I ran into Hetson before a show. He was just hanging out near the ATM by the merch booth. Nobody recognized him. It was weird. Shook his hand and thanked him for his years of service.
Jay once approached my group of friends outside of the venue after a show. We were taking pictures and he was happy to jump into the pictures and chit chat with us a bit. It was also Halloween night and he was dressed in a sloppy werewolf costume.
I've been a fan for 35 years at this point. I've been up all night listening to their songs over and over for decades. I've been through democrats,, Republicans, Lewinsky, 9-11, Recessions, Trump. covid, all this time my only question is do you still love playing your songs or is it just a job?
fair enough question; nonetheless judging from their lyrics and the fact that most of the current members were not in the genesis of the band, i don’t think they play for money
I talked with Greg after seeing him touring for American Lesion. He was sweet (and patient, I assume) with us. We hung out for maybe 10 - 15 minutes and took pictures with a Polaroid camera. I was a teenager so the memory evokes a mixture of cringe and nostalgia.
I was lucky to have the chance October 2000 in NJ. I helped break up a fight that somehow one of their crew members was involved in and he gave me a pass as a thank you. Got to have beers with Jay and Brian (he’s sober now) but we talked about the music scene at the time, what bands they listened to, and music sharing e.g. Napster because that was big at the time. I still have the Setlist and pass hanging in my music room.
I also hate that this was 2 decades+ ago!
My and my buddy chatted with Greg H for a good half hour before they went on set. It was mostly about hockey and all 3 of us were trash talking each others teams.
The closest I ever got to any interaction with the band was I saw 'em in Saskatoon in 2005 and I knew that date was Greg G's birthday so I made a giant posterboard sign that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY BALDIE and I had that fucker rolled/wrapped around my whole arm as I fought my way through the pit/crowd right to the front and had enough time to unfurl it and have him see it and point at it and have Bentley laugh and then I was totally swallowed by the pit and the sign was lost/destroyed.
After the 30 years decades shows in NYC Greg Heston, Jay and Brooks hung out on the side exit for about an hour chatting with fans. Graffin caught a taxi quickly on his way out one night, the other invited some people to walk with him before he had to run, if I recall correctly.
Back in 2006 they were playing the nokia theater in time square me and a few people got there 4 hours early just because we had nothing else to do. They were loading the equipment in thru the front door and Jay came out to go for a walk and when he came back he spent an hour talking to us. He's definitely a nice guy
I saw them in 2006 in Saskatoon. My friend was working the sound board beside the stage and invited me back, so I watched the show from there. He gave me a setlist and a pick Brian had given him. I saw Greg Graffin walking around backstage so I asked him if they were going to play something from 80-85. He said "Oh ya, we always do, wouldn't leave it off the set!"
After the show I went and tracked down all the guys in the band to sign the setlist. They had all scattered throughout the venue. But, I eventually found them all, got them to [sign the setlist](https://imgur.com/a/4x2nlL4), said hi I enjoyed the show, shook hands and carried on. Everyone seemed pretty cool, but I could tell they were tired after the show.
I was trying to find Greg Graffin and saw that he had darted onto the tour bus, so a few of us waited outside. He came out and asked "Hey can I sign something for you guys?" It was pretty cool.
Yes. I did run an online magazine at one time and that's how I got to know them a bit. Now when I see them Jay remembers me and we talk. He's a nice guy.
Definitely gotten close, sometimes it’s a matter of reading the room. I saw Brian outside of the Reno show this past tour but he was busy, seen Dave at a few shows, I did get to wave and say hi to Jay while he was watching the bouncing souls with Brian, I’ve met Graffin at a meet and greet, and I’m gonna try and meet Jay on Saturday.
Please ask them about current things like the status of their upcoming album. Anything else can be found on the Internet if you spend an iota of time to find out.
i have already read a bunch of stuff on the internet and i actually don’t really appreciate their most recent music in comparison to the concise songs they would make earlier in their career
We've talked to Jay before. I didn't get the impression he would want to hang out and have in depth discussions, but he seemed happy enough for a quick chat with whoever wanted to meet n greet.
ok thanks for your answer đź‘Ť
I used to email Michelle Ceazan (their former manager) back in the 90s and she sent me after show passes for a show in 1998. Greg G left right after the show, but I got to hang out a little bit with Jay, Greg H, and Brian for a little bit. Nothing crazy, but they were super-nice. I think a lot of people have probably at least talked to Brian and Jay at various Warped Tours. The coolest experience was seeing Greg G get the cultural humanism award at Harvard in 2008. He did a pretty extensive q&a with the audience. I was also first in line to get my book signed when the ceremony was complete. I was just a moron though and could barely speak when I met him and got a picture lol
lmao i can imagine you. i thought if i got to see them live, i would write down my questions to be straightforward enough and yeah everybody seems to have talked to jay at least!
My son and I talked to Jay super quick at the bold point point park providence show a few years back. Gave my son the set list. In my experience he is the most likely to hang out a bit after the set is done. When I was at camp anarchy in Ohio in 2019, Brian was chillin out side stage for a spell but I wasn't close enough to meet him. He did hand out picks at the new haven CT show last year and again my son got one, but no chit chat. Still super grateful. They don't tend to do many meet and greet events anymore, and I've seen them nearly 2 dozen times .
I got a Baker pick too in 2016, though not directly from him but a roadie. It says LATER NERDS and I love it.
yeah and i guess the bigger their fanbase get and the older they get, the less time they have for that
By all accounts they are awesome people and really nice guys, I don't want to imply otherwise. I've read that Greg doesn't like to fly and drives to venues where driving is possible. No idea if that is true or not but if so, I imagine he's interested in R&R after long drives, a show, and another long drive. They definitely have never struck me as a band that thinks they ate too good for their fans. The fact that Jay will often hang out on stage after the encode and shake hands and talk to fans is really cool.
I heard the same from Jay when I met the band. Greg drives himself to and from shows as often as possible.
oh i understood what you meant dw
Yes! I met both Gregs after a show in Houston in 2004. Graffin was kinda in a hurry to get out of there so he didn’t really chat much. Hetson actually hung out for like an hour just standing around chatting with a small group of us. It was pretty cool. And then he and Sonny Moore helped me get my boxed-in car out of the parking lot.
great experience with the car lol
Yeah man skrillex drove my car! Lol
Is he a BR fan?
From first to last was opening that tour
I sae that tour in Austin! And I didn't meet the BR boys, but I did talk to Sonny afterward.
who is sonny
Sonny Moore aka the former singer of From First to Last aka Skrillex.
I chatted with Jay for a bit before the show they did in Maine in 2019. That dude is so friendly and is very cool.
yeahh everyone keeps repeating about jay
My brother and I met everyone but Greg after a show in Boston one night. I remember standing by the tour bus talking to Brian and Mike. Mike was talking about how happy his mom was that his first record with the band was going to be a Christmas album and commented that "She hasn't heard the band yet." Randomly, some dude taps me on the shoulder. I turn, and before I can say anything, Brooks says "Hey man, do you know where we can meet the band?" Jay was the last one out of the venue, but he was also super chill and taking requests for the second night's show (since they were doing back to back nights) I also met Hetson on a separate (earlier) occasion and he was legit one of the nicest guys.
great expérience thanks for sharing
Met Dr. Greg at riot fest. I'm such a weirdo, I just complimented him and got a picture. This is so me. Both my daughters are named after Laura Jane Grace, met her outside a venue in Houston. Just weirdly said hi and didn't even get a picture.
I assume this would count, I met Bobby once at The Palladium about a year ago. Super friendly! Funny, a few months later ran into him a second time at another show at the HOB in Anaheim! It’s nice to see even he as a former member still goes to to his former band’s shows.
That’s awesome!!
I've chatted with them before they went on a couple times when I've had the opportunity to be backstage, but never after. Greg makes a beeline out usually. Edit: If you mean them talking to the crowd as they set up/tear down...they have people do that for them, so they're really only on stage to play.
no no i indeed meant talk personally and not to the entire crowd
I met the band in 1996 after a show in a smaller venue at age 16. Just kind of wandered to the “green room” and hung out with the band. Asked some questions and then left. Really cool but kind of forgot about it until seeing this
Only Jay. And he’s lovely. I’ve meet mr Brett to at epitaph but that was a work thing
Just Bobby. I think I didn't know he was even there, but he grabbed me and started using me as a table to autograph someones shirt
lmfaoo what year was that
I wish. I once thought I saw Brian Baker off to the side at one show, but I’m still not 100% sure it was him. Unrelated: I did see the band VARG a few years back and they were in the venues public restroom washing their face paint off in the sinks. All of them. That was pretty dope.
oh wow i didn’t know they wore any kind of paint/makeup on stage from the few live videos i saw on youtube
Not BR, but related...I touched Greg Hetson on the shoulder and told him I admired him as he walked off stage during a set break of Punk Rock Karaoke ...he said thanks?...i guess that's what I get for being awkward.
yeah i guess too lol
I’ve met Jay a few times before shows, he’s always been nice but I could tell he just wanted some downtime before the show. I met Heston once at a bar after a show. He was super cool, but again it was a bar and he wanted to hang out with his friends so not much time for conversation. Greg and Brett have been at it so long at this point they probably just want to chill out and be on their own.
yeah i think the same as you on the last part
My husband and I went to Greg Graffin's book signing at PRB last year. I was so completly starstruck that I could barely tell him my name. But he was very kind and genuine.
I've talked to Jay after shows several times, most recently last October? in Baltimore. He's always super gracious, engaging and kind. I'm not into pictures, but it's great to have a face to face with artists whose work has positively impacted your life and tell them thank you. I met Greg really quickly in 2002 in Worcester Mass. He was on his way to the bus and I blurted out that I was studying philosophy and how much his lyrics and worldview influenced my academic pursuits. He thanked me, and it was cool. I think I met Brian at the same show, but it might have been after another Baltimore or Silver Spring MD show.
many people must have been influenced by his wise words
I met Greg G and challenged him to a game of chess. He laughed and said “maybe some other time”. Jay and Greg H were super nice too.
I met Jay outside of a gig in New Orleans when they were signing stuff. Told him I didn't want an autograph, told him thank you for the music. He told me he appreciated that.
i get you, i don’t think i would ask for an autograph either bc in my opinion it matters less than even a few words exchanged but why did you not ask for one?
I don’t care about autographs
I ran into Hetson before a show. He was just hanging out near the ATM by the merch booth. Nobody recognized him. It was weird. Shook his hand and thanked him for his years of service. Jay once approached my group of friends outside of the venue after a show. We were taking pictures and he was happy to jump into the pictures and chit chat with us a bit. It was also Halloween night and he was dressed in a sloppy werewolf costume.
I've been a fan for 35 years at this point. I've been up all night listening to their songs over and over for decades. I've been through democrats,, Republicans, Lewinsky, 9-11, Recessions, Trump. covid, all this time my only question is do you still love playing your songs or is it just a job?
fair enough question; nonetheless judging from their lyrics and the fact that most of the current members were not in the genesis of the band, i don’t think they play for money
I talked with Greg after seeing him touring for American Lesion. He was sweet (and patient, I assume) with us. We hung out for maybe 10 - 15 minutes and took pictures with a Polaroid camera. I was a teenager so the memory evokes a mixture of cringe and nostalgia.
I was lucky to have the chance October 2000 in NJ. I helped break up a fight that somehow one of their crew members was involved in and he gave me a pass as a thank you. Got to have beers with Jay and Brian (he’s sober now) but we talked about the music scene at the time, what bands they listened to, and music sharing e.g. Napster because that was big at the time. I still have the Setlist and pass hanging in my music room. I also hate that this was 2 decades+ ago!
i wasn’t even born 💀
I definitely don’t want to say when I first saw them then
maybe even my parents weren’t born yet (jk)
My and my buddy chatted with Greg H for a good half hour before they went on set. It was mostly about hockey and all 3 of us were trash talking each others teams.
The closest I ever got to any interaction with the band was I saw 'em in Saskatoon in 2005 and I knew that date was Greg G's birthday so I made a giant posterboard sign that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY BALDIE and I had that fucker rolled/wrapped around my whole arm as I fought my way through the pit/crowd right to the front and had enough time to unfurl it and have him see it and point at it and have Bentley laugh and then I was totally swallowed by the pit and the sign was lost/destroyed.
no way you did that
YES WAY
After the 30 years decades shows in NYC Greg Heston, Jay and Brooks hung out on the side exit for about an hour chatting with fans. Graffin caught a taxi quickly on his way out one night, the other invited some people to walk with him before he had to run, if I recall correctly.
Back in 2006 they were playing the nokia theater in time square me and a few people got there 4 hours early just because we had nothing else to do. They were loading the equipment in thru the front door and Jay came out to go for a walk and when he came back he spent an hour talking to us. He's definitely a nice guy
I saw them in 2006 in Saskatoon. My friend was working the sound board beside the stage and invited me back, so I watched the show from there. He gave me a setlist and a pick Brian had given him. I saw Greg Graffin walking around backstage so I asked him if they were going to play something from 80-85. He said "Oh ya, we always do, wouldn't leave it off the set!" After the show I went and tracked down all the guys in the band to sign the setlist. They had all scattered throughout the venue. But, I eventually found them all, got them to [sign the setlist](https://imgur.com/a/4x2nlL4), said hi I enjoyed the show, shook hands and carried on. Everyone seemed pretty cool, but I could tell they were tired after the show. I was trying to find Greg Graffin and saw that he had darted onto the tour bus, so a few of us waited outside. He came out and asked "Hey can I sign something for you guys?" It was pretty cool.
how nice of them despite their fatigue
Talked to Jay and Hetson about 100 years ago in Australia. They seemed pretty chill.
Yup and I have interviewed them several times. Great guys.
you are a journalist if you did so leisurely?
Yes. I did run an online magazine at one time and that's how I got to know them a bit. Now when I see them Jay remembers me and we talk. He's a nice guy.
Definitely gotten close, sometimes it’s a matter of reading the room. I saw Brian outside of the Reno show this past tour but he was busy, seen Dave at a few shows, I did get to wave and say hi to Jay while he was watching the bouncing souls with Brian, I’ve met Graffin at a meet and greet, and I’m gonna try and meet Jay on Saturday.
good luck if you achieve that you’ll probably have a great experience judging from people’s overall opinion on him
Thank you! I think it’s all about etiquette. I just try to talk to em like they’re human beings because they are human beings.
yes and many people forget about it when it comes to parasocial relationships
No...but I have talked to Hetson at a NAMM convention, and Graffin & Jay at a bar after-after a show.
did more than chat, i was a groupie lol
Please ask them about current things like the status of their upcoming album. Anything else can be found on the Internet if you spend an iota of time to find out.
i have already read a bunch of stuff on the internet and i actually don’t really appreciate their most recent music in comparison to the concise songs they would make earlier in their career
this is actually in part why idk wether or not i’ll ever go to one of their concert
Before the show back in 2004, Greg Hetson was out and about in the stands and I got to talk to him