I have been getting a lot of questions about meet and greets for the 2005 Summer Of Sin concert tour. Since I do not have the time to answer all these questions individually, I have placed all the details I know about meet and greets below.

Meet and Greet Questions

1. What is a meet and greet?
2. Will Tori do "meet & greets" during the 2005 Summer Of Sin tour?
3. What time should I show up for the meet and greet and where?
4. How do the meet and greets work? Are there tickets to buy to the meet & greets? Will I definitely get to meet Tori if I attend?
5. Have the meet and greets during the 2005 concerts been different than in the past?

Meet and Greet Answers

1) What is a meet and greet?

While on tour, Tori will often meet with fans before her soundcheck at the venue during the mid or late afternoon. She will come out at some point with her bodyguard and often members of the venue's security team. She will then spend some time talking with fans, posing for some photos, and signing autographs.

These are not formal events and there is no real organization of the meet and greet. There is never a guarantee you will meet Tori, and the time and location can vary from city to city. It is most likely that some people will meet Tori and others will not. More about that below.

During her earlier tours, Tori would also do this after her concert as well. These after show meet and greets have completely stopped and are not expected to take place anymore.

2) Will Tori do meet and greets during the 2005 Summer Of Sin Tour?

While there are never any guarantees that a meet and greet will take place, Tori has been doing them for the 2005 Summer Of Sin Tour as well as the earlier 2005 Original Sinsuality Tour. Almost every city this year could have a meet and greet, although weather, time constraints and unsecure venue locations could always result in a cancellation of the meet and greet. I can not tell you for sure if your particular city is having a meet and greet. You will have to show up to find out.

3) What time should I show up for the meet and greet and where?

There is no set time or location for the meet and greets. As a general rule, they often take place anytime from 2:30PM until about 5:30PM, but I have heard of them taking place earlier or later. The meet and greets are often in the back of the venue, or somewhere on the side near a stage door, or even in the front near the main door. Really, the meet and greet could take place almost anywhere. Often when you get there you can just look for a crowd of Toriphiles and know that is where you are to wait. Tori has a very busy schedule, and this can affect when the meet and greet takes place. Tori often has radio interviews in the cities where she performs, and these can also affect the time she arrives at the venues for her soundcheck and the meet and greet.

What time should you arrive? That is hard to say. Some fans line up early in the morning, although I think 11:00 AM or Noon is more common. Since the meet and greets do not use a first come, first serve system anymore, getting there early is not a guarantee you will meet Tori.

4) How do the meet and greets work? Are there tickets to buy to the meet and greets? Will I definitely get to meet Tori if I attend?

The description of the meet and greets below are in line with what I have seen during previous tours. Most of it still applies to the current meet and greets. There have been a few differences during the 2005 shows, and you read about that below in question #5.

There is NO attempt made to organize these events by Tori's people or the venue. Basically fans just start hanging out at the venues in the morning and early afternoon of the show. Tori normally arrives for her soundcheck between 2:30PM and 5:30PM, and then Tori may meet with people before the soundcheck. Her security will often set up barricades at some point and people have to go behind them to see her. However, you must understand that your chances of meeting Tori are not always high unless you are lucky or incredibly aggressive. (Even then you may not meet her.) Tori's security will set up barricades before she arrives. People are then directed behind these waist-high metal barricades and told to wait. The front of the barricade is almost always small, often only 15 feet wide. Tori will often only stand near the front barricade and can only meet the fans who are at the front. That means there are roughly 20 people who can meet her directly, and the rest of you will be lucky to see the top of her head. (Sometimes you can sit far away and view the proceedings from a distance, and even get good photos if you have a zoom lense, but that can vary and of course you will only see Tori and not meet her.)

Do not assume that you will be in the front if you are one the first people there that day. There were attempts in the past to create a numbering system so that the fans who were there first would be guaranteed a spot up front. Tori's people do not support such a numbering system and they often insist that it not be done. I assume there are fears that fans will be hanging out at the venue all night and day. which can be dangerous (especially during the hot summer or freezing winter) and is something the venues themselves do not want. It is also possible that a numbering system can be unfairly manipulated. Despite all this, fans at some shows may still try to implement a numbering system, but be aware that it may not work or be effective.

Getting there early does not guarantee you anything. Meeting Tori is a matter of luck. Yes, this does mean that rude people can often be agressive and get up front. Yes, this does mean that people who are there all day could find themselves no where near Tori. And yes, it does mean there can be a lot of unpleasant pushing and shoving as people try to be at the front of the barricades. It does seem unfair I admit, but that is simply the way they are done. All you can do is show up and hope for the best. I have also heard of really nice meet and greets where everyone is friendly. Even then, you may not meet her.

Also keep in mind that the barricades you see erected could be changed before Tori comes out. I have seen people who were in the back suddenly find themselves up front because they shifted the location of the meet and greet at the last minute. The people up front then found themselves in the back where they could not even see Tori. That is the reality of some meet & greets.

For safety, Tori's security usually does not allow those who have met her in the front to step aside when they are done. So when the people in the front have met her, that is it. People are not allowed to stand on the shoulders of their friends to see her either. Photos are allowed if you can actually see her, but video taping is strictly prohibited. Sometimes you can have certain items passed up to be signed, but this is often frowned upon. The people in the barricades are often smashed together for a long time, and there can be a lot of shoving and pushing. The waits can be many hours long in these barricades as well.

I do not mean to make meet & greets sound terrible, but I want to give you a realistic idea of what you will experience should you decide to attend one. Some meet and greets are better than others of course. I often attend these, not to meet Tori, but to socialize with other Toriphiles and people I have not seen since the last tour. If you approach it like that, it can be a very rewarding experience. Just don't go with the assumption that you will definitely meet Tori. I would also ask that anyone who goes, act with courtesy and consideration for other Toriphiles. If you have already met Tori once on the current tour, consider letting those who have not met her yet have a chance. That way we can keep these experiences civil and fun. Tori is very gracious to meet fans like this, and it is something that still means a lot to her.

5) Have the meet and greets during the 2005 concerts been different than in the past?

The meet and greets are still basically the same. Tori has a new bodyguard named Smitty who looks out for her during the meet and greets instead of Joel, who has moved on to other things. (Joel and Tori are still friends however.)

During the previous 2003 tour, Tori started to do fewer meet and greets, and would only do them in select cities. For 2005, she is once again doing them in most cities. Some of the meet and greets this year have been done in places without barricades, and there have been some where Tori has talked to more people than usual. I have even seen one where people lined up in a single file line and talked to her one by one until Tori ran out of time. But I do not think this will be common. In any event, each city and meet and greet can be different.