On Monday, December 28 at Ram’s Head Live in Baltimore, All Time Low gave a few of their fans a very unique experience. Forty Hustler Club members (the name given to All Time Low’s fan club) or Hustlers as they’re more commonly referred, along with some hot chocolate, presents, and the band and their crew exchanged gifts as part of possibly the first ever fan/band secret Santa meet and greet. The band had asked the fans what kind of even they would like to see and together they came up with this very original twist on the typically moderately awkward meet and greet concept.
The first forty fan club tickets sold during the pre sale for the holiday show guaranteed entrance to the atypical meet and greet. Even though the meet and greet was extended to include 10 more Hustlers than usual, this even still caused the pre sale to sell out faster than usual, rumored at being completely sold out within a minute of going on sale.
Jenna Ross, 17, was worried her name wouldn’t be on the list even after securing her admission in approximately 20 seconds, “I was really nervous before I found out…I didn't know if I was going to be one of the first 40 tickets! But I was really excited when I saw my name on the list.”
Members were able to buy two tickets and get meet and greet passes for both tickets as long as the second pass went to a fellow Hustler. Names were exchanged among the group of 40 fans plus band and crew along with some hints to each person’s likes and interests.
The group was given 45 minutes to chat with the band and fellow Hustlers in a relaxed, party-like atmosphere. Free hot chocolate was provided as the group exchanged presents and conversation.
“This meet and greet was probably one of the best experiences I have had meeting them. It was a very cool idea to do this and have them be involved in it. I enjoyed it all.” Cara Bahniuk, 19, admitted.
The event lasted 15 minutes longer than normal meet and greets with the band, which may have felt a little too good to be true for some.
Katie Fink, 19, described the longer time as “great and weird all at once.” She said, “we didn't feel rushed, but we rushed ourselves a little because we're not used to having time to just kind of chill.”
Fink was the lucky recipient of a gift from singer/guitarist Alex Gaskarth. She said he stuck close to her hints in which she declared herself a “techy” that was typically with her laptop or iPhone. Gaskarth bought her a new case for one of her favorite accessories, her iPhone.
“It was so heartwarming to see that there was actual effort put into my gift, that he read my hints and took it to heart.”
On top of having Gaskarth as her Secret Santa, Fink was fortunate enough to be given the name of the bands lighting director Jeff Maker, “I was happy knowing I was giving back to someone who worked so hard to put on a great show.”
Considering Fink has been an All Time Low fan since 2005/2006, which was her freshman year of high school, this was a huge opportunity for her especially considering she came all the way from Chicago, IL.
To say she was excited to even be a part of the event is an understatement, “imagine a 19 year old girl skipping through her college dorm hallways, and you've got a pretty solid image of what [I] was like.”
Bahniuk also had a member of All Time Low’s crew: “I couldn't be more excited when I found out I had Danny [Kurily, guitar tech]! When I first found out I was going to be in this Secret Santa, I said that I would really enjoy having Danny, and I ended up getting him!”
She paid special attention to Kurily’s hints that were provided and put together a care package featuring a Snuggie, some snack foods and drinks, and she even baked cupcakes for him to share with the group. Bahniuk herself received a thoughtful package from a fellow Hustler all themed in her favorite color of blue including a hand knit scarf.
The holiday show was held after the band had a three-week vacation after the conclusion of their big fall tour, the Glamour Kills or GK tour, which wrapped up in Philadelphia, PA. This left the band well rested and in good spirits for the holiday party and show.
Matt Flyzik, the band’s tour manager, said the band and crew were also really happy with how the event turned out, “The event went great. We extended the time to 45 minutes to really let the fans and the band members interact and enjoy the event. It was unlike a normal Meet & Greet because there was a purpose beyond autographs and pictures. Kids and the bands guys were actually spending time together and talking about the holidays and gift ideas and reflecting on the past year together [most of those kids had come out to 3 and 4, some even 10, other shows in the past year]. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and I can definitely see us doing something like this again in the future.”
For more photos from the evening including the show, visit Mandi Loranger's photostream.
Comments
Awesome piece. I think it's really cool that the boys did this and I hope they keep doing cool stuff like this. As well as other bands take a lesson from them.
Oo yeah and you rock.
Great piece Mandi. They really did go all out for this and it's amazing and wonderful that it worked out for all of them. Hometown boys do good for sure.
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