TheAlterBridgeNation.com

I'm just curious has anyone met their significant other at an Alter Bridge concert? I'm getting a little frustrated myself, going to be 32 in November of this year and I haven't really ever had any kind of a girlfriend. Out of boredom the other night I just started thinking it would be awesome if I met somebody at a show and I was just curious if anyone has actually met someone at a show before. I know I've seen a couple of marriage proposals on stage in the past but what if anything has happened as far as meeting someone at a show that turned into a relationship?

Just something I've been thinking about

Ahhh, at 26 years old, turning 27 in July, that's always something I think about when I'm at concerts. I got myself scheduled to see 20 concerts this year and at almost all of them, I feel like I'm the only single male adult at the show. You either see people with their families or their significant other. Sometimes, I wish I could find someone at a show of a band I like and start from there. It's definitely not happening at the AB listening party, but it's nice for me to imagine if it does happen at an AB show in LA.

I'm right there with ya, we can dream can't we?

Not specifically AB, but Slash (ft. Myles).
When they were playing in Amsterdam at the end of 2014 I met my (current) girlfriend in line.

That's awesome

RoelSmoel wrote:Not specifically AB, but Slash (ft. Myles).
When they were playing in Amsterdam at the end of 2014 I met my (current) girlfriend in line.

If I may ask, what did you say to her? Like how did you break the ice?

cheesedip1 wrote:

RoelSmoel wrote:Not specifically AB, but Slash (ft. Myles).
When they were playing in Amsterdam at the end of 2014 I met my (current) girlfriend in line.

If I may ask, what did you say to her? Like how did you break the ice?

I'm curious as well, if you don't mind sharing

TremontiFan4Life wrote:

cheesedip1 wrote:

RoelSmoel wrote:Not specifically AB, but Slash (ft. Myles).
When they were playing in Amsterdam at the end of 2014 I met my (current) girlfriend in line.

If I may ask, what did you say to her? Like how did you break the ice?

I'm curious as well, if you don't mind sharing

Apologies if I'm interjecting by answering a question that wasn't directed at me. My romantic life isn't exactly on fire, but I sometimes go to gigs on my own, so often end up making conversations with strangers, so could have tips on 'breaking the ice'.

Gigs are probably one of the easiest places to start conversations with people (putting aide the obvious difficulties with noise and crowded places). People generally connect through having things in common. By being at a gig, you normally have a number of things in immediately in common with almost everyone there:
[*]You like the same band
[*]You like going to gigs
[*]You like the same kind of music

You easily break the ice by simply asking 'so are you looking forward to Alter Bridge?'. You can then take the conversation further by simply asking questions about that person's connection to Alter Bridge. If that runs out as a source of conversation, ask what other gigs they've been to, what their favourite band iis, what the last gig they went to was, their all-time favourite gig, what bands they really want to go see next, etc. You might find that you really click and the conversation moves onto non-music related stuff, in which case you're probably doing well. If the conversation is really running dry, then you are wasting your time.

My advice is just not to be a wanker. Don't get involved a pissing match of one-up manship, i.e. 'You've seen Alter Bridge three times? I've seen them seven times!'. Don't try to come across a rabid die-hard, I don't think it gives a first impression. You may be really excited, but try not to come across as if you're losing shit and may start crying once they play the first song. Don't also brag about your in-depth knowledge of Alter Bridge, i.e. 'Oh yeah, Blackbird is a good song, but my favourite is On My Way Now, have you heard it?!'.

I hope that helps.

Way back in the day, I met my girlfriend at an outdoor Metallica concert near Houston with ~40K people. But we had been dating for 9 months already and she was there with another guy when I surprisingly (for both of us, apparently) ran into her. What were the freakin odds in a crowd like that??

She wasn't my girlfriend after that.

Oh, wait, that's not really what you were asking, was it?

If anything you know she has an awesome taste in music as an awesome ice breaker!

gbruin wrote:Way back in the day, I met my girlfriend at an outdoor Metallica concert near Houston with ~40K people. But we had been dating for 9 months already and she was there with another guy when I surprisingly (for both of us, apparently) ran into her. What were the freakin odds in a crowd like that??

She wasn't my girlfriend after that.

Oh, wait, that's not really what you were asking, was it?

Sad but true...

BSC wrote:

TremontiFan4Life wrote:

cheesedip1 wrote:

RoelSmoel wrote:Not specifically AB, but Slash (ft. Myles).
When they were playing in Amsterdam at the end of 2014 I met my (current) girlfriend in line.

If I may ask, what did you say to her? Like how did you break the ice?

I'm curious as well, if you don't mind sharing

Apologies if I'm interjecting by answering a question that wasn't directed at me. My romantic life isn't exactly on fire, but I sometimes go to gigs on my own, so often end up making conversations with strangers, so could have tips on 'breaking the ice'.

Gigs are probably one of the easiest places to start conversations with people (putting aide the obvious difficulties with noise and crowded places). People generally connect through having things in common. By being at a gig, you normally have a number of things in immediately in common with almost everyone there:
[*]You like the same band
[*]You like going to gigs
[*]You like the same kind of music

You easily break the ice by simply asking 'so are you looking forward to Alter Bridge?'. You can then take the conversation further by simply asking questions about that person's connection to Alter Bridge. If that runs out as a source of conversation, ask what other gigs they've been to, what their favourite band iis, what the last gig they went to was, their all-time favourite gig, what bands they really want to go see next, etc. You might find that you really click and the conversation moves onto non-music related stuff, in which case you're probably doing well. If the conversation is really running dry, then you are wasting your time.

My advice is just not to be a wanker. Don't get involved a pissing match of one-up manship, i.e. 'You've seen Alter Bridge three times? I've seen them seven times!'. Don't try to come across a rabid die-hard, I don't think it gives a first impression. You may be really excited, but try not to come across as if you're losing shit and may start crying once they play the first song. Don't also brag about your in-depth knowledge of Alter Bridge, i.e. 'Oh yeah, Blackbird is a good song, but my favourite is On My Way Now, have you heard it?!'.

I hope that helps.

I want to second this motion! Those who know me know that I was the "chronically single" guy for years and years, and none too happy about it. A few years ago, I finally came to peace with it, and rather than "will I meet someone?" being my motivation for everything, I just said "hell with it" and dove into things that I loved, for myself -- went on a big weight loss journey, got into yoga (well, DDPYoga), mountain biking, etc. I had been a small-time musician for a while, but the band I was in had gone belly-up and rather than getting a new band together, I chased down the dream of being a solo acoustic singer/songwriter, and wrote some songs, learned some covers, and started going out and playing gigs at local coffee shops and breweries and farmers markets and such. Basically just doing all the things I loved and enjoying my life for what it was. That's when she came into the picture... this woman who I had been Facebook friends with for a few years became single, and looking to make some new friends, she asked if I'd go out for coffee with her. I agreed, and we quickly bonded over mutual interests - she was also a yoga person, also loved biking, and had been wanting to come see me play music for a while but was never able to (her soon-to-be-at-the-time ex-husband was a jerk and wouldn't watch the kids so she could go out to a show, or wouldn't go out with her to see me play). About a week after our first coffee "date", she came along to one of my shows and within a few weeks, we were an item. That was almost 4 years ago - now we're married and have an almost 2-year-old together (plus her 3 kids from her previous marriage). And it all started because we had a bunch of the same interests and that's what brought us together.

Long story short... just be yourself. Do your thing. The right people (be they romantic or just friends) will be drawn into your world naturally.

And as a side note... in a roundabout way, we first met because of Alter Bridge. See, back in the day, when the band was first a thing, they had a contest on AlterBridge.com where they gave away a signed PRS Tremonti SE, and I won it. Well, I'd always wanted to be a musician, but winning/owning that guitar really kicked it into gear, and having it is how/why I joined that first band I was in. Well, my wife had been high school friends with the singer from that band, and that's why she came to see one of our shows way back in the summer of 2010, to see him. He introduced us, told her she should Facebook friend me, which she did a few days later, and... well, that more or less brings me back to the beginning of the story up there. Thank you, AB!

(PS - I'm way less cool than this whole post makes me sound. #HumbleBrag )

TremontiFan4Life wrote:

cheesedip1 wrote:

RoelSmoel wrote:Not specifically AB, but Slash (ft. Myles).
When they were playing in Amsterdam at the end of 2014 I met my (current) girlfriend in line.

If I may ask, what did you say to her? Like how did you break the ice?

I'm curious as well, if you don't mind sharing

We had a mutual friend who introduced us.

I technically saw my boyfriend for the first time at a gig but we had actually "met" online before that. We got acquainted on a fan forum (another band, not AB) and we sort of hit it off and started chatting more and more. It was obvious there was some sort of attraction and at one point we knew we had to meet. We lived in different countries, so we decided to meet for a festival in a third country and that's when we first met and got together. Have been together for 5 years now, and one of my proudest achievements is that I turned him into an AB fan too. So forums are also a good way to connect with people.

I agree with the others when it comes to breaking the ice at concerts. It's very easy to start a conversation when you are already in a situation together. You can comment on practically anything around you: "Not too many people around today, wouldn't you say?", "Are you seeing AB for the first time?", "I don't know much about the opening band, are they any good?", etc. The good thing about AB is that there are always a lot of girls in the audience, it's not like you guys are trying to pick a girl at an Amon Amarth gig or something.

That's very encouraging and at least it shows that it's possible, I mean I always thought that it was but it was one of those things that I would just think about and go "what are the odds of that" I guess the answer is pretty good.

I guess the thing is I just think of myself as kind of lame. I mean I've got a ton of musical interests but aside from that not really a lot of hobbies. Currently I'm a caregiver for my grandmother that's pretty much my main task. I'm just going a little nuts overall, I think that's what made me start this thread, I feel like I'm going a little bit insane.

I'm tired of being by myself and I really can't take it anymore. I'm not just talking about single, I'm talking about actually being alone not having anyone to relate to. It's been this way for about 12 years but of course at the beginning it felt nowhere near like it does now.

I mean even to go to the Alter Bridge shows at the end of October I bought my tickets bought my meet and greet for one show and then put in a request with the family four months in advance, that's why I'm going to both shows, to try to have the most fun I can in two days.

At least now I know there's a good possibility that something can happen, I just have to stop being so shy. I'm not so much anymore, so who knows.

TremontiFan4Life wrote:
I'm talking about actually being alone not having anyone to relate to. It's been this way for about 12 years but of course at the beginning it felt nowhere near like it does now.

Hey, what's up?

I know the feeling. I've had many moments in my life where I felt alone. Granted, I can be pretty introverted so that plays a factor.


I was pretty shy and quiet in high school so I didnt make too many friends. Then, in college I still kinda struggled but I did make some friends. Nowadays, I'm busy working a lot but I'm trying to make more friends. But I digress.

Anyways....

I have more acquaintances then friends but not very many actual friends/close friends. So yeah sometimes I'm kinda lonely.

Most of the people I know, whether actual friends or just acquantinaces, I met through school or college classes. I made one friend at work over the years but that's it. And I did make one kinda friend at the local coffee place. Hopefully I can join an organization and meet some new people that way. Some people have made friends through bars or at concerts so I'm sure it's possible. I'm not huge into the bar scene tho.


Anyways, that's just my experience but I hope maybe it helped.

cheesedip1 wrote:

TremontiFan4Life wrote:
I'm talking about actually being alone not having anyone to relate to. It's been this way for about 12 years but of course at the beginning it felt nowhere near like it does now.

Hey, what's up?

I know the feeling. I've had many moments in my life where I felt alone. Granted, I can be pretty introverted so that plays a factor.


I was pretty shy and quiet in high school so I didnt make too many friends. Then, in college I still kinda struggled but I did make some friends. Nowadays, I'm busy working a lot but I'm trying to make more friends. But I digress.

Anyways....

I have more acquaintances then friends but not very many actual friends/close friends. So yeah sometimes I'm kinda lonely.

Most of the people I know, whether actual friends or just acquantinaces, I met through school or college classes. I made one friend at work over the years but that's it. And I did make one kinda friend at the local coffee place. Hopefully I can join an organization and meet some new people that way. Some people have made friends through bars or at concerts so I'm sure it's possible. I'm not huge into the bar scene tho.


Anyways, that's just my experience but I hope maybe it helped.

I can totally relate, I feel that I've always been kind introverted and it took me years before I even felt comfortable talking even if I was with friends at school and there was maybe one or two people in the group that I didn't know, I was just super shy. I didn't do anything in particular but I have found that over the years it has lessened, just because I think with age and the passage of time I've realized that of course you have to be able to talk and communicate with people to pretty much do anything in the world so it was kind of a necessity at a certain point more than anything else.

I would also say that I definitely have more acquaintances than friends, but the three or four friends that I do have are all much older than me by about 30 or 40 years. I guess the difference with me is that I don't work and I haven't been to college. I'm pretty much self-taught in the IT field. I had a job when I was 17 or 18 years old working for Disney down here in Florida but I stopped when my dad started to get really sick. After the nightmare that was 2007 I just slowly started doing things for myself computer repairs custom PC builds fixing electronics etc. and that's what I do today as often as I can.

Of course I'm only 31 and I already have high blood pressure and other heart problems as well as clown feet because my feet are so swollen, on top of being in a wheelchair. So there are times depending on my mood that I think to myself who would actually want to be with me? Pretty sad when you're 31 and see the prime of your life having been 10-12 years prior.

Just so people know I didn't start this thread looking for some kind of pity or something, just more as a means to be able to talk to people because I really haven't had anyone that I could talk to that really understands what it's like since my father passed away, he and I both really understood each other way beyond even just a father and son type thing because we were in very much the same situation.

TremontiFan4Life, man, I absolutely adore your persistence and I can only imagine how hard life can be when you're wheelchair-bound, but I'm almsot 26 myself and I feel I'm a quite an outgoing guy but it's hard to find the significant other in the world full of demanding women, man. I know that it would sound like a cliche, but a real love will find you in a place where you're excpecting it the least.

Dolo wrote:TremontiFan4Life, man, I absolutely adore your persistence and I can only imagine how hard life can be when you're wheelchair-bound, but I'm almsot 26 myself and I feel I'm a quite an outgoing guy but it's hard to find the significant other in the world full of demanding women, man. I know that it would sound like a cliche, but a real love will find you in a place where you're excpecting it the least.

I hear ya

cheesedip1 wrote:

TremontiFan4Life wrote:
I'm talking about actually being alone not having anyone to relate to. It's been this way for about 12 years but of course at the beginning it felt nowhere near like it does now.

Hey, what's up?

I know the feeling. I've had many moments in my life where I felt alone. Granted, I can be pretty introverted so that plays a factor.


I was pretty shy and quiet in high school so I didnt make too many friends. Then, in college I still kinda struggled but I did make some friends. Nowadays, I'm busy working a lot but I'm trying to make more friends. But I digress.

Anyways....

I have more acquaintances then friends but not very many actual friends/close friends. So yeah sometimes I'm kinda lonely.

Most of the people I know, whether actual friends or just acquantinaces, I met through school or college classes. I made one friend at work over the years but that's it. And I did make one kinda friend at the local coffee place. Hopefully I can join an organization and meet some new people that way. Some people have made friends through bars or at concerts so I'm sure it's possible. I'm not huge into the bar scene tho.


Anyways, that's just my experience but I hope maybe it helped.

Same here! I was always the shy / quiet / introverted guy for the longest time. Still pretty quiet in general, but I think I've grown a little over the years. Most of the people I've become friends with have been through work (I've been working at the same place for almost 15 years now, crikey). Online friends, too, some of which I was really close with for a while but for the most part I just stick to my local people these days -- plus getting married and being a (step)dad leaves barely any time for "personal" stuff, and about zero time for traveling to meet up with online friends and such, so there's that too. (Confession: I haven't been to an AB show in about 4 years now - the only shows I've been to are local ones or a one-off Sevendust show my wife and I went to before the baby was born.)

TF4L, I feel your pain. Maybe when you go to the upcoming shows, you can meet up with some forumers / Army of 12 people and hang out there? There's a huge fanbase online and making plans with people who are coming to each show might be a cool way to have built-in "friends" to hang with at the show?