regular tour schedules in which you always know where they're going to be. Also because of concert tours, musical
acts come to YOU... in a way. Chances are that Leonardo DiCaprio and Julia Roberts won't be in your hometown to
shoot a film, but Jessica Simpson and Tim McGraw could potentially be right in your backyard (so to speak) when they
go on tour. Even if you're not in a major metropolitan city, you probably aren't too far from one, a few hours maybe.
You have to decide for yourself how far is "too far," but on any given day a famous music act is probably closer to your
location than any world-renowned actor.
Below is my basic advice for tracking down your favorite musical act at a hotel...
ALWAYS remember to be respectful to the celebrities & their staff as well as the hotel employees.
1. Find out the tour schedule so you can know when he/she/they might be arriving and leaving. The tour schedule is your
friend; use it to your advantage. Generally acts will arrive in a city the night before they are performing (often in the middle
of the night, 1-4 am, depending on where they're coming from) and will leave a city immediately after the concert so they can
get to their next stop as soon as possible.
2. Think logically about where he/she/they might stay. Does the venue have its own hotel? (especially useful in Las Vegas)
If not, what hotels are close to the concert venue? Is there a bigger city nearby where they might stay instead?
Where have they stayed in the past? Where have other artists stayed in the past? Where could they park a tour bus?
3. Make your best guess about where he/she/they might be and GO THERE.
Find an inconspicuous spot in the lobby and make yourself comfortable.
4. Observe EVERYTHING around you to try to figure out if you're in the right spot. Clues could be
anything from a bus parked outside to other fans hanging around in the lobby to reconizing a bodyguard walking
down the street. (all of which have happened to me) This is when it's advantageous to be able to recognize
"the entourage" -- band members, back-up singers, tour managers, family members, dancers, security guards, etc.
Even if you don't know the individual members of a particular music act's entourage, you can still recognize
a "look" -- a super huge, wall-like man could be a bodyguard; a petite young woman could be a dancer;
a guy carrying a guitar case could be part of the band. Look for people wearing crew passes, even
tour jackets with the artist's name. Pay attention to everyone and everything. Clues are everywhere!
5. If you think you're in the right spot, STAY THERE. Do not go to the bathroom, do not leave to get food, do not check out other hotels. If you leave, you'll never know what you missed. If you've waited around for a while (at least an hour) and there are no signs that you're in the right spot, you can risk leaving for your second choice hotel. But again, if you do your research well, there's no reason to leave unless you absolutely have to.
GOOD LUCK!!!
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