I know some of you have met them dozens of times and are friends with them now but most of us have only been lucky enough to have met them briefly. I'd like to read some of your experiences meeting the band and share my own.

1. 1997 - Live did a show in Birmingham, Alabama where i'm from. One of my friends won a local radio contest and got backstage passes. The show was my first LIVE show and I had been listening to them heavily for 3 years so I was really excited. They've been my favorite band since I heard I Alone for the first time. The show was insane. Better then I expected and I expected greatness. Backstage all the guys were great. I'd just bought my first electric guitar so I told CT all about learning to play Rattlesnake. He was really down to earth and talked to me for a while. Gracey was kind of reserved but still a cool guy. Dahlheimer was crazy. Very funny guy. Ed was the rockstar of the group already but he was still nice and talked to me and my friend for a while. They signed autographs and took pictures. Great, great experience!!!! I'll find all the old pictures and put them up eventually.

2. My sister and I drove to Columbia, South Carolina to see the first night of the TDTH tour. The show was great. Probably the best LIVE show I ever went to and I've been to several. They played in a small theater (probably seated a couple of thousand). We went around back after the show and found a dozen or so people hanging out waiting to see the band. The lead singer of the opening band (can't remember the band name but they sang Little Black Backpack) came out and signed autographs. He said he was gonna go tell the band they had some people waiting to talk to them. About 20 minutes later, security let us go up to the tour bus and wait for them. Everyone came out but CT. His family was in town. We saw him get in a minivan with his family later and he drove by us and honked the horn and rolled down the window and thanked us for coming to the show. Typical, humble CT. Everyone got autographs and pictures and then left with the guys still standing there! My sister and I stood around and talked to Ed and Pat for about 15 minutes. Pat kept taking our camera and taking pictures of himself. =) He is as funny as he is talented. I asked Ed why they didn't put Overcome on TDTH. He said they were saving it for the next album. I went on and on about how much their music meant to me and he seemed to genuinely appreciate it. He was really nice and really laid back. I've got lots of pictures from this one that i'll put up when I find them.

3. They did another Birmingham show for the TDTH tour and I happened to be walking through the crowd outside of the main seating of the ampitheater when here comes a security guy and CT walking through the crowd to the backstage area. I shook his hand and walked beside him for a few seconds. He was in a really good mood. I can't remember what I said to him. Something cheesy like your my hero i'm sure. =)

4. I met Ed one other time doing a radio spot before one of those radio sponsored festival type shows in Atlanta. It was the TDTH tour as well (I think I caught 5 shows from that tour). He smiled and waved at the handful of us that were standing there but he didnt come over and talk to us.


It's been several years since I saw the band so my memories of what all happened aren't all that great.

I'd love to hear about everyone else's experiences with the band!