Let down in Detroit with John Williams

[thxleo 0]

After meeting John Williams in Columbus, Oh back in September I was really looking forward to meeting him again last night in Detroit. The experience was a huge let down unfortunately. Back in September I waited outside the stage door when he drove up. He got out of his SUV and happily walked over to meet me and my girlfriend and signed a few items. It was such a thrill.

Last night could not have been more different. When he entered the building last night, a little before 7pm, he ignored the very few fans that were waiting for him and walked right in. So we decided to wait again after the show. It was the same. He exited the building and jumped in his limo and took off. He did manage a brief wave however. There were literally just 10 people waiting for him.

Oh well.

[Luke Skywalker 1,796]

Think of the fans that have never seen him in person before complaining

[scissorhands 16]

Oh, for one moment I thought the concert wasn't good or something.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

He has little time for commoners like yourself.

[fommes 153]

You US people are so bloody spoiled.

[thxleo 0]

I had a feeling that there would be replies like the ones above. Typical fanboy remarks. I am a devoted fan of Mr. Williams. I drove a long distance to see him as well. So I'm not going to apologize for being disappointed. I was not the only one who felt that way. Rude behavior is rude behavior, no matter who it is. After all, where would any celebrity or famous artist be without all of you?

And the concert was okay I guess. I thought the Columbus symphony was better than the Detroit symphony. It was the exact same program as Columbus.

Lastly, for the people who say that they have never even seen him perform, how about stop crying about that and go see him! If you are as die-hard as you say you are then buy a ticket...buy a plane ticket..do whatever you have to do. I will. I will go see him again when the opportunity comes.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Lastly, for the people who say that they have never even seen him perform, how about stop crying about that and go see him! If you are as die-hard as you say you are then buy a ticket...buy a plane ticket..do whatever you have to do. I will. I will go see him again when the opportunity comes.

Most people have mortgages to pay.

[scissorhands 16]

As devoted fan as you are, you should know Williams doesn't have to stop by and talk to all his fans. The same thing happened to me last year in a Morricone concert, we didn't get any picture or cover signed, not even a single wave to the 20 people that were waiting in the outside. I didn't feel disappointed in any way, the concert had been great and I really admire the man for what he does.

[MrScratch 294]

I had a feeling that there would be replies like the ones above. Typical fanboy remarks. I am a devoted fan of Mr. Williams. I drove a long distance to see him as well. So I'm not going to apologize for being disappointed. I was not the only one who felt that way. Rude behavior is rude behavior, no matter who it is. After all, where would any celebrity or famous artist be without all of you?

And the concert was okay I guess. I thought the Columbus symphony was better than the Detroit symphony. It was the exact same program as Columbus.

Lastly, for the people who say that they have never even seen him perform, how about stop crying about that and go see him! If you are as die-hard as you say you are then buy a ticket...buy a plane ticket..do whatever you have to do. I will. I will go see him again when the opportunity comes.

You obviously made a bad impression with him in Columbus.

Only kidding. Williams is a person just like all of us. Your frustration is understandable to a degree, but you were never guaranteed a meeting with Williams to begin with. If it happened it would have been a bonus. You have no idea what the rest of his day was like before or after the concert, if he was tired or wasn't in the mood to spend time with fans that's his choice and it doesn't make his behavior rude. He probably has fans waiting for him all the time and cannot possibly stop and sign autographs each and every time. So far you are batting .500 with meeting him, that ain't too shabby. I'm currently batting .667 though!

[Miguel Andrade 1,264]

I would call myself a devoted fan.

I would love to fly to New York, Boston or Los Angeles and atend a concert.

I would love to be able to aford it too...

See the problem here?

Furthermore, as much as I would love to chat with the man, I do not need it... I don't want him to be my friend, I rather want him to do what he does best.

[MissPadmé 17]

I had a feeling that there would be replies like the ones above. Typical fanboy remarks. I am a devoted fan of Mr. Williams. I drove a long distance to see him as well. So I'm not going to apologize for being disappointed. I was not the only one who felt that way. Rude behavior is rude behavior, no matter who it is. After all, where would any celebrity or famous artist be without all of you?

And the concert was okay I guess. I thought the Columbus symphony was better than the Detroit symphony. It was the exact same program as Columbus.

Lastly, for the people who say that they have never even seen him perform, how about stop crying about that and go see him! If you are as die-hard as you say you are then buy a ticket...buy a plane ticket..do whatever you have to do. I will. I will go see him again when the opportunity comes.

hmm fanboy remarks...

hmm rude behaviour? well tell me one thing.. is it a duty for him to stop and sign stuff...

well now.. just think about something... what about people who are diehard fans and just dn't have enough money o fly to the USA.. and will never see him in person... and well ohh my your such a poor thing

and now out of anger go to bed without eating and cry into your John Williams beddings.. and have a sleepless night because your god has ignored you!

oh come on..

[Henry B 50]

Yeah, you have to understand that Williams is very busy. No doubt he simply had to be somewhere and didn't have time to stop and chat. Don't mistake it for rudeness.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

He commented at the concert that he would be leaving shortly to fly back to L.A., so he probably had to catch his flight, or at least prepare for an early one.

[John Takis 206]

It's worth bearing in mind that he may very well have had a plane to catch -- or he was facing an early morning and a grueling day. We were informed at the luncheon that he was flying right back to finish up work on Indy 4 when he was through in Detroit. Thursday after the rehearsal, one usher told me point-blank that we were lucky, because there was no way we'd have gotten autographs on Friday. Looks like she was right, unfortunately.

As a general rule of thumb, with rare exceptions, the best time for an autograph is the rehearsal or a morning performance -- or, if there are multiple performances, the first performance. I am very sorry some people were disappointed this time around, but it's worth remembering that it's a minor miracle Williams was able to squeeze time in for this concert at all -- and that Williams waived his usual fee for the benefit of the musicians' pension fund.

[David Coscina 4]

I spoke with one of the ushers during the intermission about waiting outside Mr. Williams' dressing room for an autograph but she said he had a limo waiting to take him to the airport to fly back to LA to finish Indiana Jones 4. Williams even commented about this during his concert. This whole affair struck me as a little rushed and YES, the DSO was a little bit of a let down performance-wise compared to the Pittsburgh Symphony concert that I saw in 2003. My sense is that they had little time to rehearse the material as the trumpets were pretty out of it by the time Star Wars rolled around at the conclusion of the concert. I also found the whole orchestra a little out of rhythmic unison on parts of Harry Potter.

I was also a little disapointed but luckily I had a chance to see the rehearsal and the luncheon where Williams spoke to the smaller group of attendees. I was a little upset that I did not have the smarts to attend the second half of the rehearsal like John and a few others did. Williams obviously was more receptive at that point and was generous with his time. However, I do NOT hold any of the Detroit concert against Williams. I do not think it was a very well organized affair and even my wife found it odd that we would be eating lunch while Williams kept on rehearsing. This was NOT made clear to me when I bought the tickets and I thought he'd be dining with the group and would have a little time to pose for pictures and autographs after the luncheon.

I think this concert was scheduled back in August 2007 and I frankly think Williams thought he would be finished Indy 4 and would have more time to spend up here. As we all know, movie schedules can be altered and this one is no different. So while I sympathize, I also respect Williams for NOT canceling the concert and still making time to come up and give a pretty terrific show.

I loved the part where he sync'd up Last Crusade with the orchestra. That was worth the price of admission as well as his beautiful concert version of Memoirs of a Geisha. The seating was not very comfortable though in the hall and my wife and I (plus my dad who attended the concert) were all a little cramped (my wife is all of 5ft tall too!). But I feel very fortunate to have seen Williams rehearse from the dress circle box seats in the balcony the day before. How comfortable!

Finally, I do acknowledge how lucky I am to have been able to see John Williams perform twice in a few years. I also met him back in 2003 and I know that not all of his fans do get the opportunity. So, I'm glad he came to Detroit. I think I'll be seeing him in Chicago in a couple month peform Memoirs live as well. Sweet!

[Melange 446]

Thxleo.

to the next one?

That will stop him in his tracks long enough to sign a few covers D

"Don't tase me bro. Don't tase me " ~ Mr Williams.

[Luke Skywalker 1,796]

I had a feeling that there would be replies like the ones above. Typical fanboy remarks. I am a devoted fan of Mr. Williams. I drove a long distance to see him as well. So I'm not going to apologize for being disappointed. I was not the only one who felt that way. Rude behavior is rude behavior, no matter who it is. After all, where would any celebrity or famous artist be without all of you?

And the concert was okay I guess. I thought the Columbus symphony was better than the Detroit symphony. It was the exact same program as Columbus.

Lastly, for the people who say that they have never even seen him perform, how about stop crying about that and go see him! If you are as die-hard as you say you are then buy a ticket...buy a plane ticket..do whatever you have to do. I will. I will go see him again when the opportunity comes.

Man what i said was a joke, but you deserved it in the end

BTW, i gladly accept a plane ticket (i would drive myself to the states, but the damned atlantic ocean wont let me), so PM me

Luke, a poor die-hard fan

[222max 1]

Give the man a break. I saw him two years ago in Chicago (at the time he was 73) and that concert visibly took a lot out of him for he was clearly fatigued at the end of it. You have no idea what he had gone through to get to the Detroit concert nor how tired he must have been afterward. In the final analysis, Mr. Williams gave you what you paid for... a concert of his music and no doubt he gave it everything he could in that regard. To expect anything more is asking too much.

[vmw331 2]

Edited version

Boo hoo........sob...sob...thxleo.

How could you expect Williams to take time directly before or after a concert ANYWHERE to greet fans. The appropriate forum or environment for meeting JW, or any composer, performer, or conductor, would be at a rehearsal or something similar to that where there would be a little time to spend with fans.

You said that you already met JW in Ohio. Leave it at that man. CONSIDER YOURSELF EXTREMELY LUCKY FOR MEETING HIM ONLY 1 TIME IN PERSON.

Your disappointment in his Detroit performance stems from you not being able to meet him again. You should be happy that he made time to come to Detroit and that he is even in good health to travel around and conduct all these performances and at the same time compose for film. His performance, along with the DSO's performance was great, and your not meeting him should have NO IMPACT on your concert experience.

I met JW at the luncheon with other members of this board on Thursday. That was the appropriate forum to have a CHANCE at meeting him. I surely did not expect to meet him, but I knew that the probability of meeting him was very high just because it was a smaller audience.

[John Crichton 4]

vmw, I think we all disagree with thxleo, but that's totally unneccesary.

[vmw331 2]

Oh....it was necessary!!!

The guy needed to be straightened out a little bit, that's all.

[MissPadmé 17]

Oh....it was necessary!!!

The guy needed to be straightened out a little bit, that's all.

Hm I think your reaction was somehow.. how shall I say.. over th top maybe... atleast the writing in CAPITAL LETTERS!

Hehee you are NEXT..!!!

[Red 75]

vmw, I think we all disagree with thxleo, but that's totally unneccesary.

Yeah. It really isn't a worthwhile thing to get angry over.

[Ollie 1,059]

Thanks Dave for bringing some sense to this thread.

[thxleo 0]

LMFAO Holy crap! I can't believe how thin skinned and venomous you people are. All I said was that I was let down not to meet him again and that it was rude of him to ignore the fans who took time to wait outside just to say hello to the man. There were 10 people...not 1000. You guys are acting like I called him a bunch names and said horrible things should happen to him. Jesus! I think some of you, and I know this is a cliche, need to get a life.

[Ollie 1,059]

I'll warn you now, there are quite a few people here who take any criticism of Williams seriously.

I'd be disappointed too but it appears he had to get back to L.A. and didn't have time to stay after the concert.

[MissPadmé 17]

LMFAO Holy crap! I can't believe how thin skinned and venomous you people are. All I said was that I was let down not to meet him again and that it was rude of him to ignore the fans who took time to wait outside just to say hello to the man. There were 10 people...not 1000. You guys are acting like I called him a bunch names and said horrible things should happen to him. Jesus! I think some of you, and I know this is a cliche, need to get a life.

One question... who has seen Williams before life

who stood out there and waited for him

who is acting pretty childlike and hasn't any respect of a person who made the desicion not to stop and sign stuff for WHAT reason ever (schedule.. or he wasn't in the mood)

and YOU call US people acting like children.. ?

Get a life you say to us... get some manners sir i say to you!

in fact it is you who isn't acting polite

I can't bvelieve what I am doing why am I even putting any enrgy in writing to you.. people like you should be ignored..I have not that much energy to waste it with topics like this..

[King Mark 3,631]

Williams has been known to avoid autographs and run away like that after concerts.Not the first time I read this story.

i remember some member tried to chase his car or something

I would not travel far to see him counting 100% I would get a c.d. signed.

[Marcus 390]

I will not bother to enter into this discussion too much. But I will offer this:

Is it Williams's, or any other celebrity's, duty to meet and greet their fans?

Being the son of famous parents myself, and growing up in a "celebrity" household of sorts, I've been on the other side of this.

Now, I can perfectly understand the disappointment in not getting the chance to offer one's expression of gratitude to someone whose work one adores, but it is important to remember that although we "know" Williams, meaning we relate deeply to his work, we remain perfect strangers to him!

I have heard from people who know Williams (and some who know him quite well) that he is a very private and rather shy person.

I've had the great good fortune to meet him on a couple of occasions, and the first time, I was actually the only fan present (I had been the only audience member at a closed rehearsal of his, and ran into him almost by accident walking past the green room on my way out).

I had brought a bunch of scores with me, but something in his character seemed to inform me that the time wasn't right, and I declined to ask him to sign anything, but offered him my sincerest thanks for all the joy and inspiration his work is to me.

The second time was different, and I got a chance to speak some more to him, and I gave him a piece I had written, dedicated to him, and he signed my copy of his "Happy Bithday Variations".

We don't own anyone else's time, and just because we love someone's work doesn't mean they owe us, their fans and appreciators, anything.

And someone like John Williams; well, we sure as hell didn't make him who or what he is. That is all courtesy of hard work and raw talent.

I am sure John Williams deeply appreciates and loves the admiration that is so rightfully his, but we cannot make any claims to his time, nor can we accuse him of rudeness, should he decline to spend some time with us.

Remember, it is the work that we know and love. The man belongs to his private world, and should therefore remain private.

[Luke Skywalker 1,796]

BTW, i think one is entitled to be dissapointed if you go for a celebrity for an authograph and in the end you dont manage to meet him/her. I would. Specially after paying a 1000 € trip to the States. I dont think that i would end critisizing williams, i'll possibly would have thought it was my fault, i was not fast enough, could have done it earlier..etc..

But what happened here, being a second time, is just bad luck.

[Melange 446]

CONSIDER YOURSELF A DISAPPOINTMENT TO THIS BOARD AND

TO ALL FANS OF JOHN WILLIAMS AND FILM MUSIC IN GENERAL.

Crikey vm331, if I had known that thxleo had raped Johns daughter, I would have taken the thread more seriously

Melange - Still recommends the purchase of a taser as a guaranteed method of catching Mr Williams at such events

[Luke Skywalker 1,796]

what is a taser?

[scissorhands 16]

That was my favorite weapon in the Syphon Filter games.

[Melange 446]

what is a taser?

[Ollie 1,059]

[Melange 446]

Dont forget the famous "Chewbacca is tasered clip". Hilarious

[John Crichton 4]

A tasered Williams wouldn't be in much state to answer questions, though. And I can imagine his autograph would be a bit messy.

[Red 75]

At his age, a tasering might actually kill him.

[orrakul 0]

I took a day off work and my brother and I drove to Detroit from Toronto (4 hours).

I enjoyed the show; it was a privilege to listen to some of my favourite music with John Williams conducting just feet away from me. I enjoyed the concert, but the DSO wasn't as polished as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was a couple of years ago, when I first attended a concert conducted by John Williams. Perhaps this was because of insufficient rehearsal time...

John Williams seemed tired right from the start of the concert. He mentioned that he had to be up early today in L.A. to work on the last reel of Indy 4.

During intermission, my brother and I decided, out of respect for his age etc., not to try to get an authograph/photo with the maestro. We really wanted to, but decided that he might not be in the mood for a meet and greet with fans...

I don't know if he had to catch a commercial flight to L.A., or if there was a private jet waiting for him. Either way, I do not think it was rude for him to split right after the show...

[John Crichton 4]

You know I'm shocked that there hasn't been any talk about the fact that Williams had to go back to LA to work on Indy 4. He's usually not very involved in the editing and mixing process. Recording some new cues, perhaps?

[Ollie 1,059]

In a nutshell, he said they just finished editing the recorded tracks to picture yesterday, and they're going to give it one more pass for minor tweaking and polishing before they send it out on Tuesday. AFAIK, this is a phase of production that Williams *usually* isn't that involved in -- but it's easy to see where that could be different on a Spielberg/Lucas project.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Yes, there wasn't anything said about still recording. He just said they were editing, and he'd even been communicating with the music editors in L.A. from Detroit.

[David Coscina 4]

Marcus, you are absolutely right. It's a little bit of a superficial thing to get a picture with Williams because it's not like he'll remember a fan in the grand scheme of things and i've seen him look like a deer in headlights on some sites where fans post their pics with him. I'm not calling fans superficial mind you and I know it's nice momento of a concert or such. I had the chance to get an autograph with John Adams here in Detroit years ago but wanted to approach him as a fellow composers (albeit a lot less experienced than he) rather than be perceived as a "fan". We talked for about 10 minutes which to me has much more value than an autograph.

Now that said, Williams is a hero of mine. I started composing because of his music so I regard him quite highly. I would have loved to have gotten the chance to talk to him again this time around but honestly, he looked quite fatigued and almost distracted. I do not blame him either as it was obvious that he had Indy on his mind. He even pointed out at the concert that film composers don't get Saturdays off. I think he was sending out enough signals to his fans that this time he would not be able to afford as much opportunity to mingle with his fans. Like I said, I do not blame anyone for being disappointed. BUT, like Marcus said, Williams has NO obligation to his fans past giving them a great concert with what little time he had. We, his fanship, do not own him. We do not know him.

To me, having a picture of myself and Williams would be a bit of a false momento because it's not like we're friends. If I ever get the chance to get to Paris and visit with Gabriel Yared, then I would want a picture with him as we are friends.

thxleo, I do not blame you for your personal disappointment. But I do think you ought to re-phrase the way you put it as more than few of us drove a good distance to see Williams. I also came from Toronto to see this event and in spite of not getting a chance to talk to Williams (even for a moment) nor did I find the whole affair too organized from the standpoint of the DSO, I value the rehearsal that I attended as well as the luncheon where I got to see Williams address the smaller audience. It was also a chance for my wife to see the music and person that I admire so much.

Try to see the good parts of this experience. Like many others on this board have said, we are in an enviable position to have not only seen Williams perform live, but also have had the chance to meet him at some point. Others will only get to live vicariously through our stories, pictures and movies of such occasions.

[vmw331 2]

Alright guys,

I edited my previous post to make it more presentable as time goes on, but I do not regret my initial reaction to his comments. My comments were a bit overkill but when I logged on this morning, I expected to find some good reviews about the Detroit concert last night and all I saw was this pathetic post.

The bottom line is that no one should be disappointed just because they did not get to meet him (AGAIN, in this case). They should be thrilled that they got the opportunity to see JW conduct his own wonderful music even if it is with a crappy orchestra.

I did note many instances of performance flaws by the DSO, but the whole experience was very breathtaking for me and other JWfanners, and remember, JW did not have to come to Michigan. He came here to support the arts and increase awareness for the DSO and the work that they do.

I did meet JW, but I was extremely lucky and I really didn't deserve the privilege and honor of shaking his hand and talking briefly to him on a personal level.

[arathornion33 0]

Perhaps he wasn't feeling well that night and wanted to get back to his hotel room. After we don't know, so we might as well give him the benefit of the doubt. Although I really hope he doesn't do that at Tanglewood this summer. (It's my first Williams concert!)

[King Mark 3,631]

Personally,I;'d be pissed if I travelled far and I didn;t get a c.d. signed...not at JW specifically,but I'd be pissed.

But probably not if I already had one from a previous time.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I'd just be happy to see him performing in concert.

[Luke Skywalker 1,796]

At his age, a tasering might actually kill him.

That is what i was going to say

thanks for telling what the taser was

Personally,I;'d be pissed if I travelled far and I didn;t get a c.d. signed...not at JW specifically,but I'd be pissed.

But probably not if I already had one from a previous time.

yeah that is what i said.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Don't tase me, bro!