It was pretty awesome. We share a mutual friend and I had asked if he would ask John if I could meet the band after the show.
He messaged me a few weeks later saying that John said I could sit in. We became Facebook friends and chatted a bit. He referenced a few recordings of mine, so he did some homework. He gave me the tour manager's info for the night of the show.
I didn't think it'd happen, so I didn't really say a lot. I got a hold of the manager the night of and she was really organized in where I needed to be when.
Before the show, I got to go on the bus and hang out. We also walked through the song we'd do. He insisted I play over the whole song, as I originally didn't comp or play fills. When we got to the solo section, he told me to stop and save it for the stage, which I took as a vote of confidence.
The coolest part was seeing my name on the set list. The guitar player was high as a kite, and the bus definitely looked like a place where musicians were partying, lol.
I had a cue when to come back, which I followed, and then the video on YouTube sums that part up.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a copy of the set list with my name on it, just a pic. I did get to go to the backstage area after the show to get a few pics and chat. I don't remember what we talked about, but it wasn't gear.
John was SUPER nice, took the time to learn how to say my name, and was very complimentary about my playing.
Regarding actually playing with them, which was the greatest thing ever, I consciously chose to try and not cut heads and do the opposite of what he's doing. I knew I was going to try and not to play too much on the high end or in his style. I knew to have a harp that could over bend, and I was going to be ok with playing bluesier than him. I would try and comp when he played melodies, etc.
I figured if I did that, I wouldn't embarrass myself. I knew that if I tried to worry about what I was going to play, I'd probably choke.
I'll tell you what, though, I immediately went back to the woodshed and double downed on working on my speed and high end chops for months.
I am ok with my solo, but feel like I'd approach trading riffs with more confidence now.
The hardest part of the whole experience was when he asked me about my band. I was really embarrassed to share that I did not have a band. That caught him off guard and he made a comment about how I should be playing full time.
Well, you played really nicely, and I'd add, smartly, Mike. Going toe to toe with Popper in upper end speed is not a good strategy! Thanks for sharing your story. You represented yourself well with Blues Traveler and in your other recordings.
My friend went to the Woodstock back when they had the riot (he left early so he missed that). He was in the crowd and a guy walked up to him and started saying 'I know you you are John.' Well, my friend happens to be named Jon, so he said yes. He figured maybe it was someone he knew from high school...
"You are that John Popper guy!" Well, the guy had a walkie talkie and started yelling that John Popper was in the crowd. People started looking around. My friend really did look like Popper at the time. (Popper has lost weight since, and unfortunately my friend has gained a lot). People started to push in. My friend was kind of panicked, so he told the guy to be quiet, that he was trying to blend in, that he was there to do a secret set with Metallica and that if he was quiet and got up near the stage he'd pull him up on stage. The guy agreed (and probably tried to get up on stage later). Security managed to pull my friend out of the crowd so he could get away from the Popper push.
Later, my friend was talking to his brother by phone. His brother was watching everything on MTV and he swears MTV announced a rumor that Popper was going to perform with Metallica. (There actually are recordings he did with them years later... always wondered if that's where they got the idea to do that... not exactly an obvious choice.)
Years later another friend of mine met Popper after the show and got to tell him about his doppleganger Jon. :)
