Having trouble making the most of your M&G experience? Read on for helpful tips!

So with SNC’s fall tour officially underway and after several requests to do so, we thought this might be a perfect opportunity to write down a couple of helpful tips Megan and I have compiled (from personal experiences) on how to conquer the meet and greet line. Whether it is your first time experiencing it or you’re an old pro like ourselves, these are just a couple of things we always like to keep in the back of our minds  and we thought might be helpful to others. *disclaimer: we are in no way trying to tell anybody what to do, just sharing some things that were helpful to us.*

1. Don’t ever skip the meet and greet line- I know there are times when it is inevitable that you must leave before spending some quality time with the guys, but I can not emphasize enough how much the experience changes from time to time. After you get that first M&G under your belt, and your bout of nausea has worn off, you’ll be SO glad you stayed.

2. Gifts are fun but not necessary- gifts for the guys are always a fun way to show your appreciation, especially if they’re gifts the guys can use to stay healthy on tour (tea, honey, etc), but they’re not a must have at any meet and greet line. The guys will appreciate your presence there just as much as they would appreciate any gift. They love getting to meet all of their fans, and often times when they receive a gift you will hear them say, “Thanks, you didn’t have to do that!”

3. Don’t be afraid to talk to them- We’ve all (well at least Megan and I) have left after a meet and greet line and thought to ourselves “oh, I was so nervous that I didn’t even talk to so and so!” It can be hard to find the courage to talk to them, especially when you’re new to the M&G atmosphere or you’ve just approached one of your top 10 favorite guys (because no one just has one favorite, right?). However, once you manage to mutter some words (incoherent or not) you’ll feel much better and more confident. Then you won’t be able to stop yourself.

4. Have a back up conversation starter- Megan and I were running into problems with number 3 quite often so we came up with a little solution. We decided that if we had a little conversation starter (like a silly question, sports reference or something along those lines) we could cure any awkward silence that came our way (because NO ONE likes an awkward silence.) I can say with confidence that this technique is still working for us today. (Although, in all honesty we haven’t had to use them and we find ourselves saying, “Oh, so and so distracted me and I forgot to tell them *insert convo starter here*”.) Maybe we should add, “write them down” onto this list as well.

5. FILTERS! – Self-explanatory. Make sure your comments and conversations are appropriate, otherwise it can make the guys, yourself, silent eavesdroppers, and just about everyone around you uncomfortable and therefore lead you to the dreaded awkward pause. So please, for everyone’s sake, make sure your filters are firmly in place and in working condition before leaving the house.

6. If you want something (like a hug or a picture), just ask- This kind of goes hand in hand with tip number 3.  As talented as our 10 favorite guys are, they are not mind readers (umm thank goodness for that, right?  <----- See, a filter would have been good here), and so if you want a picture with one of them or a hug, all you have to do is ask. I promise, they won’t say no. (Although, they might now just to make a liar out of me!)

7. Don’t worry about staying with your merch- I promise that if whatever your getting signed beats you to the end of the table (which is not a bad thing, it means your enjoying some quality conversation) it will be in safe hands with whoever happens to be the last guy at the table. If you are worried that it might get lost in the shuffle (especially if you plan on utilizing tip number 6) you could always ask the first guy you see to add a little personalization to your picture/poster/sign/etc.  

8. Don’t be a salmon- If you don’t understand what this means you may have not read about Megan’s adventures on New Year’s Eve. Basically, she forgot to have Ryan sign her CD so she decided that the best way to fix this situation was to go against the flow of traffic in the line and push her way back up to him…. Don’t do this.  I’m not sure how often it happens, but we wanted to add it just to be sure. Its rude (yes, I’m calling Megan rude) and you’re interrupting someone else’s M&G line experience. If this happens, just hop back in the line and simply state that you accidently skipped over whoever’s signature you need. (Also, side note: please don’t make this a habit, it’s just meant to be a better alternative to battling your way backwards through the line, doing so every time you see them turns into you taking advantage of them.)

9. Stay for group photos- If time permits for both you and the guys, this is always an added bonus to any M&G experience.  Also, reiterating tip number 6, don’t be afraid to ask for a silly/funny/serious picture. The guys are always up for picture shenanigans (sometimes you don’t even have to ask!)

10. Have fun! – Once you’re in that lines, anxiously waiting your turn, try to just let all your nervousness/panicking/ anxiety/ and nausea fade away. I know, I know, I know, easier said than done, and even if you cant get them to go away (This summer was the first time I approached them without being completely panic stricken) just remember to enjoy yourself! They are just an amazing group of guys!  It might feel like you wait a lifetime for your turn, but the line will FLY by so make every second count!

11. (from our good friend, Dave White)-Definitely make the M&G line fun. May I offer the suggestion of striking up conversations with the people in front and/or behind you. We all tire of waiting in lines in our everyday lives and now you are asked to wait in another line?? Your wait time will fly when talking about concert highlights/personal experiences or even educating fans that are new to SNC - of course try not to sound like a total "know-it-all". Remember to have a conversation not dominate it.

These are just things that we have learned from personal experience, I hope you guys find these tips as helpful as we did.  They are meant to be taken in a fun and humorous way, and if you have any you think new chasers could benefit from feel free to leave a comment or send us an email and we’ll add them!

* Special Announcement *

            This just in! The 1-year anniversary of our blog, our “blogiversary” if you will, is coming up on Nov. 24th and we wanted to do something fun to celebrate. What better way to celebrate than a give away?! We want YOU to send us the funniest, silliest, or craziest thing you have overheard being said by one of the guys during a meet and greet (see how our tips may come in handy now?) or during a performance. Megan and I will take submissions and spend numerous hours picking a winner, and that person will of course win a prize *more details on that will be coming soon* We know that people are already enjoying the fall tour so we wanted to give you time to be on the look out for silly antics from the guys. We will be taking submissions beginning November 9^th up until Midnight (EST) on November 23^rd.  It doesn’t have to be from this fall tour either, it can be from any M&G line or show you’ve been to. For instance; a personal favorite of mine comes from Ryan during a meet and greet in AC, “Tyler loves acapella more than his mom.” There will be another post regarding rules and more information of the giveaway closer to the start date of November 9^th, but we wanted to make sure that you had plenty of notice!