Expectations! I spoke to a young lady I'd met at GMA who was at the same meet and greet before the show, and it was a thrill of a lifetime for her. Guitargirl didn't sound depressed at all. She wanted more than she got, but how much is enough? I thought what she described was a relaxed and cordial interaction, but too brief. I doubt another 30 seconds would've helped much. Lots of us would like to have a 5 minute chat, but it ain't ever going to happen.

10 of those people were fan club winners. 2 were Stub Hub winners. There were probably 20, 30 or more radio contest winners, relatives of local VIP's, friends of friends and so forth he had to meet at some point. Often people have been given a meet-and-greet without even checking with his people beforehand. Don't meet them? He gets reamed in the papers, and has to bring them to the next venue in a limousine. Ignore the DJ's mother-in-law and get dissed on air for weeks. Growl at a teacher one day before a show and you're dissed in f*king Newsweek!!

They started at 6:50. That's 1 hour ten minutes before show time. Start earlier? Well it was supposed to start at 6:30, but I doubt that would've made much difference. What about dinner, sleep, stuff like that? His schedule during these tours would kill me in a week.

Have them afterwards? They can't--often they've got to move on to the next venue, or do whatever else they've got him set up to do. He's starving; he needs to decompress. When he could, he came to the buses during earlier tours. If he could now, I'm sure he would, and maybe he will if/when Jerome returns. He needs top-notch security to do that. Sometimes he does do longer, more private meet and greets afterwards, like with people with severe disabilities. That happened when WinkyDink and I were in Delaware. He was meeting afterwards with a young girl with multiple disabilities who wasn't one of the famewhores or the child of a famewhore. Should we begrudge the fact that he'll give a child with a disability the care and attention he will seldom give other fans?

Don't do them at all? The profession demands it. He does the best he can. I wouldn't do nearly as well myself in his shoes.

Before I teach a 1 hr 15 minute class, which I do 6 times a week, 32 weeks a year, I close my office door when I can, and speak to no one. I ask students not to ask me questions in the classroom before class starts. I need to clear my mind before I teach. Make sure I have everything ready, and that I'm ready. I couldn't even imagine meeting 10 or 50 students beforehand--I'd be so distracted--and all I'm doing is teaching a fking class. Am I an ahole too?

The man has a constant, unrelenting series of demands on his time and attention during tours--it's not like his job is over when the lights are off on stage. He's running a f*king enormous enterprise, as well as being its star, and he's 26 years old.

Security issues - you know them well. Don't need to elaborate on that. The set-up mitigates against anyone getting out of hand.

Plus, he isn't comfortable in those types of situations. You probably do have the personality to make all those people feel special in a very short period of time. I couldn't do it. I think he does a decent job, but he's much better at connecting from the stage. That's what makes him a star, but also means he has to deal with the fall-out--with the attitudes and expectations he has to deal with because so many people have a con-nec-tion.