» ENCOUNTERS Mardi Gras     |     22 February 2004     |     Kacy I skipped my Friday classes and went home on Thursday night. My sister Kristy had told me about a meet and greet thing on Friday night at the riverside Hilton. He was supposed to be there at 6:30 for some press intro thing as the King of Bacchus. Julie and I got there around 5 and went to the ballroom on the third floor. It was set up like a press conference, with velvet ropes keeping the 200 Elijah fans from getting too close. He came straight from the airport and came in around 7:10, the Algiers Brass Band marched him in and he threw a bunch of dubloons to the crowd. He was really enthusiastic about it too. Julie and I each got one, and they have his face on them, but its not the best picture of him. He gave a speech about how excited he was to be in New Orleans and that it was his first time here, and I was just happy that he said 'New Orleans' correctly. He walked around the inside of the velvet rope and shook hands and gave out more dubloons but no autographs. Hannah was there with him and two other guys that he introduced but I didn't recognize. I was less than a foot away from him. He is even better looking in real life. On Sunday night we went out to the parade on St. Charles Ave in front of the Knights of Columbus Council Home. Our family puts out a bunch of ladders so Julie and I were standing on ladders with our "We love Elijah" sign. He saw us and pointed at us then threw some beads right to Julie. I left right after that to get ready for the Bacchus Ball. Kristy and I walked over to the convention center and were able to see Elijah on the float again. He actually rode around the room twice. After the parade ended, the Four Tops started playing and I went around to the front of the VIP section. My camera has what I like to call a stalker zoom, and I was looking through it to catch a glimpse of Elijah when I see Dom, drinking a beer and bobbing his head to the music. I brought Kristy over there and while we were staring through the railings, a guy walked over and asked if he could take my camera to get a closer picture for us. I gave him my camera and didn't think until after he left that he could've just stolen my camera, but he didn't. He came back and used some influence to get us into the VIP section. At some point I saw Dom and a few other guys get up and leave the VIP section and start to leave so Eddie, the VIP guy, Kristy and I start running after them. I turned a corner just in time to see Dom go in the Men's bathroom and Eddie actually followed him in there. I looked over at two of the guys that had left with Dom were standing waiting for him, and I knew them! I had worked at a local theatre with both of them for a couple of shows. The director we worked with at the theatre is actually the co-founder or something of Orpheus and these guys, Phil and Matt were assigned to be Dom's local liasons for the weekend. Matt introduced me to Dom, and I got to take a picture with him. We shook hands and the first thing he said to me was "My hands are wet because I just washed them, I didn't piss on myself." And I realized that I was acosting him outside the bathroom! But I don't regret it or anything. We went back into the VIP section and later I saw him by the King's platform railing signing some autographs so I grabbed a linen napkin of the table and went up there. I got to talk to him again and he signed my napkin. My sister went up to the table later while he was sitting down and made a "come here" motion and he actually got up and walked around the table to talk to her. He signed a napkin for her and took a picture, but she is still freaking out that he actually came over to her, because there was a few girls nearby calling for Elijah, but he stayed up at the table. I went up to the platform once more and talked for about 10 minutes to Matt, catching up on stuff with Dom right there at the table behind him. Matt told me that they were leaving soon, just to go hang out at Elijah's hotel room, so I left and got some sleep much later. On Monday, Orpheus was rerouted so it did not pass the council home, and it was also really late so I did not stick around to see Dom before the ball. Julie, Kristy and I got to the Orpheus Ball right in time to see his float. We had a "Dom, We love you!" sign and got some dubloons from him. My dad's friend Craig was at the Ball playing with the Night Crawlers and he also was playing trombone for Harry Connick Jr. Wen he started playing, Julie and I went over to talk to Craig's wife while he was onstage. Their table was right next to, almost behind, the stage and when I was walking around to watch the performance I saw Matt on the side of the stage. Then Phil, who was actually working as an assistant stage manager for the event came downstairs and we asked him if Dom was up there. He told us that he was and that he'd eventually be leaving the stage right where we were standing and that he'd be singing. And after a couple of minutes we saw Dom tossing around a (American) football with a couple of guys. Then he was talking right at the top of the stairs to some crew guys and when he was done, we called him over. He crouched down and we talked again. He definitely didn't remember me or anything, but that was okay. We talked about him singing and that I had heard him on Viggo's cd, so I thought he would do well. I told him that I liked Half Fling and he laughed. We went more onstage for a little while and I saw him talking to Kevin (lead singer from Better Than Ezra) for a while. The he came down the stairs to take pictures with a few people. We said hi to him again and got a few pictures. I took a picture with him and got a hug and a kiss. I swear he gives the best hugs, really holds you close and tight, if he wasn't famous or hot or anything I would like him just for the hugs. Then Dom eventually got back onstage and sang with BTE, Jumping Jack Flash, like others have reported. He was strutting around like such a rock star, just great. After he sang there was a lot more people over by the side of the stage and he got mobbed on the way to the VIP section. He was stopping to give hugs and autographs to everyone he could, but his security brought him back by the stage. I was still standing there so I said "bye Dom" and he winked at me. He sat inside BTE's dressing room for a little while, until they figured out security stuff, people kept coming and going from the room so we kept seeing him as the door opened and closed. He was just hanging out drinking a beer. He looked comfy. I saw him going back over to the VIP section but no more after that. Matt told us that they'd be hanging in the VIP section for the rest of the night. Thats when we left. The next day we were packing up our stuff out of the hotel room and walking a half a block around the corner to the council home when Julie says, "Dom" I look up and he's passing us on the sidewalk under the bleachers. We said hi again then bye. It was just perfect timing and the best ending to my week. [ main | fans | encounters ] CURRENT PROJECTS • I Sell The Dead (2008) Official Site Character: Arthur Blake • X-Men Origins: Wolverine (05/01/2009) Character: Barnell Bohusk/Beak • Pet (2009) Character: Seth GALLERY UPDATES        FEATURED MEDIA  Mad TV  Date: 26 April 2008  Credit: Lisa  Size: 160.0 mb  [ download ] HOT TOPICS Favourite Piece From Dom's Collection? 5 Questions for Dom Dear Dom... 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