The Night I Met Eddie Vedder at the Waldorf Astoria

Ok, without further adieu, here is the best story in the universe!

So, yesterday, I knew full well that Eddie was going to be inducting REM into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, Live on VH1 and AOL. However, I ASS-umed that it was going to take place AT the ACTUAL Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio! I didn’t know they did the ceremonies elsewhere- I really had no idea. So I went about my business as usual, came home from work, went to the gym, and made dinner. At around 9:00, I texted my friend, NixonInDetroit, and he replied “Why aren’t you at the Waldorf Hotel?” And I wrote back “What? Eddie is in Ohio at the Hall of Fame!” He then informed me that the inductions were held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, in NYC….just a hop skip and a jump from my Brooklyn apartment! At that moment IT WAS ON!

I immediately raced into action, calling friends to first scold them for not informing me that Eddie was in my back yard then to invite them to come with me on the adventure of a lifetime. You see, I have a knack for getting into the right place at the right time. Call it luck, call it skill, either way, I find an in somehow. So I took a fast shower (remember I had just gotten back from the gym), got dressed, and left the house in jeans, an “I heart Eddie Vedder” t-shirt (for attention of course), and wet hair!

I stopped to pick up my friend Nick from work, and we were off! We arrived at the Waldorf Hotel, just before Grand Master Flash started to perform. It was the most low-key event I have ever tried to sneak into! There was no line up of people outside, no group huddled around the security- just a few people hanging out in the lobby, but not many at all! We walked into the lobby with no problem, and stood outside the room where the event was being held. No one said a word to us…we got a drink from the lobby bar, and just hung out thinking of a plan. Everyone noticed my shirt and commented- success!

Eventually, a man walked out of the press room and commented on my shirt (mmm hmmm), he said that he had flown to NYC from California because he’s an extreme Van Halen fan, and he had gotten his press pass from someone who wasn’t using it anymore. Because he had already been present for the Van Halen interviews, and clearly I was there for Eddie Vedder, he gave me the pass- OFFERED it to me, without me asking for it! See, this stuff just happens to me, its fate.

So, I went into the press room, which is completely separate from the room where the actual event is taking place. It’s a ton of press people and cameras sitting around an empty stage watching the event on TV. At least I was one step closer. After each act performed, they came out with their award for interviews, so I got to see REM come out and talk with the press, posing for photos, etc. I waited patiently, but sadly, no Eddie. After REM, everyone started packing up and leaving, and we were told no one else was coming back out for interviews. I left the press room.

I went back out into the hotel lobby and loitered a bit more. Walking through the hallway, I saw Paul Schaffer from The Late Show with David Letterman and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. I noticed that there was an after party at the other end of the hotel that they were all going to. Nick and I grabbed drinks and went to that side. To my dismay, I was informed that I had just missed Eddie entering the party. People showed me their autographs and photos….I nearly cried.

The silly part is that we just walked right past the first set of security guys straight to the door where the party was. All the other clowns stayed in the hotel hallway, far from the sight of the people going in and out. For some reason, security didn’t object to Nick and I, and one random older guy standing by the door to the party ALL NIGHT. We camped out and everyone that either entered or exited from that point forward had to walk past us. We saw Keith Richards, Slash, Andy Samberg, Seth Myers, and Fred Armisen, from SNL and many more.

Eventually, everyone started to file out and call it a night, but Eddie was nowhere. Good thing I had my t-shirt on though, because as everyone exited and read my shirt, they were sure to let me know my love was still inside. Even Jill (the wife) walked past me, smiled, and commented on my t-shirt to the body guard she was with! At one point one of the security guards, who had come to know me by this point, said he would go inside and see if Eddie would sign an autograph for me (actually that was not what I was waiting for, but whatever). He came back out a few minutes later and told me that I might as well go home because Eddie wouldn’t be “signing” anything. The man he was with, I was told, didn’t want Eddie interacting with anyone or causing a commotion. My heart sank, the tears welled up, and I stood there in disbelief. I didn’t leave, though, and thank God, because I was about to meet my guardian angel.

The tallest security guard, presumably the one in charge, came over to me discreetly and whispered into my ear that I should go up the staircase behind me quietly and just wait. He said that Eddie wasn’t going to walk through the hallway like everyone else, and that he would bring Eddie to meet me if I went up there and waited! I WENT! I waited about another hour in this empty room between two sets of stairs- pacing, doubting my security friend’s intentions. Did he lead me up there just to get me out of the way so Eddie could pass unmolested? I was just about to start crying when the security man lead Kid Rock up the stairs and out into the upper part of the hotel. “Hi, how are you?”, I said to Kid Rock. “I’m good how are you?”, he said back.

The security man came back and told me to hold my horses, and compose myself because Eddie would be coming up shortly, and that the man he was with wasn’t very cool, so I had to be sure not to piss him off. I breathed and wiped the sweat off my shaking hand. A few moments later, he lead Eddie up the stairs with a grey haired man I had never seen. It was me, Eddie, the grey haired man, the security man, and my friend Nick. I greeted him at the top of the stairs with the biggest smile my face will allow! I reached out my hand for him to shake and said “Hi, Eddie, I’m Talia. Nice to meet you.” He was very cute and polite and smiled back, shaking my hand and saying “Nice to meet you too.” I then asked if I could get a quick photo, and explained it would mean the world to me since I have been a fan for over 14 years. He did not hesitate to say yes, and the grey haired man grabbed my camera and said “just a quick one” (what like photos take a long time, sheesh!). We smiled “CHEESE!” and SNAP! It was done. Ed gave me a quick hug as I thanked him profusely. As he began to walk away, I asked “Will I see you at Lollapalooza?” He turned back toward me, smiled, and pointed saying in a cutesy way “I think so!” I told him to have a good night, and he told me the same, waving with that brilliant smile of his. And then I floated off to heaven on cloud #9.

THE END!