I’m a Meet and Greet girly. If I can meet an artist, even if I just heard them live, chances are I’ll already be out of my seat waiting at the merch booth.
Call me crazy, but that’s how I’ve learned to make connections with artists from interviewing tons of singers. I also love meeting people who have this insane talent to take you to another place for a couple of minutes through music.
MaRynn Taylor is a rising country star who just opened up for Kelsea Ballerini on Ballerini’s 2024 tour. Taylor is now on tour with indie/alternative singer Jake Scott. Her debut album is set to be released on August 22nd, and you’ll be hearing her name everywhere soon. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I went to see Kelsea in concert on her tour and instantly loved MaRynn’s song, Small Town Spinnin’. Immediately after she announced she’d be meeting friends at section 102, I was out of my seat. I was the second person in line after this family, who would soon become a very big deal that night.
Usually, I don’t make small talk with people at concerts, but I’ve come to find out that concert people are just my kinda people. It was just us in line for a while. It was a young couple and their two little kids and me. We weren’t expecting the stampede of concertgoers dressed in sparkly dresses and hot pink boots to flood the venue lobby. It was insane how the line grew in seconds once her set had ended.
Girls were pushing their way through the line to see if they would be able to join strangers so they had a chance at meeting MaRynn. I have never experienced something like this before. They eventually had to cut off the line because there was no way MaRynn could meet all these fans before Kelsea took the stage.
Noticing how pushy the crowd got, the lady in front of me said, “Don’t worry, we’ll vouch for you, you can be part of our group to meet her.’ Let’s call this lady Trisha.
I didn’t think I would lose my spot. I wasn’t worried, but for this person, whom I had met ten minutes ago, to offer me a spot in their group caught me off guard.
I was so appreciative, but this story doesn’t stop there. Pretty soon, a girl in a sparkly purple dress came over with a few girls and told Trisha that they were now a part of our group too.
The girls were decked out in homemade Kelsea shirts, boots, and had VIP badges around their necks. It was apparent they had met Kelsea but had not made the cut for the line to meet MaRynn.
Trisha introduced the girl in the purple dress to me; it was her niece. This girl was an absolute light. She was smiling and talking to everyone. She definitely brought the energy in line. She was hilarious and made sure these girls were going to meet MaRynn, too. She even told the security guards what to do when MaRynn came out because they had no idea how to handle the crowd.
MaRynn was running late for M&G, so Trisha and I started talking again, and we just started talking about life. I had told her I had health conditions after I told her my family and I had just moved because of needing more care.
She didn’t flinch; she asked questions about the disease and then told me what section they were going to be sitting in. Trisha told me, “if you need anything, please come and find us and we’ll help you in any way we can.’
I don’t know what I expected her reaction to be; I don’t know if I thought she would say anything. But instead of brushing it off or getting uncomfortable, she expressed such compassion and genuine care. I had known this lady for maybe half an hour and still cherish the kindness she showed me that night.
I wish I had gotten their Instagram handles or something, as they went to all country concerts whenever tours came to the venue. I hope I run into them again to thank them and say hi to old friends.
Before meeting MaRynn, I learned that her niece wasn’t just a massive Kelsea fan, but knew Kelsea. They had received comped tickets from Kelsea herself for the show that night. Trisha’s niece had attended numerous Kelsea Ballerini shows to the point where Kelsea remembered her.
The time came to meet MaRynn, and like Trisha and her family, they promised they made sure I got my picture right after them. Trisha made sure I didn’t lose my place due to fans rushing up front and asking for a quick picture.
Though I didn’t get to talk to MaRynn and just pose for a picture, this was an M&G that was so well organized. MaRynn’s team was incredibly nice and not rude or snooty. They had pre-signed postcards, took tons of pictures, and did not interfere with the M&G in negative ways, which I have unfortunately seen a lot.
MaRynn introduced herself and hugged me, we posed for a picture, I said thank you and that I loved her music, and returned to my seat just in time for the lights to dim and Kelsea to come out on stage in all her glitter and sass.
