During the intermission of today's concert, I tried to get backstage to see the pianist/soloist. Well... I had spoken to one of the symphony's administrators before the concert - they were all in attendance today greeting everyone as they entered the hall - and she told me to "go through those doors and head straight back" to get to the Artist's Dressing Room. So, I went through the "those doors", down a hallway, but then there were no other doors. Well, there were doors that led right to the stage, but I most certainly did not want to make a surprise appearance. So, I headed back out to the upper lobby. Did you make it backstage? No, I didn't, but that's OK. I'll catch up with him once we're both back in NYC.
Then I got a text... "Are you coming backstage?" So... I made one more attempt to find the Artist's Dressing room. I went down another hallway this time and saw the signs to the dressing rooms. That's when the guard stopped me. Excuse me, do you have a backstage pass of credentials?" Um, no, but I was sent back here by so-and-so with the symphony. Well, I can't let you backstage without the proper clearance. You can go back to the lobby through these doors.
-Did you find your friend this time? No, but that's OK.
Then I got another text: "Where are you?"...
Then came the phone call: "Stay right where you are. I'll come out to the lobby."
-By that time, intermission was about to end, and I did not want to be late for the second half of the concert, so... But Jeremy appeared a few seconds later, we said Hi, shook hands, hugged, I thanked him again for arranging the tickets, and I ran back upstairs to the theatre, and he headed to the airport for his flight back to NYC...
Of course, it had turned out that Jeremy and I had been playing a game of cat and mouse throughout the 15-minute intermission. He even went into the theater to find me where I was sitting - but I was already backstage for the second time by then.
*I guess I should mention that he even played an encore after his concerto performance, some Bach, from the fourth keyboard Partita.