I didn’t know where to put this thread so I figure the Ghostbusters forum is a good spot for it.
Last night I met Dan Aykroyd! I had found out a month ago that he was coming for a comedy festival here in Newfoundland and immediately bought tickets for his show. Then I found out that he was introducing a band at an earlier show that same night and would only be there for a few minutes. I figure if my friends and I were outside with signs and wearing our packs, Dan might notice us and give us a few minutes of his time. Man, did I ever underestimate Dan Aykroyd, but more on that later.
We went down around 5 pm to set up our small display consisting of signs on our cars. The weather was ok, a little damp but not raining. Security arrived and asked us what we were doing there and when we told them, they said we could stay and even said they’d give us a heads up as to when Dan would be arriving. Awesome, security is on our side! They even stopped to chat about our packs and pick at them a little.
A little later, security approached and said Dan would actually be parking near another door at the far end of the building. We immediately set up shop down there. Not that we wanted to get in the way, but just be noticed by him as I have read that Dan is a class act and very kind to his fans. We were hoping for just an autograph and a pic, maybe 30 seconds of his time at most. The hours passed and the event staff came out to chat with us and explain how Dan was late as he had to land in the smaller airport on the other side of Newfoundland. He then had to drive with a police ■■■■■■ for 9 hours to get to the show that night. The staff asked us not to get in his way and let him go right on in, which we reassured them we would not approach Dan and would not interfere with the show. Time passed and it began to rain, but I was undeterred. With blankets covering our packs and umbrellas overhead, we persevered.
Then the time came.
A couple of SUVs pulled up and the buzz began to build with our group and the staff. This was Dan! I told the group to not approach and wait until after Dan was done with the show before we attempted to speak with him. The SUVs parked, a door opened and Dan immediately jumped out and called, “Hi, how are ya?” to us. Ignoring the 10 staff members or so that obviously was trying to usher him into the building, Dan walked directly over to us with a hand out and smiling. I told him it was an honor and then he proceeded to tell the women of our group to pose for a photo with him so they could get out of the cold. He then posed with myself and my friend with our packs on and told us he’d like to get our contact info. When we took the photo (and I thought our time with him was done) I pointed out the staff that were waiting for him. He left our group and began shaking their hands, then turned back to us.
“You guys comin’ in?”
“If you don’t mind we can wait out here and get an autograph after?”
Dan motions for us to follow him in, “Come on in.”
We followed Dan in, amidst the shocked and envious faces of the event staff. We smiled and shrugged. When we got inside, Dan spoke to a few people at which point the head of security inside the building came over and asked us aggressively what we were doing inside. Dan must have overheard:
“The Ghostbusters are with me”.
Another staff member told us that Dan wanted us to accompany him on stage! We were shocked, but compliant. I asked Dan if he would like to use my PKE meter and he laughed and said no, but told me to use it on him as he was walking out on stage. I was in awe of the man and his laid back attitude. We accompanied him on stage where he mentioned he had his Ghostbusters with him in case of any ghosts in Newfoundland.
After all the hoopla on stage, we followed Dan backstage where he proceeded to sign our three packs, slimer, a poster, a DVD cover, my PKE meter, and my Bigi motherboard. He mentioned how Bill Murray hated the weight of the packs when filming the movies, and more often than not, would wear a foampack. We thanked him for his time and left.
Later that night, at the show we had tickets for, Dan played some blues songs, the harmonica, and did some stand up. He is quite the entertainer. We actually ran into him (by accident) after the show on our way back to our car. He recognized us, came over and shook our hands again saying “Hey guys!”, where we then told him he had a great show. He thanked us and we wished him a good night. The man must have been exhausted after the day he had.
Lastly, I cannot say enough good things about Dan Aykroyd. He was so kind and appreciative of our group and went out of his way to be a great man to us. Class act all the way.
TLDNR
Met Dan Aykroyd. He was super friendly; invited us into a show; had us on stage with him and signed our packs. Dan Aykroyd = class act.
always there for his fans 
