I am an Andre Rieu Fan of over 8 years and have attended 7 concerts over the years. I've been to 3 in Toronto, 1 in Washington, DC, 1 in Cleveland, 1 in Buffalo and the best 1 in Newark, NJ where I was in the second row.  I have everything that Andre has made. Having been a fan for such a long time I've got a complete collection of his CDs & DVDs. I ordered "Flying Dutchman" and the Silvester Punsch too. They are both on their way.

Way back in August 1997, Andre was live in my Buffalo PBS station. I volunteered to take pledges so I could meet him. I was a basket case being in the same room with him. PBS was great to me and had Andre pose with me so my husband could take a photo and I got a personal autograph. I was so excited, that I made a $1000 pledge to have dinner, meet Andre again and have another photo with him in Toronto. He came to the restaurant for about 30 minutes, but had to leave for a sound check. This concert was in November 1997, and it was exactly the same as "North America I Love".

I have another story about Andre after the concert in Buffalo, May 2003.
Would you believe that he shipped his huge double bus over? It was parked behind the concert hall. The concert hall was next to a Hyatt Regency so I was sure that Andre would be at the bar after the "meet and greet". Sure enough, we and some friends were sitting at a table and along came his bodyguards to check out the place. They stared at us, but we didn't budge.

I guess they figured it was safe so soon some of the orchestra members (mostly the guys) trickled in and sat at tables near us or stood at the bar. Andre was among them and they were all having a beer. Now and then, we looked over at them, but we didn't try to talk to any of them. We have had experiences with them before and know that they don't like to be approached by fans. They mostly ignored us. We pretended that we didn't know who they were. On the way out, I saw Marc, the French horn player, sitting by himself in the lobby. I said, "Hi Marc", and he said in a Dutch accent, "I'm not Marc". I knew he was, and said, "Yes, you are" and left.

My friend with us had stayed at the same hotel in Chicago as the orchestra and asked Andre if she could buy him a drink. He said, "We have had enough drinks!" She was crushed, but she did have a photo with Fredrick, the Zither player. They aren't friendly at all. (They have been known to appreciate their 'down' or 'off' time, where they do not have to be 'on') She rode up the elevator with Manoe and Renate, but pretended that she didn't know them.

Of Andre Rieu Fans & Friends Around The World:

I used to have a website made by my friend in Holland and I got e-mails from all over the world. I have met some of them in person and we have attended concerts together.

I met a family on the Internet from Holland by searching for Andre before he had his site. I visited them in Holland in April 1998 and stayed in Maastricht. I went to Andre's house, his favorite pub, and then I went back again in July 1998 for a wedding. I hosted their daughter and nephew for a month in August 1998. Last summer another niece and her boyfriend came to San Francisco to visit me and we took a California tour and ended up here at Lake Tahoe.

I have also met Dan and Alice Lycan. (Dan the Banner Man) They have been to over 100 concerts! I know him because he is usually at the concerts that I have attended. Dan takes a briefcase full of banners and souvenirs for the fans. He gave me a button with Andre's photo and a Canadian flag. He has given me other buttons too, and I have a copy of an autographed photo of the whole orchestra. The last time we saw each other was in Toronto last May 2004.

A few years ago Andre had a concert in Concord, CA, but I was then living in Buffalo, NY. We moved to the Lake Tahoe, California area 3 years ago because our kids are out west. Our son went to CAL so he lives in San Francisco. Our daughter lives nearby in Reno, Nevada.

My husband Jim and I are going to the Grand Prairie, Texas & Sacramento, California concerts in May & December of 2005! We will meet Lawrence Sudduth in Texas and I hope to see and meet many more Andre Rieu Fans well as Andre and the JSO.


Ruth Morgan