Taken from my MySpace blog.

Lately I've been getting a lot of "omg ur so lucky, how do you get to meet all these people?!" questions in regards to meeting people from bands. I figured I'd share some tips on how to make your show experience better and give you the chance to meet some awesome people! :D

1. Do your research before shows. Add the band to MySpace, join LiveJournal communities, mailing lists, street teams and whatever else you can. Even adding record labels to MySpace can help. These places can usually give you any and all the information you will need about shows and tell you about in-store performances, meet and greets, exclusive contests, signings, etc.

2. Go early to shows. The bigger the band, the earlier you might want to get to the venue.

-For arena-type tours, your best bet is arriving sometime before lunch, because once the afternoon comes around, the bands will most likely be either a) doing soundcheck; b) interviews and media stuff; or c) hiding from the masses of screaming girls outside.
-Find out where the buses are and hang around there and sometimes bandmembers will come over and take pictures/sign stuff before or after a show
-For smaller venues such as clubs, two to three hours before doors is usually enough time to meet most people. Bandmembers will usually just be walking around before the show. Some bands will even come out before a show for the sole purpose of the chance to meet and talk to fans.
-Also after shows, most smaller bands will either be hanging around their merch table or actually selling merch.

3. Don't be obnoxious. Be kind to the person and their security/family/significant others/friends/groupies because you never know when this will pay off later. Being a jerk won't get you anywhere except causing drama or hurting feelings. Musicians have feelings too!

4. Don't be a fangirl/camera whore. Yes, it is nice if you say you liked the set and thank them for playing a show in your city, but you do not have to use the phrases "OH MY GOD" or "I LIKE TOTALLY LOVE YOU." Be original in your compliments and they'll be remembered. Also, don't ask for like 35 pictures because you'll only anger the people around you who are waiting for their turn (unless the musician says you need/wants you to take another picture or you screwed up the first picture by being dyslexic or something *cough*).

5. Be patient. Nobody needs to hear you whine about having to wait.

6. Don't be shy. You'll regret it if you miss you chance to talk to someone. Your best bet is a handshake and to introduce yourself. Most bands are actually surprised at this, seeing as it is not a very common occurrence. If the person looks busy, then you can ask if they have a spare minute, and if they say they really are busy, don't pester them about it.

7. Tip the merch guy. Just do it. They need money too ... and sometimes they'll give you free stickers and stuff ... or strip. Merch guys are pretty amazing.

8. Always say thank you if you get a picture or autograph.

9. Show enthusiasm during the band's set and sing along if you know the words. You never know when a bandmember will decide to hand the mic over to someone in the audience (such as with Hellogoodbye and Cobra Starship). If they do hand the mic to you and you don't know the words, GIVE THE MIC TO SOMEONE ELSE. Don't just stand there with a blank look on your face. Also, don't go up onstage if you don't know the words. You'll only embarass yourself and frustrate the band.

10. If you want to be remembered, stand out! For me, being the tall girl in the front is usually enough to get me noticed. Wear something colourful or, if your venue allows, you can make a sign. If you do go the sign route, don't be holding it up the whole time because you'll piss off the people behind you who now can't see because your sign is in the way.

11. DO NOT STALK THE BAND. That's just kind of creepy...

12. If a bandmember/manager/tech person gives you a private e-mail or phone number, do not go sharing it around with all your friends. They trusted you enough to give you their number/e-mail, and if they have to change their number/e-mail because of spam messages, they will NOT be happy.

13. When a band says they have to leave, let them leave. Goodbye means goodbye, not stick around for another two hours or come back later.

14. Try not to cry when meeting someone in a band. A few might find it flattering, but most of the time you'll just end up freaking them out. Also, if you can't hold back the tears, try not to cry on their clothes and ruin them.

15. Make friends with people in line at shows. You never know who has connections with bands, and you can make some of the best friends you've ever had! Maybe someone has a spare ticket to that show next week that you really wanted to go to and maybe you can let someone crash at your house because they're coming from out of town to a show.

Well, that's all I can think of for the time being. Feel free to add stuff in the comments.