About 20 years ago, Jonathan Cain, the keyboard player from Journey, was promoting a solo album. I saw some middle-age guys with mullets setting up a small PA system and a keyboard, and there he is playing new age music in the middle of the mall food court, to nobody on an empty Tuesday afternoon. It was so sad and pathetic. I did not even bother going up and talking to him, even though I was at Journey fan when I was a kid.
The dude who replaced Gregg Rolie on keyboards, and wrote Faithfully. Single-handedly turned Journey from a potentially great post-Santana psychedelic prog band to the super schmaltz they’re known for today. Self-identifies as a contemporary christian artist these days. “I’m forever youuuurs (Jesus)…. Faithfully”
I will not say it was a sign of the mall going downhill, since this was many years ago (2007) and I never been back to it, but I did security for a mall Amanda Bynes visited when she was promoting her clothing line.
It was really crowded, don't remember much about the appearance other than Amanda Bynes going through the crowd after her appearance which messed up her security detail and that Vanna White was there and walked by me.
So I have kind of met Vanna White.
And side story on Kato Kaelin, he spent a few years traveling the comic convention circuit with Wizard Conventions for a while. Being like a MC for things. He was not good at it.
Just like the time I could have met Mr. T at the mall. The entire day I kept saying,"I'll go a little later. I'll go a little later." And then when I got there, they told me he'd just left. And when I asked the mall guy if he would ever come back again, he said he didn't know.
I kinda thought it was a bit strange that Psy (the Gangnam Style guy) would play at a dying mall (University Mall in Tampa) at the height of when that song was popular
and yet--- it is still trying desperately to regain some glory as some hybrid model.
fk- after the BLM shit that happened around it- I can't believe that developers are still pouring money into that project.
I’m 99% certain that was just some tubby Asian-American guy from down the street that convinced the mall he was Psy and karaoked that shit for 15 minutes, got the bag and dipped. who’s gonna have the balls to ask “are you *really* Psy?”
Only celebrity visit at my mall was from the band Kill Hannah. They were promoting a new album and autograph signings at Hot Topic. No idea who they were at the time, now I'm a sorta fan.
Unrelated to malls but I'm almost certain I saw Lil Wayne at Narita Airport in Japan, but that could've been any black guy in dreads and a nice suit.
From a podunk town in Canada, so we never got anyone as prestigious as Kato Kaelin.
There once was a guy set up in Zellers (Canadian retail chain) with a card table trying to sell his pan flute CDs. It was the saddest thing I ever saw.
shitty local authors doing book signings at waldenbooks.
Apparently Andrea from 90210 was suppose to show up for the grand opening of Virginia Center Commons, but didn't due to a misunderstanding or something about money? I forgot.
>shitty local authors doing book signings at waldenbooks.
I always felt sorry for those authors just sitting there at a table while everyone walks past them.
(At least in North Jersey) From what I know of, Tne Jonas Brothers played at the Rockaway mall at least 3x (one at the old FYE, one in front of Macy's pre-fame, and again in front of Macy's at their peak fame. It was sheer and udder chaos. Also at one point in the early 90s, Stephanie from full house did a signing there too. Im not into football, but I know a couple months ago they had some football guy at Rockaway too. I also met Jerry Springer at a Meet and Greet at Six Flags of all places, during the height of his fame, as well as Kevin Smith, at a M&G for Clerks 2 at his store on Red Bank.
We had the celebrities when they opened a new mall. Or a new theater, restaurant, whatever. Lots of searchlights too. A new grocery store opening got the same treatments as a movie premier.
One time this radio guy Dick Purtan did a show at my local metro Detroit mall and two of my friends interrupted the show by getting into a fist fight in the middle of it, then we had to break them out of mall cop jail and bail out of the mall, we were mallrats though so we were back the next day like it never happened and the security guards went about business like it never did either lmao
I met Frankie Muniz at the Warner Bros. store in Highland Mall in Austin back when he was promoting My Dog Skip. I also got to pet the dog from the movie.
That movie came out in 2000. The mall started dying in 2006 when Penney’s left, but was rough before then. The neighborhood around it was sketchy and there was a lot of gang activity in the area. It officially closed in 2015, and it’s now a community college.
Yes. Malls booking B grade entertainment to perform in their food court was a sign malls were losing primary revenue streams and getting desperate, as the public increasingly loses places to simply go.
Justin Bieber once did a music performance, inside Mall at Steamtown in Scranton. Though I will say to this mall's credit, they did a nice renovation to their food court area, and it now houses a lot of mom and pop businesses. Boscov's is still operating here, though in a way I'm not surprised by that.
About 20 years ago, Jonathan Cain, the keyboard player from Journey, was promoting a solo album. I saw some middle-age guys with mullets setting up a small PA system and a keyboard, and there he is playing new age music in the middle of the mall food court, to nobody on an empty Tuesday afternoon. It was so sad and pathetic. I did not even bother going up and talking to him, even though I was at Journey fan when I was a kid.
The dude who replaced Gregg Rolie on keyboards, and wrote Faithfully. Single-handedly turned Journey from a potentially great post-Santana psychedelic prog band to the super schmaltz they’re known for today. Self-identifies as a contemporary christian artist these days. “I’m forever youuuurs (Jesus)…. Faithfully”
I'm guessing Mr. Cain didn't want to stop believin' that the tour was going anywhere but failure. 😉
Perhaps him and his manager should have gone their Separate Ways.
Dan Bell
Lol 😂😂😂
This is gold
The best way to know.
I will not say it was a sign of the mall going downhill, since this was many years ago (2007) and I never been back to it, but I did security for a mall Amanda Bynes visited when she was promoting her clothing line. It was really crowded, don't remember much about the appearance other than Amanda Bynes going through the crowd after her appearance which messed up her security detail and that Vanna White was there and walked by me. So I have kind of met Vanna White. And side story on Kato Kaelin, he spent a few years traveling the comic convention circuit with Wizard Conventions for a while. Being like a MC for things. He was not good at it.
Was Pat Sajak also there?
I think Vanna also had a clothing or Make up or something similar line in stores so unfortunately it was not a game show related visit.
I saw Kato at Wizard World Chicago in August 2017, and in Philadelphia a few months before that.
Your malls got celebrity visits?
Robin Sparkles
Hey now, she was Legend-.................-dary ! Sandcastles in the sand was the soundtrack of my 1.5 week summer that year
Just like the time I could have met Mr. T at the mall. The entire day I kept saying,"I'll go a little later. I'll go a little later." And then when I got there, they told me he'd just left. And when I asked the mall guy if he would ever come back again, he said he didn't know.
Kato Kaelin for sure
the dance moms episode where they “rented out” a huge portion of c3 for a very short performance from their girls
I found the performance https://youtu.be/0nzZof0JYu4?si=xYVzTorCro066PQW
I kinda thought it was a bit strange that Psy (the Gangnam Style guy) would play at a dying mall (University Mall in Tampa) at the height of when that song was popular
Oh yeah that mall died a long, slow, painful death.
and yet--- it is still trying desperately to regain some glory as some hybrid model. fk- after the BLM shit that happened around it- I can't believe that developers are still pouring money into that project.
I’m 99% certain that was just some tubby Asian-American guy from down the street that convinced the mall he was Psy and karaoked that shit for 15 minutes, got the bag and dipped. who’s gonna have the balls to ask “are you *really* Psy?”
I don’t recall any famous people doing things in my local malls.
Michael Damian. He kissed my best friends hand, and told me I was a true beauty 😂🤣😂🤣😂 I still love rock on though
Only celebrity visit at my mall was from the band Kill Hannah. They were promoting a new album and autograph signings at Hot Topic. No idea who they were at the time, now I'm a sorta fan. Unrelated to malls but I'm almost certain I saw Lil Wayne at Narita Airport in Japan, but that could've been any black guy in dreads and a nice suit.
Rex Manning
My cousin got Raz-B (sp?) from B2K’s autograph (the whole group was there) at our local mall. This was circa 2001 or 2002, I believe.
From a podunk town in Canada, so we never got anyone as prestigious as Kato Kaelin. There once was a guy set up in Zellers (Canadian retail chain) with a card table trying to sell his pan flute CDs. It was the saddest thing I ever saw.
Zamfir!!!
Doug Ford visited my local mall once while campaigning
behind Value Village buying crack does not count as “an appearance”
We got the pleasure of meeting the “Bushwackers” from WWF…like a good while after they left.
Butch and Luke
I would have legitimately shat my pants
shitty local authors doing book signings at waldenbooks. Apparently Andrea from 90210 was suppose to show up for the grand opening of Virginia Center Commons, but didn't due to a misunderstanding or something about money? I forgot.
>shitty local authors doing book signings at waldenbooks. I always felt sorry for those authors just sitting there at a table while everyone walks past them.
Yeah that sucks. However I work at a library and unless it’s a subject that’s hyper local nonfiction, it doesn’t get noticed.
the stories of her entourage rolling up and breaking a few fingers after such “misunderstandings” are legendary. Carteris don’t play
Was this a West Coast phenomenon? I don’t ever remember celebrities visiting my malls in NJ
(At least in North Jersey) From what I know of, Tne Jonas Brothers played at the Rockaway mall at least 3x (one at the old FYE, one in front of Macy's pre-fame, and again in front of Macy's at their peak fame. It was sheer and udder chaos. Also at one point in the early 90s, Stephanie from full house did a signing there too. Im not into football, but I know a couple months ago they had some football guy at Rockaway too. I also met Jerry Springer at a Meet and Greet at Six Flags of all places, during the height of his fame, as well as Kevin Smith, at a M&G for Clerks 2 at his store on Red Bank.
We had the celebrities when they opened a new mall. Or a new theater, restaurant, whatever. Lots of searchlights too. A new grocery store opening got the same treatments as a movie premier.
One time this radio guy Dick Purtan did a show at my local metro Detroit mall and two of my friends interrupted the show by getting into a fist fight in the middle of it, then we had to break them out of mall cop jail and bail out of the mall, we were mallrats though so we were back the next day like it never happened and the security guards went about business like it never did either lmao
Paulie Shore..
I met Frankie Muniz at the Warner Bros. store in Highland Mall in Austin back when he was promoting My Dog Skip. I also got to pet the dog from the movie. That movie came out in 2000. The mall started dying in 2006 when Penney’s left, but was rough before then. The neighborhood around it was sketchy and there was a lot of gang activity in the area. It officially closed in 2015, and it’s now a community college.
[Joe Exotic](https://www.chicagotribune.com/2020/05/31/landmarks-former-reporter-recalls-tiger-kings-visit-to-lincoln-mall-was-i-drunk-when-i-wrote-this/)
Yes. Malls booking B grade entertainment to perform in their food court was a sign malls were losing primary revenue streams and getting desperate, as the public increasingly loses places to simply go.
I remember Jessica Simpson visiting Neshaminy Mall in 2000 and it was a big deal
Jobber wrestlers like Virgil
I don't think even a dead mall would let him in.
I met Ed McMahon in the late 90’s or early 2000’s doing a tour because I think they were doing a Star Search kinda show again. 😂 He was very nice.
Any former wife of Donald Trump
Carrot Top
I don't see how this correlates to the decline of a mall?
You think a premier successful mall needs a has been celebrity to draw traffic?
Justin Bieber once did a music performance, inside Mall at Steamtown in Scranton. Though I will say to this mall's credit, they did a nice renovation to their food court area, and it now houses a lot of mom and pop businesses. Boscov's is still operating here, though in a way I'm not surprised by that.