REPORT ON THE STONETOWN GALLERIA HOT TOPIC APPEARANCE

Stonetown Galleria Hot Topic Report from Margaret:

When I first saw that Summit was working with Hot Topic to create the Twilight Talent Tour I got really excited, especially when they announced San Francisco. All the way up to Sunday I couldn’t decide on if I was going or not going. I knew it was going to be pure pandemonium but just the thought of seeing Rob up close made my heart beat a million times per second. So needless to say I decided I was going.

I called the Hot Topic store in San Francisco the night before the event and spoke with an employee. She was very clear on what was going to be happening. She said that there would be no lists and it would be first come first serve. In addition they weren’t going to let anyone line up at the entrance of the mall till 7:00 AM and then at 8:00 AM they would start selling them. They would let 10 – 20 people at a time go into the store to purchase the wristbands & shirts. From that information I decided that it would be best to get there before 5:00AM.

I arrived at 4:45 AM and can I just say “OME”! There was a sea of people lined up in the far back parking lot about 250 yards from the entrance. I guesstimated about 400 people. I grabbed my bag and jumped out of my car ready to join the crowd. The people started moving forward and I got mixed into the sea of people. I luckily ended up in the front. People were saying something about the list and I saw a mall security car. That’s when I saw the poor guy; a young, not to tall, male security guard all by himself. I don’t know how they thought one little guy was going to keep a crowd like this together. I felt horrible for him, especially when the mob started getting angry. I worried for his safety as well as mine.

By 6:00 AM the crowd had grown to about 800 people. The one security guard was still trying to keep everyone in the back parking lot but a few were slowly moving up a couple of feet. Then it happened. 1, 2, then 3 people started the run. As Rob Pattinson likes to say “the gates of hell” were opened up and everyone went running. I truly feared for my life. If I didn’t run fast enough or god forbid I fell, I knew it would be over. I would get trampled. One poor lady dropped her purse and bent down to pick it up. I wanted to help her but if I stopped I would have been stomped on. It was a blur of people screaming, running and falling.

When I reached the mall entrance I ended up in the middle right side close to the doors. We were all packed in like sardines. If one person tried to move we all moved. The crowd by this time was well over a thousand people. I was squished, compressed and not feeling too good. Here is one of the positive things I can say about what was happening at this moment. The people that I was compressed too were really nice. Everyone was trying to watch out for each other and trying to keep calm. More mall security finally arrived but it was too late.

They were trying to get the crowd to move back from the doors and to create a left and right side but all that did was create more anger and people squishing. There were people who couldn’t breathe and people who wanted to puke. We were able to get those people out so that they could get some help. I was stuck like this for over 2 hours. Helicopters were flying over head and then the police arrived.

When the police arrived that’s when things got worse. They kept telling the crowd to move back but there was no where to go. If they had started from the back then made room we could have moved but that didn’t happen. They just kept squeezing us in even more. By 8:30 there were well over 3000 people cramming in to get in any part of the line. The crowd was getting bigger, the mood of the “mob” was getting darker and the police had no control.

The Hot Topic employees and the police announced that the event was cancelled. That didn’t go over too well. No one believed it at first so no one moved. But then the police were getting frustrated and telling people they have to move. They finally brought out some police tape to clear the entrance. They should have had something like that or line ropes from the very beginning. This really was poor planning on everyone’s part, the mall, Hot Topic and the police. No one expected over 3000 people. A mall rep was actually quoted saying they estimated 250-500 people might show up. It’s TWILIGHT and not just TWILIGHT but ROBERT PATTINSON one on one. I was still stuck in the crowd & not too many people were moving. The police kept telling everyone that the event was cancelled due to safety reasons. Most of the crowd started trickling into the parking lot.

Don’t ask me why, because I really don’t know, but I just had this feeling that Rob was still coming. I decided right then and there that no matter what, I was staying and following this all the way through. The news crews were out and interviewing people. The crowd had actually shrunken down to 1000 people then it got even smaller. One of the Hot Topic managers who flew in from Los Angeles for this event was trying to help clear out the people and shouted out “for the love of Twilight please clear the entrance”.

I don’t think that the employees of Hot Topic or even the police were trying to deceive us. The truth is Rob Pattinson actually did hear about the chaos and craziness. If I were him I would have definitely been afraid to go there. Everyone involved really did think it was cancelled. There was no malicious intent to cover anything up. That’s just my take on that.

So I hung out in the parking lot and watched as new people came in. They were quite happy not to see a line of people but then they would get informed that it was canceled and then they weren’t too happy. I noticed that one of the employees was talking to a group of people so I walked over to see what was going on. The police started slowly leaving one by one. They were going to open the mall doors for their normal shopping crowd.

Hot Topic decided that they were going to still sell the Twilight Talent Tour T-shirts if people wanted to buy them. When they opened the mall doors we all headed upstairs for the Hot Topic store. This time they were ready. They had everyone line up one by one and we pretty much wrapped around the mall. They announced that they were only going to let 10 people in at a time to purchase the t-shirts. We all waited patiently for the store to open at 10:00 AM but then it got to be 10:30 and they still weren’t open. Then some employees of Hot Topic came out and handed us 10% off coupons for their store. Then another employee came out & announced that they were going to sell the t-shirts and give us the wristband as a souvenir, but the difference this time was only 1 per person instead of the 2. The people in this line were all very nice too. People were chatting and talking about all things Twilight.

I finally reached the front and got into the store. I purchased my t-shirt and they placed the wristband on my wrist. I put my name & number on a sheet, the cashier said it was so that they could send me the poster that was for the signing. The cashier next to him was telling someone else that they needed to be back by 6:00pm to pick up their poster. I took my bag and left the store. By this time it was almost noon.

I was tired, my feet were sore and I was starving. I grabbed some lunch and went shopping at Borders. Borders was sold out of everything Twilight. When I walked by the entrance again I noticed police barricades. People were already lining back up to get their posters at 6:00pm. They were only letting people with wristbands into the line. I grabbed my towel and bag and went back into another line.

I brought my Twilight Movie Companion with me so I sat down with that and waited. I only had 4 ½ hours to go. * I just need to add something here. Stephenie Meyers opened our eyes to a whole new world with the Twilight Series. Not just because when you read the books your immersed in an amazing story that sweeps you away but also because the new friends you make or the way you see something differently. My original plan was to purchase the 2 wristbands & t-shirts then go back to work, then my friend and I were going to be back for the signing. Of course that’s not what happened. I ended up doing it alone because I had no other choice. But I believe everything happens for a reason.

My 4 ½ hour line was filled with a lot of laughter and sharing. I made friends with 8 other Twilighters and we had a blast. We all cheered and screamed together when a Hot Topic employee came out to let us know that Rob felt so horrible for what happened that he wanted to be there for his fans. Everyone was excited & so happy. Hot Topic repeatedly checked the line to make sure that everyone had a wristband and cheered us on.

The countdown started to begin for 6:00 pm. I warned the people in my group that Rob is always late for his events and that we probably wouldn’t be starting till 6:45 or so. Needless to say he didn’t disappoint. The Hot Topic employees informed us that he was running late and was still coming. At 6:45 pm the line started moving.

I can only tell you that I started feeling sick and very nervous. When the first group came out after meeting Rob they all showed their posters. They let 10 in at first then later on they increased it to 20. We were escorted by mall security to the Hot Topic store. The mall was packed with people wanting to catch a glimpse of Rob. They checked our wristbands again and then unlocked the Hot Topic store gates. We all walked inside and then they locked them behind us. By this time I was shaking like a leaf. I asked the Hot Topic employee who was handing out the posters what I should say and she said “just say anything”. I wish I did say at least something. I got to the table and Rob was about 14” inches from me. I looked up at his face and he smiled. OME! That was all it took. I completely lost the thoughts that were swirling in my head and couldn’t think of anything. Well the only thing I could think was “he is so beautiful, more beautiful then anyone could ever imagine”. He was so kind and humble. I swear to you when I say that he really doesn’t understand why anyone would wait in line for him this is not an understatement or an act. He really is genuinely shocked by all of this attention. He listened patiently while I tried to spell my name for him. He looked in my eyes a couple of times and smiled and all I could honestly due was look down (I’m so STUPID). Thank goodness my hands worked because I gestured for a hand shake and he shook my hand. I was able to mutter the words “thank you” to the best of my ability. I looked up one last time and ran for the door. This is not my normal behavior. I have run events with over 1500 guests. I publicly speak with confidence and I don’t shy away from people. I have met celebrities in the past and again I don’t act like that. There is something about Rob that I just can’t put into words. He honestly DAZZLED Me.

The final question; was all of this really worth it, YES!!! I would do it all over again. I met some wonderful people and I got to meet Rob Pattinson. That’s all I can say.

Twilighter Forever! - Swtliltwilightboo

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