Last Saturday, after HoagieNation, my wife and I had the opportunity to meet the legendary Daryl Hall. We were the only people that met him after the show, aside from his family, so I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity, and he was a pleasure to speak with. I shook Daryl’s hand, introduced him to Stephanie, reminded him of the cover story on Hall & Oates by me that was just published the other week in The Aquarian Weekly, and asked him to autograph it for me. Daryl said, “That was a really good piece you wrote” and gladly signed the cover for me.

During the concert, Daryl mentioned that the guys were going to have the week off after this show so I asked him what he planned to do with his free time. He said, “Oh, I’ll head back to upstate New York and just relax.” I then asked him whether or not he gets the chance to enjoy Philly when the guys are in town. Daryl said, “Unfortunately, I don’t.” I replied saying, “I imagine it’s difficult to sneak into a restaurant in Philly without being noticed.” Daryl said, “I can but there’s just not enough time usually.” Before posing for a photo I said to Daryl, “You guys put on an excellent show” to which he responded, “Thanks, man!”

Meeting Daryl Hall was a great experience that went even better than I had hoped. His style and music had a big impact on me over the years, so having the chance to finally meet one of my idols was a unique opportunity I won’t soon forget. No can do.