Facebook Group Information

Good for you to do this! Can you post it in the Group? Maybe... Is your team Benatar/Giraldo related (e.g. "Team Giraldo Aids Walk")? Then yes you can! Once per event. If it's for a personal cause, raffle, drawing, give-away, etc., that's typically a no-go. Please contact an administrator prior to posting for approval if unsure, or post will be deleted. In addition, any personal posts that belong on your own timeline will be deleted (ex: relationship woes, family problems, health issues).

You want to meet your idols?  You can totally do that!

VIP's may be on sale for the current tour.  Check for current information on our home page, as details vary from year to year.  The fan club is not in charge of this activity, nor can we reduce the price, nor can we give you a freebie (even if you deserve it!).  Be sure to read the package information carefully to be sure you understand what is included.  Be quick about it. VIPs tend to sell out pretty fast.

Here are a few tips about the VIP  package:

• You will typically receive an email 2-3 days before the show telling you where to go and when for the VIP experience. Check your spam folder.
• There are no personal photos or autographs, so don't bring your Crimes of Passion LP to be signed.
• These packages are not transferable.
• To contact the company in charge of these VIP's, click here.

We need to mention MnG's (aka, Meet & Greets). Every so often you'll see someone with a pass that is different from the VIP's. Sometimes these people are personal guests of Pat and Spyder, sometimes it's venue people or contest winners, and sometimes it's us - the Fan Club administrators and/or the original bunch of crazies in certain areas of the country. We cannot 'pretty-please' Pat and Spyder, nor their management for more MnG passes - even if you are the biggest and baddest fan out there.

So please, don't embarrass us or yourself by asking, as we will have to decline simply because we do not have the right, nor the balls, to ask them continually. If it seems like random people are getting these passes, please understand the ultimate decision is up to the artist and management.

This is the Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo Fan Club group on Facebook. It's a closed group. Membership is required. Once a member, you are also considered a member of the official Fan Club.  There is also a Fan Club page located here, which is viewable to the public. The Page is a great option if you're only interested in announcements and want to forego the discussion babble.

There are 4 of us. Joe Cross is one of the the original Fan Club founders.  He is the backbone of the Fan Club and responsible for all things technical, keeping things running smoothly.  Maria D'Agostino Hannam is his side-kick and Creative Director who handles all things people-esque. Together they are able to keep things running (relatively) smoothly. Then there are the rest of us... Harold Bottomley, Mary Wiesner, and Rachel Phillips, along with some wonderful Moderators:  Donna Griffith, and Robin Sloan. The seven of us manage to keep the party rolling.

All have been approved in one way or another by Pat and Spyder. You may hear from us time to time via a Facebook private message (PM) or reply. It's okay, we're friendly when we have to give gentle reminders on things. If you push our buttons, we'll sick Joe on you, though.

If you need to contact an administrator about anything go for it:  Joe or Maria would love to hear from you.

• To happily accommodate all new and current members, pretty please use some common sense when posting. Avoid flooding the feed with multiple, sequential posts.  If you feel the overwhelming urge to post links to your favorite songs, use one thread to post all of them in. Then reply by commenting on that post. We understand the love of all things Pat and Spyder - that's why we are all here. However with over 9,100 members, please understand that most of us know the songs and have seen the photos and videos before...a lot. So if it's something straight off of an album or it's stock photo or video, everyone has probably already seen it or can find it on their own.We don't want to discourage you from posting or replying, but we do have to alert you to the phenomenon that we see every so often. With multiple posts of link after link, new news scrolls down the timeline very quickly.
• Do introduce yourself, maybe where you are from, how long you've been a fan and/or how you became a fan. Then observe and jump in with replies to other posts. Be brave, use your head, and maybe start a topic of your own.

No, they don’t. Unless of course we read it to them (don't put it past us!) This group is for Pat and Spyder's fans, and not run by them. If you want more direct contact, try their personal Facebook page found here.

• Photos are Facebook's best friend! Post them - either taken by you or someone else. If they're yours, take credit yourself. If not, you must give kudos to the person who did. This is common online etiquette. It's easy to do. Just mention their name and/or where you got the photo. Easy peasy.
• When re-posting photos from the Fan Club group, please credit the original author and retain any copyright notices.
• Refer to Item 5 about posting stock photos, flooding, etc.
• If you post photos from your timeline (rather than directly into the group) be sure to set the status to "Public" so we can all see them. Otherwise, people who aren't friended by you won't be able to view the photos.  If not viewable by the moderators, the post will be removed.

Only if related on topic and in good taste. This is a Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo fan club, and that's it. Posting direct topics that have nothing to do with Pat, Spyder or the band will set you up for a barrage of replies that will put You Better Run to shame. And please don't dog any other artists, those people are probably friends of Pat and Spyder. Bad move.

• Yes...why yes, you can - if you've been a member for at least 3 months! Don't try to make a profit and don't sell 100 of them, you get the drift. Post it once. Please conduct everything by PM, even the please and thank you's.  An admin may turn off commenting to your post if replies get heavy.
• And similarly, if you have some Pat items you want to unload you can do it here, one time in a single thread. Include all pertinent information - details on the item, asking price, age, etc.  Don't include contact information in a public post.  Commenting will be turned off for your post, and you will be expected to conduct all of your transactions by private message, email or whatever means you choose. Even the please and thank you's.  If you post repeatedly we'll nix it.  The Fan Club involvement is solely to provide a place to list your item on this basis.  And remember, you must have been a member for 3 months. Otherwise head to this cool site called eBay...
• NOTE that the VIP / Photo Opportunities are handled by Future Beat and are not currently transferrable.  If you purchased one of these and aren't going to use it, contact them for a possible refund.

For those trying to find presale passwords, you might want to subscribe to https://www.presalepasswordinfo.com/ on the chance they'll have them. It's only $10/year, which is pretty economical. They generally post passwords a few minutes after the presales start.  We don't get many passwords.  When we do, we'll post them in the Fan Club Facebook Group prior to the presale time. If you do happen to find a password on your own, do everyone else the favor of posting it in the group after you've purchased your tickets.

• Be respectful about other artists and other members. Have some manners!
• If you have a specific comment or issue with another member, please use Private Messaging. No one needs to see that stuff.
• Off topic posts - just back away and don't do it (yes your cat is cute but just keep that photo on your own timeline ;-))
• And please don't tout your business if it isn't related. :/ (we have a special place for you if you do that) .
• If a member continues to violate any of the above repeatedly, they will be removed. Note, the Fan Club Page is still accessible with lots of info.

• If you have an issue with something that was posted, please don't get into a back-and-forth contest in the thread. That is what PM's are for. Try to settle your dispute behind the scenes. If things are going wonky, and you feel it's Fan Club related, feel free to PM an administrator for assistance.

• If there is repetitive cause for post removals for any member, they will be removed. Access to the Fan Club Page is accessible and filled with all the relevant info.

• Most members play well in the sandbox, but just like real life, some insist on turning it into a litterbox. We simply don't tolerate that behavior in the Fan Club Group.

Pat and Spyder may or may not play there. Or they may have just played there...last week...and you snoozed on it. Check both the current and past tour schedules. Yup - we all want Pat and Spyder to play in our yard (or in the Cul de Sac, in my case. Yes...that's a wish we can all understand...), but the itinerary is more than what we want. It's what works and makes sense for their availability, venues, and a tour bus. Oh, and remember Pat and Spyder don't read this page, just us fans.

Also, here's a bit of a primer on how tours are scheduled, how much input the artist has in them, etc. And really...we do post all of the known appearances on our Fan Club page. We're not hiding anything to be a surprise later on.