I first saw Nevermore and met WD at Gigantour 2005 in Fort Wayne. Nearly missed their set while waiting in line to meet Symphony X. I had been listening to them for a couple of years already at that point, and This Godless Endeavor was quickly elevating the band to my favorite status. This meeting didn't matter as much as the next one.
I had only been on this forum for a few months when I went to see Nevermore for the second time, opening for In Flames in 2006. My then-girlfriend and I were standing off to the side, not in any particularly visible spot... but when WD was onstage, he pointed right at us. I was baffled. He could already pick me out in a dark room, full of mostly a bunch of other long-haired white dudes? Was this guy real? As I found out later, WD had a knack for spotting forumers - something that could only arise from spending a hell of a lot of time here, as did we all.
We met up with him a little later, while In Flames was onstage, and together the three of us stood and watched them play songs from their new album, Come Clarity. For that reason alone, those songs will always mean a lot to me, even though they're pretty bad for IF. After the show, he invited us around back. We waited a while with some other fans, when suddenly, he stuck his head out of the bus door, looked around, and spotted us again. He poked two fingers at my girlfriend and I, and waved us in.
We chilled for about five to ten minutes with Nevermore, just standing there uncertain of what to do or say. WD started talking about doing a guest voice on Metalocalypse, and mentioned he had the first episode if we wanted to watch it. About that time, I got a text from another friend who had accompanied us; our ride was getting shitty about not being invited onto the bus, and was threatening to leave without us. Not wanting to be stranded in Cincinnatti, we had to leave. I still hate that motherfucker to this day for not letting this story end with watching Metalocalypse before its premier with the members of Nevermore.
There are other stories too, more than I initially realized, but rather than write a novel on my own, I'll let others share first.