That was a really cool story!
My favorite "brush with greatness" is kind of a coincidence. I used to do the website for Alex Lifeson's old bar in Toronto, The Orbit Room, back in 1999/2000. I had been up to the bar, and had met Alex a few times. I would have thought that Alex would recognize my face, but not my name as we never had any deep conversations. However, one evening I got there early (7:30 pm), and Alex is tending bar. He sees me come up the steps, the bar was on a 2nd story, and shouts out, "Hey Hoffman, come here". So like any adoring Rush fan, I go to the bar. He pours two shots of tequila, and simply says, "drink". I didn't just drink it, I looked right at Alex and said, "That ***** will kill me". To which Alex replies, "Then you can tell all your friends you died drinking with the guitarist of Rush, Drink". So, I did.