That Time I Met Jerry Seinfeld at the Detroit Auto Show

Earlier this year, I wrote a story about how in-person auto shows used to be a much bigger deal than they are today. The advent of electronic media has now made it possible to unveil new cars in a variety of online venues — with a lot less overhead and expense for manufacturers.

Still, there is something special about the real-world experience of attending press conferences at an auto show. It’s hard to describe, but some of the main things that I remember are the energy in the conference hall, the hustle and anxiousness of moving with the crowd from one reveal to the next, the concessions, the networking, the sights, sounds, and even smells of the atmosphere. It was unlike anything I’ve experienced before or since.

Also, being able to see, touch, and sit in a concept or prototype car is something a computer screen will never be able to replicate. But I digress.

Back in January 2015, the Detroit Auto Show — at the time named the North American International Auto Show, or NAIAS — was held downtown at Cobo Hall (now Huntington Place. It was a horrible time of year to visit Michigan, but that didn’t matter, since we spent most of our time indoors logging thousands of steps between the various exhibits.

I had the opportunity to travel to NAIAS a few times with Redline Reviews, a YouTube channel that has garnered a following of 1.1 million subscribers today. I had a few on-camera (and behind-camera) tasks to handle, but I still had plenty of time to wander and sightsee.

In 2015, Acura was just about to release the production version of the second-generation NSX, and that reveal was at the top of my list of things I wanted to check out.

As luck would have it, I was seated right behind Jerry Seinfeld during the conference, and I did a double-take when I first noticed him.

I worked up the bravery to start a conversation with him after the speaker’s remarks concluded — just as all of the media folks were starting to swarm the stage for photos with the NSX. The vibe was a little too frenzied for a full-on conversation, but I appreciated Jerry’s warmth and willingness to have a few words with a geeked-out fan.

A picture just cannot convey how chaotic this scene was. And I miss it.

As much as I love the convenience of digital car reveals, the opportunity to be face-to-face with a celebrity superstar is something only an in-person auto show could have given me.

Below are a few other photos from that memorable NAIAS trip. How about a rear-wheel-drive sports car for a rental in the winter? Less than optimal!