2004-03-02 - 2:42 a.m.

More gushy stuff

So, rather than just songs of hosanna, you want some details? Let's see what we got here.

Nine days. Seven shows. Six states. 2600 miles. Total of approximately 24 hours waiting in line for the four general admission shows - about 9 hours of that outdoors. And it was worth every minute, every mile and every penny. One of the crew said to me, Wow, and the Grateful Dead thought they had fans.

You notice I didn't give the money total - I didn't add it up. I don't want to know exactly. Step by step I determined whether I could afford each show, each hotel stay, etc. In the back of my mind I know approximately how much it cost, and trust me, it was cheaper than a week in Disney World or a cruise to the Bahamas or a trip to Europe. And had I done any of those, who would be telling me I'm crazy and I need to get a life?

The amazing thing about this band and crew is how much they appreciate the fans. It's not like they're having to beg people to come to the shows and I'm one of twelve people out in the audience. Would I have to stand in line that long if that were the case? Four out of these seven shows were completely sold out. But even at that, the band and crew notice who comes back again and again. I'm not the only one, but I do think I was the only one to make all of these particular shows in a row. There were some really long drives involved, and I got a real kick out of surprising some of the crew by showing up night after night, so far from where they'd seen me the night before.

They're so great to me, and there's no reason they have to be. I don't have any connections, I don't offer or deliver any sort of, um, favors, I don't flirt, and I don't wear low cut and revealing clothes. When I mentioned before that someone was taking his opportunity to look down my shirt, believe me, it was a lot of effort on his part for very little reward unless he has x-ray vision of which I'm unaware. And when I implied a while back that I'm all that and a bag of Freakin' Nuts, that was a joke. While it is true that, generally speaking, my face doesn't make small children cry and run away, believe me, I am not rock star eye candy in the least. However, having said that, I love this band with all my heart, and when I'm out in the audience, that shows on my face. And for some rock stars, God bless their heavy metal hearts, that's all the eye candy they need.

When I talked to my dad after I got home last night, I told him he'd want to hug the entire crew if he knew how well they looked out for me. It had been snowing during one show, and before I could leave after the show, three separate crew members sought me out to tell me the road conditions were bad, and to be careful driving. They gave me leftover stuff from the stage. They began to ask if I'd be at the next show. Just the nicest, best guys. Mostly married, all road experienced and professional, and mostly invulnerable to the kind of crap I don't do anyway. Teasing me about being such a die-hard but then telling me how much they love it and how if it wasn't for fans like me, they wouldn't have a job.

And the band members are the same. They realize how lucky they are to be making a living doing what they love, and they actually make the connection that it's people like me who allow them to do that. Many bands don't figure that out until it's too late.

It was such a great week. The final thrill came when I was able to go backstage at the last show, for the first time ever. I was thrilled out of my mind. And it happened because someone knew how much it would mean to me, and went out of his way to make it happen. And once I got back there, it all went so quickly, but the band all seemed so genuinely happy to see me. I don't know who said thank you more, me or them. It was overwhelming.

To top it all off, once I got home, my extremely tolerant husband gave me such a welcome home, it made me want to go out and come back in again. I told him I'm the luckiest person in the world, and he said, "No, I am."

My apologies to all of you now going into sugar shock.

And then later - HE washed the dishes that had been piling up in the sink.

Refer back to the "God, you ROCK" entry here.

So to the people who think I need to get a life... got one. Thanks for caring.

my mood -

the mood of the whole world wide bleepin' web -