It's A Christmas Miracle!

Friday, December 19th is a day that will live in awesomeness for all time.

First it was the annual Christmas party at my work. Erika and I had spent many hours with our gay boys in the department getting all ready for our lip sync. This is the 4th year we've done this and it's stressful but a lot of fun. This year we picked Christina Aguilera's "Candyman" which uses the music from Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, so it's all forty's sounding and familiar, but it's a little dirty, which is what we aim for. Our crew got to work at 7 am to practice on the stage before our 8 am party. The party got started and there were eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes! Forget budget cuts people! It was lovely, but Erika and I were starting to get nervous. This year they made the entertainment not just lip syncs, but also talent. Which is stupid, because if it's going to be talents, we can't do a silly lip sync next year. They also brought out judges! Supposedly American idol style. Someone was suppose to be Paula and Simon and Randy, but I don't' think any of those people have every watched American Idol before. Finally it was our turn. We rocked! Erika and I were the USO girls and our boys were sailors, complete with real and fake tattoos. There were only a few tiny little mistakes that I'm sure no one but us noticed. And we looked awesome. I have a new hair style I guess, when I can be bothered to curl it. Everyone clapped and laughed and loved it. The judges were nice and they said we were all winners. I guess they didn't want the other people to feel bad that we were really the best.

After the party it was hard to work, so when Husband was downstairs at his office's Christmas party I joined them for lunch. The the snow came, and came and came! At 2 pm our whole company shut down all offices and sent us home. It was brilliant. i would have left at 2 anyway so that I could get ready for the real treat of the day.

Thank goodness for 4-wheel drive, I was fine on the drive home even with all the snow. Now I had to get ready of the Matt Nathanson concert!!!! I re-curled my hair and decided to wear a scarf over my head to keep the snow off. Then it was off to the trax station so that we wouldn't have to drive down town in the weather and the venue was literally just steps away from the trax station. Keeping in constant contact with Erika, we found out our trax train was about 20 minutes late, but I had my ipod, so I was good! In my purse I had my item for Matt to sign, the pen he needed to sign my item and his present. After the last concert in Boulder, when he put us on the guest list, I wanted to thank him properly and so when I found out about this show I went online to look up the union jack Def Leppard belt buckle that he worn on that first Boulder concert that was so awesome, but had since broken. I paid expedited shipping since I had to have it for the concert. And I told no one, except Magen when she told me that she wouldn't be able to come to the show. I suppose I was a little worried that my friends might think I was a freak that I'm getting Matt a present, because, let's be honest, it's a little bit over the top.

The trax train came and luck would have it that I was standing right in front of the car that Erika and Dawn (from England!) were in so I got a seat and to have great conversations with them as I was getting more and more excited. I showed them the buckle and they both seemed delighted and not at all freaked out that I would do something like that. I also showed them my item to be signed. It was a picture of the first time I met Matt 3 years ago in Boulder, when he had been wearing said belt buckle, but you can't see it in out picture. I looked great since that was when Husband was in Iraq and I spent my free time working out.

The venue is Keys on Main where they have dueling pianos most nights, tonight's "event" was to be a wine tasting supposedly hosted by Matt, so I wanted to get there right away just in case he really was wandering around talking to people. We got in and got our commemorative wine glasses (mine I misplaced) and took a seat at a table, there were seats set up in front of the stage, but there wasn't anyone sitting there yet so I refrained from jumping into the front and center seat. Since it was a wine tasting there was food. Thank goodness! I ate cheese and carrots and olives and crackers and chocolate, oh my! It was great to sit and get to talk to Dawn. We're both great friends of Erika's, so we know all about each other, but since she lives in England, we don't see each other much. I loved that she and I both felt like we were too young to be there at a fancy wine tasting, even though we're both married with kids, it seemed like we were far too youthful. I also got to tell her about how I feel in love with Matt. It's a long story, but I love to tell it and Dawn was a great listener. I love to share Matt with people, he deserves to be well known and I feel like I'm really helping the cause, and really, everyone should love Matt, what's not to love?

With Trish and Nicole we save our six seats, right up front, in the first 2 rows. I of course got to sit on the first row, since I'm the biggest fan (ever). He came out briefly to do a sound check, when people started to clap he put his hands to his lips and motioned that he wasn't really there. Apparently his flight had been delayed. Here's what that looked like and how close I was.

Then he left and we got to wait for the concert to really begin. The show was suppose to start to 7, but sound check was at 6:30, o that didn't happen of course, but it was only about 20 minutes late, which was lucky for Trish's friend, since she got there at about 7.

The radio station announced him and out he came. he started with Car Crash, the newer acoustic version which I love. Trish has a little bit of video of it, but he sings it slightly different from the album and band version and I adore it, but I wasn't smart enough to start recording. He was wearing the scarf he had worn when we met him after the Denver show. Dawn was swooning! I know he's adorable, but it's nice to have confirmation. Someone in the audience asked him for his scarf and other people were yelling that they loved him. He calmed the drunk people by telling them that he wanted them to love him quietly and only love him loudly when that was called for. he said he needed the talking stick. Next he started Gone, and during the opening chords he looked up and saw me and did the eyebrow raise/half smile thing you do when you recognise people but can't say hi. I turned to Trish and Erika and was freaking out. I was trying to squeal but I was really just making some weird "fff" noise and accidentally spitting on those around me. Eventually I was able to get out "He saw me!" a few times I kept turning around so that he couldn't see me look like a freak of nature. he took off his jacket and told us he was dressed like an Eskimo and he would be removing his clothing in layers. He told a story about the having to do #2 at the airport. You really thought the story was going one way, but leave it to Matt to take it in a totally different direction. he was really chatty and people were really drunk so there were lots of fun conversations. he played To the Beat of Our Noisy Hearts, which is one of my favorites off the new album, and I finally remembered that I should be taking some freaking videos. Nicole was taking pictures and they were turning out really well and my pictures, well they are not so awesome. My camera is getting old and can't keep up with the new fancy cameras of today, so I figured I should take videos and let others take the good pictures. he played Still and that song is growing on me, but I think I enjoy it better live where you can see his facial expressions. He played Lost Myself in Search of You and told us that we would probably feel the funk in our nether regions. That song is funky! Erika called out for Amazing Again, but he needed to play his new songs for the new fans of course. After that he was going to play Starfish, but the crowd didn't seem like they were into that, so we did a sing along of Journey's Don't Stop Believing instead. It's standard. He said he would play 1 or 2 more songs and it was confirmed to me that this was a radio promo show and not a real show, which means that he wouldn't play as long, I figured this, but now it was confirmed. He of course played Come on Get Higher, the crowd seemed very into it. Before it he told a story about how this song was about ice cream. And something you're really enjoying the ice cream and you get to the bottom and you just want more and you want to spank the ice cream and pull it hair. Then he did he fake "We're done! Thanks" thing and headed off while the radio guys had us clapping and cheering. he came back out ans said he would play a new song and an old one. I was excited. he played Falling Apart, which I do love, but it makes me want to hear Fall To Pieces, which is my new goal to hear live. He doesn't play it very much, so that might take some doing.

Then he started playing Bon Jovi's Livin On a Prayer which was incredibly fun, but I do want to hear Matt songs when I see Matt play, but I'm a greedy fan.

He said he'd stay and sign stuff for people so we jumped in line and found out that the venue people weren't allowing pictures since they needed to get ready for the dueling pianos thing.

Don't you think that could have waited? I mean, come on, freaking Matt Nathanson people! The line was really long and Erika had to jump out and fight over the last Some Mad Hope CD at the merchandise booth so that Dawn could have him sign it and become an uberfan like me! I pulled out my picture to have him sign and the silver pen so it would show up and the buckle. Erika and Dawn went first and Dawn played the "but I'm all the way from England" card and he told them to wait and he would get a picture with them. I was so nervous that I was shaking of course and I had far too many things to say, to give him and whatnot. I got up to him and said "You remembered me!" Meaning from the stage and he said that of course he remembered me and gave me a hug. Trish said that I had a 3 year anniversary gift for him and I told him that I really wanted to thank him for getting me into the Boulder show and that I had tracked down something I thought he would like. I gave him the box and he opened it. It was his turn to be amazed. He started to tell me that he had one of those and Erika jumped in and said "Yeah, that's why she got it for you." he hugged me and it wasn't just a regular Matt hug (which is nice, btw) he put one hand on the back of my head and really hugged me. I wish that I could have appreciated that gesture at the time, I was still a bit too keyed up though, but I really do now. He said that when pewter breaks, it really breaks and obviously really like it. He handed it to his manager who looked at it appraisingly. He hugged me again with his hand on my head. I recall that his shirt was a bit moist with sweat, but he smelled fantastic. I showed him the picture and he said "look how young I look!" and I wanted to say the he looked the same but more awesome with his longer hair, but I instead said, "Yeah, look how hot I used to be!" He took my silver pen and held the picture on his thigh to sign it. We finished off with another hug and if there was anything else said, I can't recall. So I waited with Erika and Dawn to the side where they had told us to wait until everyone was done. But of course afterwards the lead Matt into the back, I of course followed. Matt said Dawn could get a picture, the VIP room was tiny and in the back, but they had it well guarded. This Venue doesn't mess around and boy do they have some thugs at their service. We asked politely about the picture and were told "no" in very certain terms. So we decided to risk it.

We got our hands stamped and headed for the back alley behind the venue. There was a van and someone from the radio station putting gear into it. A bouncer came out back and asked us what we were waiting for. I told him "Christmas" and Erika I believe told him a "Christmas miracle" he of course told us that "the artist has already left" which is of course, what they always say. I think they teach them that in bouncer school. But a few snowy minutes later out comes Matt, we tried to be polite and we reminded him that he said he would take a picture with our girl all the way from England. and he said "Of course I'll take a picture with Dawn!" She swooned more that he remembered her name from all the people inside. They posed and Dawn pulled me into the picture, which at first I felt like she should get her own since she was from freaking England! But I really appreciate the gesture, she knew how much I love Matt and wanted me to get a picture. next Erika and Dawn took a photo with him and the swirling snow made it so pretty! Then I got a bit greedy (of course!) and said that since I paid expedited shipping I deserved my own photo. He hopped into the van while Erika called out "Merry Christmas" and I remembered to say "Happy Hanukkah" and we walked back out the alley. The van started to drive out, as Matt had to get back to the airport and I moved to the side of the alley and stopped to wait for it to pass, Dawn and I waved and we could see clearly from the front seat, Matt Nathanson waving back at us. Dawn turned to me and said, "He waved at us!" and said that was the reason right there that I loved that man so much, he's so gracious to his fans. He really does care.

We walked back to the venue, and said our goodbyes to Trish, since she needed to drive home on the slippery roads. We were still high on the Matt love and agreed to go and look at the lights on temple square. We skipped and sang and had strangers take pictures of us. We saw some nasty Santas with naughty elves and some drunk/homeless person being picked up by an ambulance. Ah, downtown! We walked through Temple Square and enjoyed the beauty of the lights and the temple in the fresh and still falling snow. After that we were trying to decide where to get a cuppa chocolate. It was earlier then it felt, only about 10 pm. Then we spotted the horse drawn carriages. Neither Dawn nor I had had ridden one and so we asked how much. $50 for a 30 minute ride. Ouch! Well that's what I thought anyway, but Dawn and Erika were both on board. We got a nice young woman driver and we piled the blankets on us. We drove around singing Christmas songs, some more then once and having Dawn call out "God bless us, everyone!" to strangers. It was fun, but after the half hour I was ready to get warm again. We walked to the nearby JBs and got seated. Our server took our picture when he saw we had them out. And we all ordered hot chocolates. I think he was disappointed that we weren't getting real food, since he never talked to us again.

After some warming up we decided it was time to hop on the trax and head home. Unfortunately that was also when the Neil Diamond concert had let out, so the train was super crowded. Dawn had to get a bit fresh with a poll and it was packed and very cozy indeed. I headed home and reflected on the events of the evening. It got tons of Matt love and hugs. I had given him a gift that he loved. It made me so happy to give him something that he can take with him and I'll know that it was me that gave him that buckle, and hopefully I'll see him wearing it and that will make me the happiest. But really, I wanted to thank him for being so incredibly gracious and warm with his fans. He really does apprecaite all the "little" people that are spreading the word about him and sharing his music. He has shown me and any one else meeting him nothing but kindness. It's really his personality that wins over people. His music sin't really want I would consider my type of music, but knowing him him as briefly as I do, it makes his music that much more exciting and interesting to me. Thanks Matt! I hope you continue in your rise to the top!

See? Matt thinks I'm hot!