I'm with the Band

So the day started out normal enough. I went to work and through the day I become sadder and sadder that I wouldn’t be seeing Matt Nathanson open for Kelly Clarkson that evening. I had decided that to see him play for 20-30 minutes it wasn’t worth the minimum $50 that the cheap seats would cost and then Husband and I were meant to attend an important meeting together at 7 that night, so really I felt that I should just wait until next time. As Tuesday grew closer to the close, I decided that I wanted to drop by the venue, just to see if anyone would be walking around and I could say hi and maybe I could stand at will-call and listen to a sound check and that could be my mini-concert. The Maverick center has a huge outside area that is fenced from the public that the tour buses and trucks can move around in, which makes it very difficult to see those people milling around that are rock stars or band members, so I didn’t have a lot of hope, but I did have a little. I went to that area and of course my entry was blocked by a nice man named Larry. I chatted with him for a minute, but I saw no movement around the tour buses, so I decided to head into the will-call area that would be open. As walked I noticed a pair heading into one of the backstage side doors, probably venue staff. Since I was walking that way, I have a few seconds to decide if I would try to follow them in, and if I hadn’t decided to, this story would be much, much shorter.


I ran to grab the door before it shut and stood for few seconds to let the pair head in whatever direction they were going before I walked in with the mantra “try to look like you belong here and this is no big deal” running through my head. I have been backstage here one other time, when I purchased VIP Tori Amos tickets that included meeting her after the show, so I headed left and found the dressing rooms, although the only ones I saw, said Kelly’s name on them. I was stopped quickly by a woman with security and asked for my pass, when I told her I didn’t have one, she told me that I couldn’t come back there and I tried to be as reassuring that I understood and that wasn’t a problem. But it was a problem in that I didn’t know where else to go. As walked away I realized I was directly behind the stage and coming from the stage was the sound of Matt’s voice! He was doing the sound check right that minute, but the sound behind the stage wasn’t very good. I did stop and listen for minute but I worried about the security woman leaving her post and seeing me would ask me to leave again. I didn’t know how to get to the front of the stage from where I was, there was another security guard between me and the stage here and I since the area was completely empty, I didn’t think I could stroll by unnoticed. So I walked back the way I had come and went the opposite way of where I had come from. I went down a hallway with a bunch of door and the open room showed a low-light buffet style dinner, there were people milling about and I wanted to see if I could get to the stage so I kept going. Out another set of doors and I found myself by the will-call and a set of bathrooms. I went into the bathroom and washed my hands and listened to the music, although it was still low quality. I stayed here for a few minutes trying to decide what to do. I could hear that a door would open and I would get the clear sound of Matt playing. I wanted to find that door, so I left the bathroom and headed through another set of doors but ended up in a storage area under the bleacher seats. I walked out quickly knowing if it looked like I didn’t know where I was going, I was likely to be kicked out. There was another set of doors, but I could see security milling about through them so I didn’t venture that way, only to find out later, that would have taken me right to the stage and that must have been the door I heard being opened. I would have seen Matt, but at the same time, I would likely be removed as soon as I showed myself a fan and not someone with the band. The music went silent and I started back down the hallway with the doors, as I did, I ran into Aaron, the guitarist. I said hi and he was very taken back. He said he recognized me but couldn’t’ remember my name. I teased him about that and he said he was headed to get some dinner from catering. He held a Tupperware plastic plate with little sections. I asked if it would be okay if I went with him, and he said yes. He grabbed some salad and some of the vegetarian dish, there was a lot of food in steaming silver trays and I watched with interest, taking everything in. We made some small talk about the tour and how he and matt had just flown in from San Francisco earlier in the day because they had another solo show they did without the band. He said they were drawing close to the end of the tour, but they were having a great time. He asked what I did, I told him about having a new job after being a full-time student. He asked where my seats were and I admitted that I didn’t have seats. I explained that being out of work I didn’t have much money and the tickets were pretty expensive. He said he could probably get me a pair of tickets. He was going to go have some down time before the show started but to check at will call after about an hour. He left and I tried to look busy by calling people, I didn’t think I would be able to see Matt’s set because of the appointment, but maybe I would be able to catch Kelly and see Matt after his set hopefully. I spoke with husband and found out that by a miracle, our appointment had been canceled. I was so happy! Now I could watch the show! But I was determined to hang out backstage for as long as possible and maybe get to talk with Matt, pre-show.

So I hung out by the back door, but the nice security guard, Larry, was still out there and I didn’t want him to recognize me and wonder how I’d gotten backstage. So I walked back down the hall and looked into the catered area, but most people had their backs to the door and I didn’t want to be too obvious so I kept moving, back to the bathrooms, and then after trying a door, hung out in an empty room listening to the sounds of people moving around and hoping to hear Matt’s voice. After gathering my courage I decided to just head into the dinner room. I made a point of looking at the food and then after surveying the room and seeing some of Matt’s band and crew decided to say hi. The bassist, Sioban, welcomed me and asked if I wanted to sit at the table. I of course agreed. The drummer, Konrad, was there they were eating dinner with 2 crew members. We chatted and I took some photos of me and the band and they asked if I wanted something to eat. I declined, probably mostly because I didn’t want to take advantage of being where I shouldn’t be, but also because I didn’t think I would be able to hide my shaking hands if I tried to eat. I did grab a bottle of water. James, the keyboardist showed up and I introduced myself and that we had met last time he was in Salt Lake. We played a game where you take a famous person and make their name food related. Konrad scored with Johnny Dipp for an ice cream shop, there was Felicia Del Taco, and several others. My contribution was Carmel Elektra, which considering how slow my brain was going, was a miracle. One of the crew members got a call, and wrote down my name on a piece of paper. I said “Oh, that’s me!” and he explained they were already over the quota of tickets, but that he would try to get me two tickets, I told him I only needed one and I appreciated anything he could do, than he left. The rest of us kept playing the game and chatting, they had some inside jokes, but the conversation wasn’t easy, It was more like coworkers who like eack other and have worked together for a while, but they aren’t best friends, but also, they are guys and conversing might not be the easiest thing for them. The crew member came back and handed me a ticket and I thanked him a few times. Then he asked how I had gotten back stage. I told him I couldn’t say, he didn’t like that, but the band thought it was pretty funny. He asked me to make sure that I leave and go in by the main entrance and not stay backstage and use anyone’s name to sound official. I said that that was my plan. The band were working on the s’mores bar that had been set up and I wanted to eat that, but knew that marshmallows are very messy and I didn’t want to ruin what little make-up I had on. I did make fun on Konrad while he made a mess and soon they were done eating. I asked to walk with them and Konrad said they really check badges by the dressing rooms and said that he would walk me out. He took me from behind the stage to the floor area and I thanked him and gave him a “pre-show” hug, I asked him that since I didn’t know if I would see Matt, if he would tell him I said hi, he said he would. I looked at my ticket and while it was on the side, it was pretty close to the stage, but right now I was on the floor! I could potentially find an open seat and enjoy Matt’s show from there! I would have done this but I had parked in a hotel parking lot when I arrived, since I didn’t believe I would be there too long and I didn’t want to pay the $10 parking fee just to leave before the show started. But now that I would be here awhile, I kept trying to decide if I should move my car or risk getting towed, since tonight would be a concert, I’m sure the staff makes sure people aren’t parking there to avoid the parking fee. Finally I decided that I needed to move it, $10 for a parking fee was less than the $50 that other people would have spent on their ticket.

So I moved my car and went in looking for my seat because the show was getting ready to start, looking critically at my seats, I was about as far from the stage as if I was in the second half of the floor, so I’m glad I didn’t risk being towed just for a similar seat.

Matt began the show with To the Beat of Our Noisy Hearts, which is one of my favorites off Some Mad Hope, then came the title track to Modern Love and is also a favorite. I knew from looking at other set lists that he would only play very up-tempo songs in preparation for Kelly Clarkson’s set. I love the maracas on this song, it’s nice to see Matt not behind the guitar. Next came Run, which he sung with the wife of one of Kelly’s band members. She was very good and sounded just like the Sugarland person to me. I spent a lot of that song trying to get my camera to record a video since that’s Magen’s favorite song, but my camera hates me and won’t and then by the time I realized I could record video on my phone, the song was over. Now the sing-a-longs were to start. The standard cover of James’ Laid was lovely and he really got the crowd involved. His banter was hilarious. Picking certain people in the audience he made sure to have a few personal connections so that the crowd would really connect to him. It worked, I could hear a ton of people singing the chorus for this song. Next came Wedding Dress, which I still love the original Winter Dress version, but this song really touched a chord with me tonight and Matt was definitely singing his heart out. Of course, the crowd pleaser, Faster, I kind of wanted to call Hayley and have her listen, since she loves it, but it was probably bedtime anyway and she wouldn’t have appreciated it really. With Faster he mixed in the Monkees Daydream Believer and Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody, which were great tributes and really excited the crowd, although I really thought he was going to break into George Michael’s Faith, and apparently in other shows that has happened, it was not to be here. He ended with Come On, Get Higher and everyone was singing along. It was beautiful. He said he would sign things by the merchandise booth and I got all happy and excited. So after the show was over, I headed to the merch booth, I decided to use my graduation money and buy myself the Matt tote bag. I hung out for awhile but then security confirmed that Matt would not be out until after Kelly performed. Boo. But I figured free concert, beggars can’t be choosers. The concert was good, I thought about how it was my first true pop concert. She seemed very down to earth and while she shied away from the familiar high notes from the radio versions, she sure sounded good to me and while I didn’t know a lot of the songs, there was a sprinkling of the hits I knew from the radio. But during the show my camera died. Apparently even though on the meter it looked like it had some battery, if it shows the meter, that means it’s low. My heart sank thinking I might not get my picture with Matt, but then I resolved to make friends with someone around me and ask them to email me my photo. During the first song of Kelly’s encore I headed back to the merch booth. There was already a long line, behind metal barriers. A few years ago I asked matt that when he became more famous, if we would be penned like sheep the way that Tori does her Meet’n’Greets and he said there was no way. But yet here we are, but luckily he was not across the barrier from us, but inside with us and it was more to keep us in a line, but still, it’s the principle of the thing. Lucky for me they were only letting you in line if you had Matt merchandise to sign, so I was glad that I had something to present. I made friends with the girls behind and they agreed to email me my picture. When I got up to Matt, he got the look of recognition and said “Hey you” and he hugged me. I don’t know if he was hugging everyone, but probably. The same crew guy that had gotten me my ticket was taking pictures and ushering things along. Of course my mind went blank of all the things I meant to say, but I did ask if maybe he played Wedding Dress for the Bachelor performance he had a few months ago, but of course he hadn’t, and didn’t seem to recognize that I was being ironic. I told him that I was glad that he hadn’t needed to fall asleep immediately after the show since that what he did the last time he was here and he talked about how exhausting the shows had been, I meant to tease him, but I’m sure it came out more like a berating, which is apparently how I react when I’m nervous. He signed my bag and told me that he had forgotten my name and when I reminded him he used a very colorful expletive as if he should have remembered. The crew guy said my time was up and I thanked Matt and said goodbye and watched as my new friends, Mallory and Ashlee got their pictures with him, then it was over. My night of craziness had come to an end, now I got to fight to get out of the parking lot and drive home to get 6 hours of sleep in which time I dreamed of Matt and had all the songs running through my head all night. I woke up still exhausted, but it was well worth it.

It's a Cruel World, But I'm a Lucky Boy (Girl)

I'm back from a 3 day weekend. This particular 3 day weekend saw me hitting the road for some Matt Nathanson so as to Rock. Erika and I left wicked early Friday morning and she drove all the way to her brother's home in Denver. The drive was pleasant and let me tell you, iPods with hundreds of random songs is the way to road trip. You never know what you're going to get, it's like a box of...well you know.

That evening brought us to Casa Bonita. For you Utah folk, it's the original version of the Mayan. The food is a little crappier but there's more entertainment and weirdness. Arcades and "scary" caves and a little ballroom/bar. We went with Erika's fam and her nieces loved it. We went through Black Bart's cave about 4 times before I bailed on that. They may have gone more. I kinda blocked that from my memory. The thing about Casa Bonita is that they give you endless sopapillas, which if you've ever had them, you know they are awesome. Fried dough with puffy hollow centers that you can drizzle with honey. Unless you are me, then while you are squeezing the honey, you will make the bottle top explode off and cover the table and everyone at it, in a sticky mess. Twice. Okay not everyone was covered in honey, just me. It was rather embarrassing especially the second time. I must have like He-Man grip or something, since even Erika's brother had no problem acquiring honey for his sopapillas. I think it's because I've been working out. I'm freakishly strong.

The food was sub-par, but the sopapillas were amazing (I had 7) and the cliff diving and general goofiness of the place were nice.

The next day we had some time to kill. We wouldn't leave for the festival type show until late afternoon, so Erika decided to go see a movie with her bro and I decided to go to the flea market with Shelley, Erika's sister-in-law and the nieces. It was sunny day, but windy but other than that, it was lovely. I'd never been to a flea market, so it was cool to see the stuff, although after a while a lot of the stuff looked really similar. I kind of wanted a old steamer trunk, but it was $200 and what would I do with an old steamer trunk?

After some lunch we prepared to go. We printed a google map and started the hour and half journey. Shelley had gotten herself a ticket and came with us, so she would finally understand why we have such unholy devotion to Matt. We had a lovely time on the way and made it to the exit in record time. We followed the directions on the map and ended up...nowhere. In the middle of a little city. Not at an outdoor amphitheatre. We pulled over and asked directions. Google maps had failed us again. We needed to hope back onto the freeway and then we'd be right there. We didn't know exactly where it was, but traffic was a nightmare, so we parked at a hotel and illegally crossed under the freeway trying to avoid getting squashed. We headed up a hill and we were there. Apparently the venue did sell out, but I was expecting something large like our outdoor amphitheatre here, which is huge. It wasn't tiny, but it definitely wasn't the size I was expecting, but this is Fort Collins and I guess there aren't as many people to accommodate here.

We missed the first act, which I think was a local Colorado guy named Josh Hodge. Next was Eric Hutchinson, and he was so fun, playing the piano and then his guitar, he was just as good as the songs on the radio suggest he is, and I like that his album is called "Sounds Like This" which I think is pretty clever. We snagged some spots way stage right but had an okay view of him. Most people were set up on the grass on blankets.

Next came out We the Kings. I was immediately struck by just how ugly the entire band was. The lead singer was a red-head with long hair and they all looked like they could just a good scrubbing. They seemed really full of themselves and they employed a great deal of feedback on all the songs. I spent most of the set looking like a smelled something bad and texting nasty things to Erika. Like: "They do realise they aren't Pearl Jam and this isn't 1994." Even the songs I liked from the radio were ruined in their presentation of them. They did play Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" and I love to play that on rock band, so I forgave them and bopped along to that, but mostly it was awful. They should have just played the songs from the album over the PA, then I wouldn't have had to watch the singer take off his shirt and display his nasty tats. But during the set I saw Jon and Konrad on the side of the stage and waived to both of them. It was awesome.

Then it was time for Matt. We were able to move closer to the middle of the stage where I was behind an 8 year old girl. The median age of the crowd I would say was about 13 or 14. Mostly really young kids and some with parents and few older people. There were even some toddlers. It was beyond weird. Maybe because in Utah we have such large families were can't afford to go to concerts and my parents didn't know contemporary music at all, so my perspective is a bit different.

Matt was suppose to start at 8:00, but it was more like 8:20 when his set kicked off. Playing "To the Beat of Our Noisy Hearts" and then jumping into "Princess" with Jessie's Girl. I was glad that Shelley would at least know this song, she was rocking out. "Wedding Dress" was incredibly intense and there was a little banter between songs, but mostly things felt a little rushed. Despite this the band was tight. "Pretty the World" and "Still" and then coming out early was "Come on Get Higher" to which everyone sang along. It was impressive to see the crowd sing along to every word. He's definitely getting the attention he deserves.

He announced the last song of the his set. He wanted to play Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" which we had just watched the pilot for Glee with Erika's family the night before, so it was really fun to hear it and Shelley was excited to hear it. I was a bit disappointed with the length of the set, but now was our chance. The other bands had said they would be back by the merch booths to sign and meet people, so I figured Matt would do the same, but he didn't say that he would. That worried me. We jumped out of the crowd and headed to where the other artists were. The crowd was massive. We asked the merch girls at Matt's table what the 411 was, and they told everyone that Matt was sick and wouldn't be coming out, but since they hadn't been there until right before his set and they didn't have any shirts or CD for sell, I wondered if they knew that for certain. Shelley is kind of a punk, so while we were debating where to stand and what to do we walked passed a gap between the metal barricades and the orange netting to keep people out. I had glimpsed Aaron from another angle and Shelley told me to just to walk through and go talk to him. I only deliberated a moment and went for it. I walked in with purpose and while Aaron chatted with someone from the crew, I waited. I wanted to go back and get Erika, but security wasn't far and didn't want to get nabbed. When Aaron was done with his chat we said hello, I reintroduced myself and reminded him of our exploits on the headlining tour. He said he would remember my name next time and I told him not to worry about it. I asked him how long they had been home between shows. 2 days. They are freaking machines. We talked about if the set was short and he told me not that he realised, but they didn't go by the set list at all. They played what Matt was deciding on the spur of the moment. I asked if Matt was sick, and Aaron said he had been but just thought Matt was tired, but he was being the strong leader. We told him we thought the band had been in excellent form and he explained that since they hadn't played together in a few days, everything was fresh and exciting and reminded them how much they all liked playing together. I asked for a picture, we took one and he asked to look at it. He said he wasn't happy with it and we should take another. I told him he had to smile and he said he would try to look pleased. We got Erika a picture with him and he said he was going to go to the trailer. We stood awkwardly around. Konrad was just over the way, but between us was the security guard. He soon realised what we were up to and made us leave. I think he may have waited until Aaron left, but it could have just been that after that we just looked too conspicuous just standing around. We should have tried to walk around and look busy. I decided that next time, I'm getting a lanyard and just having colored paper in every shade so we can look more official.

We debated what we should do, since now the guard was actually guarding and keeping people out of the back. I saw Matt come out. He was talking with someone and we called for him and when he turned I waved. he waved back. and we waived back and forth for a bit. I think he was hesitating whether he should come over or not.

He came over and I asked him where his belt buckle was, I figured this was a good way to remind him who I was and see if he had an comment about it. Wrong question. He responded harshly that he just flew in and didn't have anything on him. He needed to get to bed since they were flying out to Canada soon. He also said that he felt like he hadn't been home in 2 years. Which really he's spend most of the last 12 months on the road and from now until October, he'll be out playing shows. I probably should have told him that my husband spent a year in Iraq and to suck it up rockstar, but he wasn't in a good mood. I had loved his blog about "finding" Depeche Mode and he was quick to say that he'd put up an addendum that he'd liked Depeche Mode since he was a kid but he had really found his love for them recently. I asked about Black Celebration since he said that the production didn't get "sexy" until Violator, and he said that Black Celebration was his favorite, which is mine as well. He was signing and taking pictures with others while we chatted. It wasn't a happy chatting, it was a bit tense, but I was unwilling to let bail out now. I had driven 8 hours to see him play for about 30 minutes, I wanted some kind of appreciation, I guess. He asked the name of the girl who handed up her shirt to be signed. Her name was Willow! This was the first time I'd met someone with my name! She was about 13, I told her it was my name too. Matt said that it was a cool name, she said thanks, and I said Thanks, and he leveled at me: "I know." Ouch! I had the booklet for his last CD in my hand. He asked if I wanted it signed. I said something to the effect of "that's okay" I told him looked really tired. I wanted to say how he should get some rest, I wanted to thank him for coming over at all. But the words wouldn't come and he was dealing with the crowd of tweenage girls that were collecting autographs on their t-shirts from all the bands. I felt like maybe he was just trying to gain some more fans out of people that may not have come to see him, since that's been his habit for the last 8 years, charming crowds as an opener and while he was not in the mood, he understood that was part of his shtick.

Erika said I had my pouty face on. I don't know where she was I was trying to concentrate on not interrupting Matt with other people, but I wanted my picture. That's what I live for. I love the autographs, but it's the pictures I treasure. He looked at me and rubbed my arm and asked if I was okay. I said I was and I departed. The crowd was seething, people had figured out that there was a rock star over here. I watch him talk to people and get photos, only smiling when he posed for a picture. The security guard had to get in front of him twice to help him get out. I thought it was sweet that even when he had that first opportunity to leave, he just went to people on the other side.

I tried to watch Plain White Ts, but I was distracted. The reason I had come was over. Matt had left. I didn't have a picture and I hadn't said anything that I had really wanted to. I was a bit disappointed. We drove home, it was late. I'm glad that we had the other activities with Erika's family, because if it had been a quick pop in and then out to the show and then leaving the next morning, I think I would have been really disappointed in the trip. As it was, I was disappointed in talking to Matt, but the show had been good. I had talked with Aaron after sneaking backstage and while most the of interaction with Matt had seemed forced, I appreciated that he had asked me how I was and I guess I'll have to take what I can get. He's a pretty big star now, I can't pretend that he needs me to help spread the Matt-love anymore, since he finally has radio on his side.

We spent breakfast with Erika's family and then headed out. I had the drive back and it was a pleasant drive. Even after 3 full days with Erika we weren't getting on each other's nerves ( I think) and I was glad that we'd come. The timing of the date of show was perfect and getting to know Erika's family and especially Shelley was really fun. It was nice little mini vacation. All in all, I'd do it again, just maybe not with such high expectations.

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!

Nothing Dims Theses Stars

(Final Chapter)

With visions of being a VIP at the show still in my head, we got to the venue in Boulder just as the doors were opening. And there were 2 insane lines. I was nervous, I figured we would have to wait at will call, but that's not what I wanted. I didn't want to get into the back of a long line, and they were letting the people who already had their tickets in, so the people who waited at will call then had to go to the end of the line of tickets. Urgh. So I checked with the venue staff just to make sure the tickets were at will call, I didn't want to wait in line if I didn't have to. But my dreams of being ushered in and swept back stage were dashed. They were just dreams, but there was a glimmer of hope right? Waiting in will call, which was a shorter line, was still torturous. It seemed that no one was moving. It took 5 minutes for each group ahead of us. Their were people without ID and then they had to figure out what to do with them and their were people that they couldn't find on the list for 5 minutes. Ugh. By the time we got close to the front the long line of people with tickets were all inside. I started to silently panic. Poor Erika, she could tell I was really frustrated, but there was nothing else we could do but wait. I didn't want to be really far away from the stage, but that seemed inevitable now since hundreds of people already were inside. We got to the box office and were a little sad when we only got little "admit one" tickets which we then had to relinquish to the door staff. So while Erika had been having her tickets signed, now we didn't have one. We saw the Matt posters for the venue outside. They said Matt's name, and the date in swirly psychedelic colors and had an outline of a girl licking a lollipop, it was so random, especially since most of the venues that have posters are the ones from Matt's people and have a picture of Matt on them, like the one I had gotten the night before, but these people made their own and it was not the better for it. We went inside and were so lucky that we got a spot right up front, only a few people back from the stage. Unfortunately I was behind tall people a little, I could maneuver and see well, but it was annoying, but fine considering we got inside with only 8 minutes before the show was suppose to start. But it didn't start! We waited and waited, and really, we wanted to see The Break and Repair Method again, because we'd been listening to their album on the driver to Boulder and were super excited now that we knew the songs even that much better. When they finally came on they were great. Every song I would turn to Erika and say "I love this song!" Every song, really. CHECK THEM OUT. Okay, enough said. I wasn't in a good position to see the singer who was more stage left but I was able to watch my new favorite drummer, Ryan. He was rockin and having a great time. The crowd seemed really into them. It was over far too soon. But we found out the 3 of the 4 band members are actually a part of Matchbox 20 and we almost told their uber fan that Rob Thomas is a d-bag, but we restrained ourselves. They played their untitled song and again asked the crowd what to call it, Erika screamed out to call it Boise, and Paul chuckled and relayed the story of what happened in Salt Lake and how all us Mormons were offended. Even though I thought it was funny, maybe some people were offended. How should I know? But this song is Erika's favorite. Then we had to wait for the next opener. And when she came out, she played for 45 minutes! After about the 3rd song, I kept hoping she would say "okay, this is the last song, goodnight!" but it took forever. My feet were already starting to go numb, I was trying to move around and dance to keep my circulation going, but it was not working very well which made me even more irritated that she wouldn't just stop. After an eternity she was done and now it was just time to wait for Matt. We saw him run from the stage level to a downstairs level off the stage.

They came on again to Queen. But they switched things up this show and started with To The Beat of Our Noisy Hearts and it was a great way to start. There seemed to be a lot of songs from Beneath These Fireworks, which I love every song, so I really enjoyed this show. It's funny because he'll introduce the songs as being off an "old" record and so I'm expecting something from albums before that, but I guess it was released in 2003 which is pretty old now, but it was my first Matt album, so it has eternal youth in my mind. But it was great, he played Sad Songs, Weight of it All and right after played Curve of the Earth, not to mention the Angel/ I Saw combination. I loved it! During solo time, Matt wasn't going by his set list. He played what the 2 uber fans behind us were yelling out, but the first song was Church Clothes, which is a song that I really love, so that made me very happy. It's a song that when it gets stuck in my head I really enjoy it.

The next song he told us was about his brother who had been kicked out of Boulder or Colorado and I think when i saw him here in 2005 he mentioned his brother, but he didn't play this song. It was a song I had maybe heard once, called Miracles. It was really mellow and I wish I had known it better. But don't worry kids, I recorded the whole thing so we can all get to know it better.

Church Clothes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbBqUHPOVOw

Miracles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vrX8tsIQ2I

Once the band came back we were ready to rock again, he finally played Gone, Car Crash and Wedding Dress. We also got another Chance at the sing along for Take On Me. Finally my side won! But then it was discovered that the balcony on my side was the over 21 crowd that was drinking and the other balcony was under 21 and not drinking, and so a draw was called since alcohol in a sing along is like steroids at the Olympics. Dang it! I almost won! But it was still fun. But as he close with All We Are, I knew that this amazing Matt trip was coming to an end. Once again they made it back from just being on the jet to come back and play us an encore. Detroit Waves and finishing with the standard Come On Get Higher. At this point Erika and I are both so tired, since we only got a few hours of sleep the night before and had been going all day hanging out with her family. I was lucky enough to get a little 20 minute nap, so Erika needed some Red Bull, but we were still starting to come down from our Matt high. The show finished. Last time I saw Matt here, he came out to the front area and signed and took pictures and was just awesome, but we were getting kicked out again! We talked a little to Aaron and found out they were going to be flying out to Portland to play a show tomorrow before playing the next tour stop. Aaron and John said how this crowd was so fun, so much better then the drunk crowd in Denver. They said it was one of the best shows. I thought the best show was the Salt Lake one, but this set list was incredible. Talking to the band we waited as long as we could. I still had backstage hope, it was quickly fizzling away. We saw his manager and thanked her for the tickets and said we wanted to thank Matt. She told us that the tour bus was parked on the next street and to just wait there since he's got to get on the bus at some point, so we decided that that was our best bet, we weren't seeing any of our band members where we were, so we might as well go wait in the cold for a chance. We told her that we had come from Salt lake and she said that that had been her favorite show and gave us the information that David Archeleta had vlogged about the show (which I linked to in the SLC post.) So we headed outside and saw the drummer of B&R Method and said hi, he seemed to be headed somewhere so he didn't stay and chat like the night before. We talked to each of Matt's band members, Erika had gotten one of the ugly 70-ish posters from the door and had them all sign it. I had decided that all I wanted was a few pictures and to thank Matt, no signing for me, I had gotten enough from him in the past few days that I wanted to be a little more laid back, but I still had the new CD in my purse in case I changed my mind. Although the band knew us at this point and signed nice things, not just their names on Erika's poster so I was little jealous that I didn't also have something signed, but I had gotten all the posters and set lists from other shows, so it was her time to sign. Although they were nice enough to shine, no one really chatted like they had the night before. Konrad and Aaron kept busy and John stopped briefly and awkwardly to chat with the other girls for a bit until they had run out of things to say. I felt bad because they would pause in saying something and I would interject just as they were saying something again. I was a total jerk, but it wasn't on purpose I promise.

The lead signer for the opening band was walking by, we had seen him briefly in Salt Lake, but never talked to him. He looked determined to ignore us, but after I called out his name, he turned. There was only Erika and I and a group of 3 other girls, so he probably figured we were just waiting for Matt (which was true, but we're not going to pass up an great opportunity) and so we all introduced ourselves and it was very formal, he would get our name shake our hand and say "I'm Paul" or "Paul" for every person, even though we had all heard his name. Maybe he wanted to make sure we remembered him. Erika and I told him how much we loved his set and he seemed really taken back. We told him that we bought a CD and the other group said they had too. He seemed kind of insecure about whether the crowd had liked them. We told him that this was our third show and just loved all the songs. I told him I loved how he played like he was on fire, really banging the keys and that we loved how he had used his foot to slam the keys in Denver. He was really buoyed by our loving words, or maybe he's really self deprecating. We wanted to tell him how much we hate Rob Thomas, but we didn't know if that was a sore spot or not, so we'll save that comment for next time. Erika almost forgot to ask about the "Boise" song, but she asked if she could download it or when she could get it and told him that it was the song that made her a fan. Someone with him said they had recorded it that night and so had a live recording, so we'll see if that's made available. I hope that it is, because that song will light your pants on fire! The whole band hoped into a car and made a get away.

Then Matt came out! He was only wearing a scarf and jacket and said, "Okay let's do this before we freeze our butts off!" Which meant, this needed to be quick, but luckily there weren't many of us. He talked with the other group, they got their set list signed. One girl asked if he could have a friend of her propose to his girlfriend at his show on Saturday. Matt seemed sympathetic, but adamant that he couldn't do that for one person because then everyone would would want personal things done for them and it would all snowball, which I can understand, but how cool would it be to be proposed to at a concert that you both love. Oh well. I found out later from teh set list picture that I took that during the solo part he was suppose to do Wings and Gospel. Which I actually called out for Wings and Gospel is one of my other favorites, they are both on my favorite album, Still Waiting for Spring, so that would have been so great for me, but i guess we can't have everything, can we? If I had known, I would have chastised Matt, so it's good that I didn't know.

We took their pictures and then it was our turn. Matt said something like "well willow, you made it"and I went all fan girl and had to rush in for the hug. He remembered my name! Officially! yeah it had only been one night and he had written it on his hand (his hand!) and so it was not likely he would be able to forget so quickly, but it was still fun. We took a group shot, we wanted individual shots, but we were taking what we could get and trying to be gracious. I had done my hair curly instead of the usual "dressed up" straight and he touched my hair and and said "Your hair looks cute." Then I died. Right there. We thanked him profusely and he hugged us again. I think I got 3 hugs. It was a little hazy. We wanted to get our individual pictures but after seeing Erika's poster and finding out that the band actually liked them the other girls asked if there were extras, so Matt was going to get them a poster and we decided our time had come. We wished them a good trip up to Portland and said goodbye. We practically skipped to car. It was over, but it ended with an incredible show and we got to say thanks and goodbye, what more could we ask for? Then next day was the drive home, we had come, we had seen, we had kicked Colorado's trash and had a better time than we ever imagined. We got into both shows, we meet Matt after every show, had decent conversations with him, met all the band members and found a new group to love.
I know that while some of friends would definitely be up for a road trip, it's unlikely that any would be able to drop everything with only 24 hours notice and be gone for 3 days, on the chance that we would get into one or two sold out shows. So my thanks go out to Erika, and her brother, the people who sold us tickets and to Matt and his band and manager and all others who made this the most fun I've had on a crazy whim! Peace out!

Everyday is Start of Something Beautiful

(Part III)

Erika and I find a place to park not too far from the lovely Bluebird Theatre. I think I saw Duran Duran here back in 99 but it didn't look at all familiar so maybe not. It was about 10 minutes until the show actually started. There was only one door open, they were checking IDs and so there were a few people in a line just to get in. They opened a new door, we went in it. We headed inside and were able to get right up front and off to stage right. A got a call on my phone and listened to the voice mail, it was about the single ticket for the next night. I wondered what I should do. The Break and Repair Method would come on with only us standing there for 5 minutes. Their set was just as excellent as the night before, but the sound was better. Every time they started another song, Erika and I would smile at each other because we remembered it and how awesome it was. Then we would also just look at each other and smile because, holy crap, we're in freaking Colorado at the Matt Nathanson concert that we didn't think we'd be getting into! During their set, Erika and I decided we needed to get their CD, no question, I would have bought it in Salt Lake, but Trish needed the rest of my cash so she could get a shirt too. After they were done I decided that since Erika wanted to spend time with her family, if she would let me borrow her car, I would take the single ticket, but not for the $60 I was willing to pay thinking that the Boulder show would be do or die and so I was willing only to pay $45 (for the $20 ticket) so after Erika agreed that she could go see a movie with her brother that night and I could take her car, I sent the person a text. We texted throughout the set of the next opener (since she sucks so much I'm not even going to write her name) and finally she decided that it was not fair that I agreed to pay more earlier and was only willing to pay as much as someone else had already agreed to pay. I told her to go ahead and give the other girl the ticket. I think she was disappoint to lose the extra $15, but now I had already paid for one ticket, I needed to make sure I didn't spent too much money on another one. But Erika and I decided that was the plan: get me a ticket and she'd hang out with her family.

Matt opened with the same song but it's a great opener, mostly the beginning of the set was the same, except for he played Sad Songs instead Weight of it All, then when he got to Sing Me Sweet, which he had played in Salt Lake, but he played the Letter to Elise bridge! We actually listened to a show from 2005 when he did that and I never thought he would play it! If you don't know, Letter to Elise is my favorite Cure song, it's the song that really got me into the Cure. So Yeah! I screamed like a maniac. There was a lot of people talking and being drunk in general, and Matt spent some time trying to get people to at least be respectful. If Matt can hear you onstage while he's playing, it's a bit much. Matt always handles it in a funny way, but still.

It was so weird because the crowd was so different from the Salt Lake crowd. People were singing, but no one was bopping around, people looked a little bored and/or drunk. They just didn't seem as into it, while the people in Utah we're obviously really into the show and having a good time.


He played Amazing Again (again), which is funny to me, because when I listen to that album, I always listen to that song twice before listening to the rest of the album, so hearing it twice was actually perfect for me. he did Suspended solo again and then brought the opener out to help him with Loud, which is from my favorite as well, and it was so fun watching him while she sang the other part of the duet. He mouthed the words and smiled like crazy, I loved it.

The band came back to All we Are which was a nice mellow transition back to the band. We did the Take on Me sing along again, and my side lost again! Maybe I'm bad luck! But it was still fun and I figured out some of the words from the second verse.

Ended with Detroit Waves again, but minus the Eminem bit. Similar banter about how they were going to pretend it was their last song, we would yell and clap and they would come and do the songs already listed on the set list but only because they loved us so much.

When they came back (after being already on the helicopter) and played a cover of All I have to Do is Dream, which we all know. I have a little clip of it posted on Youtube, since I thought it was so cool, but at the same time the trip and the lateness of the hour was catching up to us. I remember that i wanted to be really excited, but I couldn't muster enough energy, so I could only be moderately excited. It was also almost midnight and the concert, which could be the only one was coming to a close, now the only song left was Come On Get Higher, which we had heard several times that day already, even though it's a great song, the mystery for the evening was gone. But we still grooved to it and appreciated that we never planned on being here, so we were lucky. We also decided that we needed to send a thank you note to the person who sold us their tickets.

After the show the band members were breaking down the set, and John Thomasson jumped down and talked to us. I had snagged a poster from the front door and so I had him sign that. We told him about our adventure and he was impressed. We wanted to talk to the rest of the band (and of course Matt) and so we hung out while the venue people tried to kick us out again. There was a tiny entrance room outside the stage area, and I was hoping that Matt would show up there to sign and meet people. At first we pretended with were with the band and so didn't have to leave, but we could only fake that for so long, then we hung out at the little bar area for a bit, but it was obvious that they wanted us out. So we saw some of the first band The Break and Repair Method outside and there were also buses and people moving equipment, so we figured that couldn't be too bad. Outside we met the drummer (Mr Smiley) and the guitar player and I got a picture with the drummer, whose name is Ryan. We told them how much we loved them and that we show them in Utah. I told Ryan he was my favorite new drummer and I hugged him. He in turn invited Erika and I to the after party which was at a bar called Streets of London, and as fun as hat would be, it was late and we were exhausted. We told him about our plight for a ticket for the next night, but said that since they were the opening band, they didn't really have any tickets they could give to people. I accosted each other member of Matt's band and got signatures and photos. I was glad to get a photo with Konrad. He seemed very impressed with our tale of driving all day and getting tickets last minute. He shook my hand several times and was very sweet. I had Aaron pause in his work of getting everyone's stuff onto the bus (seriously, everyone else is standing around and working intermittently, but Aaron, he's always working) and he took a very serious looking picture with me.

We asked if Matt was coming out, since there weren't really any other fans left, it was band members and roadies. Aaron said that he was with friends but would probably be coming out. There were 2 other girls waiting for Matt, that was it. At this point we felt a bit stalker-ish, but we'd come so far and it could be our last chance to see Matt, and they didn't say he wouldn't come out, so we waited. The other girl had a tattoo on her foot which we learned was her name in Hebrew.

Matt popped out of the tour bus, which means there must have been another door to that things that we couldn't see, we'd been guarding it closely. He talked to the other girls and we took their picture for them. He recognised the Hebrew writing on the girl's foot right away, which was neat. He saw us and smiled. He gave us hugs and we took a picture together. He asked how we'd been and Erika asked him if he really wanted to know. He was all sorts of intrigued. Erika related our story about tickets and the drive. He was really impressed. I apologized for my annoying behavior 2 nights prior. I explained that I felt like anything I wanted to say to him needed to be said soon, since he probably wouldn't be able to do meet and greets with fans anymore since he was getting to be a bigger artist. He told me that he was the master of his own destiny. I said that he would have to be more like Tori Amos and have the fans behind the cattle fences and he laughed and said that he loved Tori, but that Tori also loved Tori and the myth that surrounds her, which sounds weird, but I totally get was he was saying. I thanked him fro playing Letter to Elise and that we had been listening to a show from 2005 that day where he'd done the same thing. He said he's played it a few time this tour and talked about the new Cure record. We were both apprehensive about it. I told him that my favorite album was Still Waiting For Spring and he said I must have been glad to hear Loud, I said that I was and also Amazing Again two concerts in a row and I explained the way I listen to that album and song over and over. I told him that while Disintegration may have been the best album ever at the time, Still Waiting for Spring was my pick for only album on a deserted island. Erika took a photo of us, but thinking she wanted us to pose he got distracted and we then faked an action shot while I got to say "Okay,act like I totally just said something funny."

He asked if we were headed to see them in Boulder, I told him that we were going to try, but we'd have to see how things went. He told us to try and get tickets, but if we couldn't just to find one of his people. Now I've given thought to this kind of situation when things have not gone well for me at concerts, so I asked him how that would work, how I would find his people. And he said "No, you know what, you've come too far. Don't worry about it. I'll put you on my guest list." Then he wrote my name (first and last!) on his hand and wrote +1. Matt Nathanson had my FULL name written on his HAND. The one he holds the guitar neck and microphone with. I rock. We said thank you and that we wouldn't keep him any longer, we'd just see him the next night, and he said bye, and as we were taking off his manager yelled "Bye Willow!" and we yelled bye in return and giggled our way back to car. I finally looked at what Matt had written on my poster and it made me giggle even harder "I need Willow" How awesome is that? It was about 2 am now and even though we were insanely tired we still had to drive and find Erika's brother's house. So we didn't get into bed until 2:30 and much giggled happened after that. We were too excited to sleep. I had visions of getting backstage, being let in first before anyone else to the show and things like that. It took a while for my brain to shut down.

Making the Tough Calls

These are going in chronological order, so start at the bottom and work you're way up if you are so inclined.
When I got home from the Salt Lake show I was just still so jazzed, that I hopped right online and found that disappointingly, the Denver show was sold out, but the Boulder show didn't say and when i tried to get tickets, they just said unavailable. There was still hope. I texted Erika and we went back and forth on how we could get tickets and if they were really sold out, and what we would do if they were. Erika was excited to see her family and also to see Matt again. The show was so amazing, it was a ride we didn't want to end so soon.
We decided to try for tickets tomorrow and finalize our plans.
Soon enough it was Sunday and I was trying to get my lesson figured out and still talked to Erika at least twice before church. Tickets for Boulder were also sold out, but the box office said that if there were unclaimed tickets, we might be able to get some. They also recommended Craig's list, which i had never thought of. I spent so much time googling tickets and looking at ticket brokers who didn't even have tickets, but every time someone posted on Craig's list that they had an extra ticket or two, they were gone in minutes. There were only single tickets that we could possibly get. We decided that we needed to get 2 or there was no deal, since it would be terrible if only one of us got to go to a show.
We decided that Boulder was our best bet. It hadn't been sold out as long as Denver and was a smaller town. We were hopefully but not overly optimistic. There was a real possibility that we wouldn't get into either show. Erika posted on Craig's list that we were looking for tickets and gave out her cell number so people could reach us while we traveled. We decided to both head into work on Monday, make our excuses, take care of a few essentials and come home on Wednesday. We would leave late Monday, probably noon, and make it to Erika's brother's house around 8, which is when the Denver show would be starting, so we had pretty much written off that concert all together. I had written to someone on Craig's list and told them that if they wanted to make some extra cash on their $20 ticket, I might be willing to pay $60 for it, since if we had one ticket, it would be easier to get just one more, I reasoned. They said they would get back to me if they were interested.
Erika showed up just before 11 to get me. She was too excited to stay at work, I took almost every Matt CD I owned and we were off after getting gas and snacks.
After we'd been the road about an hour and after we'd been keeping in touch with her brother via texting we got a call from a Colorado number. Thinking it was Erika's bro, we told him to call us back. After a few minutes I noticed that their was a voice mail. I checked it and it was someone from Craig's list about tickets for Matt! I called them back, but since 15 minutes had passed the tickets were gone. We were bummed and decided that since Erika's number was online, I should hang onto her phone to make sure we heard (or felt it) it with the music on. We listened to Matt, I had 2 live CDs and all the albums that I own. We listened to every one of them before we turned on some 80's tunes. The weather was a bit crap in Wyoming and about 3:30 it seemed like the sun had set. It got dark and then we hit Colorado. The scenery was much nicer from what I could tell while there was some residual daylight left. About 45 minutes away from Denver there's another phone call that i answered. I thought it was Erika's sister in law at first, so I didn't quite catch what was going on and it was hard to hear in the car. It was someone else calling about our Craig's list posting. They had tickets for tonight's show and they would give them to us for face value or $25 each. Erika and I decided to go for it, we were going to just make it in time to get the tickets and go. We were lucky that she lived close to the venue so we had Enough time to pick them up since we still had to finish driving to Denver!
We got a little lost on our way to her house, but not too bad, our gas light also came on, so we ended up paying way too much for gas since it was 20 cents cheaper just one block farther, but you can't chance those things. The girl whose tickets we were getting was so nice. She was a med student and had to study that night. It was a Monday, even if it felt like a weekend to us.
It was such a cute neighborhood, all little older houses with no driveways or garages.
We flew to the Walgreen's and got dressed and put on new deodorant and make up since we'd been sitting in a gross car for 8 hours. Then it was on to the show!!!!

First of the Gang

Wow, it's been a whirlwind adventure, but now I'm here to catch my breath.
First off the Salt Lake show, be patient with me, I've been to 3 shows in 4 days and sat in a car for over 18 hours to do it.

Salt Lake! What a show! Let's get started.

I spent time figuring out what I wanted to wear and trying not to get too excited. Around 3 pm I left my house and headed over to Erika's to help her finish get ready and for a final opinion about my choice of outfits. I wanted to be there at 4:30 and that's when Magen got to the venue. and called us while we were on our way there. She could hear Matt sound checking, he was playing Car Crash! So we drove fast and got there to hear some more songs. Mostly he played covers, things I didn't recognize that weren't Matt songs. We were standing by the stage door so we could hear, but then we saw other people heading up to the main door, so I sent my friends to go and stand by the door so that I could keep listening. But they let us into the front door, so I had to leave my little spot and go stand just inside the venue and so we could hear the rest of the sound check and then the other band started their sound check and I mostly didn't pay attention. There was a poster up for some band called Aiden that had a picture of Morrissey and Michael Jackson photoshopped onto a picture of 2 people boxing and that formed enough of a conundrum to keep me thinking until Trish got there with our food. Mmm Arbys! They kicked us outside to wait in the cold for a little while and then we got to finally and officially go inside. It sucked though because the people who had gotten tickets through the pre-sale were all will-call, and so they had to line up in a different line with the people who didn't have tickets at all. But Trish was the only mega fan to buy her tickets early enough, so she had to go stand all by herself. So lame.

They opened the doors and we ran in and right up front. I was just stage left of the center monitor that Matt would be standing in front of, so it was a good place to be. The opening band came out. They had a lovely little electrical piano set up on stage and when the singer came in, he was wearing Elvis Costello glasses, argyle socks, converse sneakers and suit pants that were cut off at the bottom. I was sold and they didn't need to play anything! Then they started. And I was completely blown away. They were so amazing! Up front where we were the sound was rather muddy, but I could still tell how incredible they were. The singer pounding out the melody on the piano and singing with his gravely, raspy voice and the drummer! He was Mr. Smiley. He was singing along and smiling and rocking out. They are called The Break and Repair Method and I highly recommend them to anyone who likes good music. You can listen to 3 songs at their myspace http://www.myspace.com/thebreakandrepairmethod and make them your friend or you can go their website http://www.thebreakandrepairmethod.com/ and listen to the whole awesome album. Then you will know what greatness truly is.

They played an untitled song and asked what they should call just after they had told a story about playing the night before in Boise. So someone yelled that they should call it Boise, but that's not what he heard. Let's just say it was a pretty dirty word that he heard, so he was shocked that us Mormons would say something like that. But then it got all figured out. These songs rock, really you need to see them live to really get it so here's a youtube of a concert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtpx7BejYe4 it even shows the drummer a bit, so that you get what I'm trying to tell you.

It was during the break between Break and Matt that we heard that David Archeleta was there, up in the sound booth. We couldn't see him very well from where we were, but there were definitely a bunch of people up in that booth. He even vlogged about it! David Archeleta's vlog

He doesn't say too much about it, but it's cool that he was there.

The manager brought out the setlists and while there was one right in front of me I tried not to look at it, I wanted to be surprised. I did see the first song and I also saw that he was going to play "Amazing Again" which, I can tell you that I squealed like a little girl. That's not only my favorite Matt song, it's probably my favorite song ever. But I was getting nervous, the lame guy next to me that kept trying to push me so he could get more in the center was eying it and asked the strange hand if he could have the setlist and they told him he could take it after the concert was over. But then Matt came out, to a Queen song, I'm not sure which one. He came right out and spit his gum onto the setlist by his microphone. The guy didn't look pleased. I was ecstatic! How cool would that be to get matt's gum? Okay I'm a freak, I'm aware of this.

He started off with "Gone" which is really rockin and so much fun. Before "Princess" he of course said how he stole some of the song from Rick Springfield and discovered that "Ghostbusters" And "I Want a New Drug" are pretty much the same song, and played "Living on a Prayer" with "Heaven is a place on Earth" to show that they were also the same song and then said that Rick had nothing on him if those songs could do that.

The crowd was so into his set. The screaming was deafening, after every song, and people were singing along to all the songs, not just the new ones. Before Falling Apart he played the beginning of "In A Big Country" and the original artists have nothing on Matt here, it was beautiful.

I, of course, screamed when he started playing "Amazing Again." I knew it was coming, but still hearing those opening notes I didn't know if I was going to cry or pass out, but it was a totally happy kind of cry. I'd never heard this song live, only on CD or a live recording. He sang the beginning of Losing My Religion during the instrumental part, just like I like it.

For the solo songs he played "Suspended" and during the sing along for the chorus, he said we sounded like we belonged in the tabernacle. He then played "Romeo and Juliet" which is a cover song that I don't love. It's fine, but I would have rather had a Matt song. He was suppose to play Sooner Surrender, but it was nice to get a cover that he doesn't play all he time.

The band came back with "To the Beat of Our Noisy Hearts" which is one of my favorite songs from the new album, so fun. Someone called out for "Come on Get Higher" which is really his "hit single" and he said that somethings in life are guaranteed, death, taxes and that he would play that song.

They did a sing along for Ah-Ha's Take on Me, which was fun, it was a totally lounge version and he had each side of the room take turns on the chorus and then judged who was the winner. It wasn't my side! Oh well, it was really fun. Detroit Waves was the last song of the main set which incorporated Kids in America and I think Eminem's 8 mile too, but only a little bit of that. Then he told us that it was the last song in the main set, but we all knew that they had an encore to play but to scream and clap loud anyway.

They came back with Answering Machine which also has a sing along part and is just an incredible song. Finished up with Come on Get Higher. That's right, make the people wait for it, that's makes the night finish on a positive note. I had my buds help me grab the setlist because that guy didn't even want it! Ha!

Now for the after stuff!

Trish and I bought shirts and Erika finally decided on a hoodie and then we got kicked out of the venue. I was a bit concerned that we weren't going to be able to see Matt. Outside we saw little David Archeleta, he was cute and twee, but I didn't take his picture, he had a small crowd around him posing for pictures and autographs, so good for him, it was nice that he came.

We walked to the back of the venue, security was trying to make us believe we needed to leave, but there was a pretty big crowd. I talked to all of Matt's band and got their signatures on my setlist. I felt dumb because I got a hug from the drummer Konrad, but didn't get a picture with him or any other band member. Some guy saw me and said "This girl is a super Matt Nathanson fan!" I asked him how he knew that and he told me that he was the person that I followed backstage after the Park City show 2 years ago. I can't believe he remembered me, I sure didn't remember him.

We were a bit concerned that Matt wasn't going to some out. It was chilly and they were packing up. Erika and I started talking about how much fun it would be to go and see him in Colorado. A Matt road trip had occurred to me, but more for the Boise show the night before since Boise is only a 6 hour drive, but Colorado never crossed my mind. Erika's brother lives there so we could crash with him. My mind was racing, I totally wanted to go! We had so much fun this night, I wanted it to last.

Matt finally popped out from behind all the vehicles and came over to sign stuff and take pictures. He seemed to recognise us (or maybe at least me and Trish since we had seen him and stalked him so many times) and he signed my set list, we took a few pictures, I told him that I was so excited to hear Amazing Again. And he didn't even know who David Archeleta was! Apparently he doesn't watch crap TV. Except for Gossip Girl. We asked if the Denver or Boulder shows were sold out and he didn't know, but said if they weren't, we should totally come and see them again.

Don't I look so blissful?

We got our pictures and Trish said goodnight. Erika asked me if I wanted to get another picture and of course I did! I also had more stuff in my purse that he could sign, and after the first Boulder show, Trish and I went back and talked to him 3 times! It was nuts! So we hoped back in line. The girls in front of us had Matt call their friend and he sang them the first part of Journey's Don't Stop Believing, and I was so flustered that I didn't get it recorded on my cell phone, but it was lovely. We got up there and posed again for pictures, and I was totally bossing him around, I handed him my CD and told him not to write "willow is the bomb" since I had that on at least 2 other things that were signed at different times. And he was all "Geez, you're giving me orders!" and I told him that I was being so annoying that he would remember me if we got to see him in Colorado. It was weird. I could tell how annoying I was, but it was something I was not able to control. Like when you're really angry and you can tell you are being unreasonable but you can't seem to help it. It was like that. We went back to Erika's and picked up my car, the whole while talking about how fun it would be to go to Colorado and that if it's not sold out we should totally go...