How to lose a fan in 10 seconds...

Since I am having such a crappy life right now, I decided that there was one thing I needed... Some best-friend-time!!

Tasha has been my best friend and most trusted confidant for a seriously long time. We have known each other our whole lives, but didn't really get to be friends until I dated her husband...

Ok, that was a joke. Really, back in high school, there was this guy that I went out with one time, who would not leave me alone. I thought he was creepy, and strange (blind date) and he told some seriously unbelievable stories. (One being that he had been a cop in NY and had gotten shot by some gang members and nearly died... BUT did not have a visible scar because NY plastic surgeons are so much more advanced that Arkansas plastic surgeons.... yeah, winner.)

So anyway, Tasha comes up to me in journalism class (back when we were not friends at all) and tells me that this guy asked her out and she heard we were a couple and wanted to know if that was true.... "OH NO!! We are SO NOT a couple!! GO out with him!! SERIOUSLY!!! Have a great time!!!" She says now that my enthusiasm for her happiness should have clued her in. They were married by the end of the year, and divorced 2 years later.

During the divorce, she applied for a job where I worked, not knowing that I worked there. After a few rough days, (more on that some other time!) we forged a friendship. I had no idea that we would still be here 12 years later, and that she would be one of the most important and influential people in my life.

The only bad part is that she moved over an hour away, so we don't get to spend much time together. But when things are rough, I know where to go.

It just so happened that Jamie O'Neal was doing an outdoor concert in Nashville Arkansas this weekend. (Is there anything better than an outdoor concert?? I love them!!)

Tasha and I loaded up our bevy of children (5 between us) and drove to nearly an hour from her house to Nashville. The concert was in the middle of their city park and it was SUCH a gorgeous night!! We set our chairs up back a bit from the crowd so that the little girls could dance and play, and we really had a great time. Jamie sounded really, really good, and she has an awesome stage presence. She interacts and jokes a lot with her audience, and even brought her two year old daughter out to sing. (TOO CUTE!!) The only thing I would have changed about the concert is that she only played an hour. We really enjoyed that half of the night.

However, right before she went on, the announcer came out and was talking about how there was a meet-n-greet after the show and to feel free to come and meet Jamie after and get your cds signed, and "...even if you don't have a cd, Jamie is really excited to meet some of her fans! Just head to her concessions booth when the concert is over!!!" Well, Elizabeth now knows what a meet-n-greet is, and got really excited, and started asking me if we could go meet Jamie "for the first time" after the show. I told her it depended on how long the show lasted. Since it was barely 9:00 when the concert was over, we loaded up all the kids, blankets, etc, and went and got in the meet and greet line. We were nearly the last ones in line, which was fine because I was maneuvering the stroller through the crowd.

Now, we stood in line a good 15 minutes before we hit the merchandise table. The merch table was kind of in the middle of the line, so, after we passed that, we would have about another 15 minute wait. E wanted a picture to have autographed, so as we passed the table, we bought a $5 publicity photo. We waited in line another 10 minutes and as we approached the security gates, the girl asked where our cd was. We told her we didn't have one, and she said "Jamie is only seeing people who bought her cd." I said, "But we bought photos" and she said "I am sorry." and I said "If we had known THAT, we would not have bought photos!" and she said "I am sorry, but you are going to have to leave the line."

WELL, Elizabeth bursts into brokenhearted tears. Seriously, she stood there hunched over and just simply bawling. What could I do?? We stood around really a little shocked for a few minutes (and E started begging me to buy a cd so she could meet jamie) and Tasha saw Jamie's guitar player. She went over with the girls just to see if we could send her picture back and get it signed, and he was borderline rude, and completely unhelpful. We left with our unsigned photos.

Ok, now realistically, I understand that you have to have some way to weed out the crowd, and that being a musician is a job, and that to make money, you have to sell cds. I don't have an issue with that. My thing is that 90% of the people left the concert without going to the meet and greet line. There were not that many people waiting to see her. (maybe 100 people, seriously) And I think that they should have said at the merch table, "Now you know you can't go see her if this is all you are buying." Instead of us waiting in line and buying $10 in photos for nothing.

And Elizabeth is just a little girl. I would understand if it were me and Tasha being goofy and waiting in line by ourselves and them sending us on our way. I probably would not have even been mad. But Elizabeth really took it to heart that Jamie did not want to see HER. She really is a fan, and she is still upset about it.

Oh well.

We were discussing it on the way home and I got agitated and stopped paying attention and promptly got pulled over for speeding. *SIGH* Thank goodness, I did not get a ticket. Thank you Mr. Nashville Police Department Man!!! My kids can eat this week!!!

And Tasha and I stayed up until after 4 AM talking and laughing and acting stupid. It was great. I wish she still lived here in town so that I could go to her house after work and hang out.