I consider myself to be a level-headed person. I'm practical and tend to be a bit reserved. I believe everyone to be equally important in the grand scheme of life. This idea includes celebrities and their lives, of which I rarely know more than what I catch while reading People during my pedicure. But, something changed in me in the winter of 2008.
I was working on the computer when I heard a voice on the television speaking of being a "wordnerd". It pulled me in and the performance that followed was incredible. From that moment on, I learned this person's middle name, the symbolism behind his tattoo's, and his favorite place to eat breakfast in LA. I consumed articles written about him and was completely inspired by the way he handled his brother's fight with cancer and visited a young girl who was battling leukemia. I looked forward to Tuesday night just to see what he what he would do - what song he would pick, how he would arrange it and what guitar he would use. For the first time in my life, I experienced what it was like to be a fan girl...and it was utterly delightful!
Months pass and I buy his CD the day it is released. I admit my excitement to the cashier, who gets an extremely puzzled look on his face and says, "
Really? You've been
waiting for this?" I listen to the songs until I have every one of them memorized. And then, as so often happens with music, the lyrics I once loved, faded to the background. I moved on with my life and no longer knew what city he was performing in on any given day or even the names of his band mates.
Then, while checking the weather, I come across an advertisement for his concert in Phoenix! I was so excited, I think I might have bounced up the stairs to share the good news with Matthew. (Based on his reaction, I think he had already heard the news and was not going to share it with me) I knew he wouldn't join me, so I called my friend, Cindy, who excitedly agreed that we must attend the show.
And we did! His performance was outstanding. At one point, he asked the crowd to be silent and then sang the chorus of "Lie to Me" without the mike. It was really cool to be able to hear his pure voice and also the quietness of the auditorium increased the power of the moment. The band left the stage and the audience continued to scream and stomp the stands. After several minutes, the band reappeared and he said this would be the last song of the night. He then began singing "Daily Anthem" and started moving to the right side of the stage. He then jumped off the stage and walked into the crowd. It was crazy. The two middle-aged women in front of us jumped
out of their seats and took off running towards him (considering the beginning of this story, I think it is important for me to include that I stayed in my assigned seat) Incredibly, he continued walking down the aisle until he passed us - just an arm's length away! Then he stopped four rows behind us, got up on a chair and continued to sing. So we stood on our chairs and "sang along" just like the song asks us to.
It was a great ending to the the night. In that moment, I didn't have a thought about finding the perfect house or the future of my strong-willed child or the 500 things on my to-do list. I just happily sang along. And in the afterglow of the moment, I realized what all fan girls know...it's fun to be a fan girl, not because you would actually trade any part of your life for someone else's, or because you think that person doesn't burp or leave his dishes in the sink, but because it allows you to go back to a time when life was fun and innocent. And for that, I thank you, Mr. Cook.
