Don't Talk To Strangers (Unless It's Rick Springfield!)

July 25, 2010
About a week and a half ago, I got a text from my good friend Francine. Fran and I met several years ago when we worked together at the high school. Although our love of high school English brought us together, it was our mutual love of 80s teen pop icon Rick Springfield that helped seal the deal. I can still remember when I offered her a ride somewhere after school one day. She jumped in and I started up the car. The stereo started blasting my Rick Springfield CD, much to my chagrin. It was one thing to rock out to Rick in my car by myself on the way to work, but it was a clandestine love affair, meant to be hidden from my friends with more sophisticated and worldly musical inclinations. And yet, Francine immediately brightened and screamed, "You like Rick, too!?" A true moment of bonding.
So, when Francine texted me and said her friend had a couple of free tickets to the Rick Springfield concert in Sacramento and wanted to know if I could join them, I was ecstatic. It's summer, I've got free time on my hands, and Fran was even willing to be our driver. The kids were staying with their dad since their aunt cousin were visiting, so the road trip was on!
We drove three hours chatting up a storm and listening to Rick in the background. I got to know a little bit about Kelly (Fran's friend and my new friend), and I realized what an amateur fan I am in comparison to those two, who have each seen him several times in concert and who have each met him in person. They were both pros at rushing the stage and getting up close and personal with him and had great stories to share.
At the concert, we had fantastic seats about eleven rows back, dead center. Although the security guards were quite serious about keeping the crowd of 40-something women away from the stage, Rick had other ideas. He must have been a nightmare for the security team when he came out into the audience not once but three different times, walking through the crowd, reaching out, shaking hands, talking to people here and there, and generally being a very engaging and interactive showman. Kelly, Francine, and I all got personal contact with him twice. It was very cool! We even followed the VIP ticket buyers to see the Meet and Greet that was taking place after the concert. We didn't have VIP passes, but that didn't stop us from getting to see him mingling with the VIPs and seeing him emerge from the dressing room trailer. I have never felt so much like a paparazzi-stalker, but it was really a lot of fun. I am already looking forward to the next concert I get to see with these girls!