R-O-C-K in the USA!

I just got back from rocking out at the Mellencamp show. I had a FANTASTIC time. I told Nate fun facts that he didn’t want to hear on the ride up. My mom and her friend also joined us. John Fogerty played a great set. He sang songs that I didn’t know were his, seeing how I know zilch about classic rock. Want to know a little known fact about me? Ok, so you remember pocket rockers (circa 1988)? I had a pocket rocker and “Down on the Corner” was my first tape on it. Man, I loved that song. I was floored when Fogerty played it because I didn’t know it was his and I haven’t heard it in so long.

Mellencamp took the stage with my favorite Mellencamp song, “Small Town”, which always reminds me of home (home being Newark, DE) and hearing it live after this weekend was perfect. Check out the lyrics below, the most close hitting being in bold:

“Well I was born in a small townAnd I live in a small townProb’ly die in a small townOh, those small communitiesAll my friends are so small townMy parents live in the same small townMy job is so small townProvides little opportunityEducated in a small townTaught the fear of jesus in a small townUsed to daydream in that small townAnother boring romantic that’s meBut I’ve seen it all in a small townHad myself a ball in a small townMarried an l.a. doll and brought her to this small townNow she’s small town just like meNo I cannot forget where it is that I come fromI cannot forget the people who love meYeah, I can be myself here in this small townAnd people let me be just what I want to beGot nothing against a big townStill hayseed enough to sayLook who’s in the big townBut my bed is in a small townOh, and that’s good enough for meWell I was born in a small townAnd I can breathe in a small townGonna die in this small townAnd that’s prob’ly where they’ll bury me”

Want to know another fun fact about me? Ok, I also adore the song “Jack & Diane”. That drum solo is AMAZING. Out of all the songs from my childhood, I always took that one with me. I distinctly remember the summer before 8th grade I was home during the summer and seriously calling WSTW every damn day during their all request lunch hour and asking for “Jack & Diane”. One day I finally got it and they said my name over the air and I taped it and it seriously made my summer. Now I work for him, crazy crazy crazy life.

So yeah, we’re all up singing and dancing to Mellencamp. I see a lot of shows and in all honesty, this was great. Very simple stage setup, but the energy and dynamics were above and beyond what I expected. JM is incredibly charismatic and just owned that stage. We R-O-C-Ked in the U-S-A (which I have been saying in the office for about a month now).

Andy is hot. Too bad I met his wife the other day. Nate turned to me and was like, “lemme guess, you think the guitarist in the red pants is hot.” “yup.” “I know your tastes too well.”

JM danced like a fiend and there was massive amounts of arm pumping. I was beaming the whole time, it was absolutely incredible. The NY Post wrote an amazing review of JM’s show at Jones Beach last week and now I know why he got such high accolades. I don’t really know what more to write. Oh yeah, Nate got yelled at for having his camera, but he stealthed pics anyways – I’ll post once he sends them.

Afterwards we hung out backstage in the green room. On the walk over Rich informed me that there was beer there. I will never ever live down the Essex incident. I got to meet so many people who I talk to on the phone and place names with faces. Quandt, JM’s tour manager, told me the other day he wanted my job and I cn have his. I tried to switch with him but he wasn’t having it. Rich made me start everyone in singing “Happy Birthday” to Allie. I also got to meet Julie as well. Julie is great and we’ve had to talk to each other several times a day and despite any mistakes I make, she’s always cool with everything and levelheaded. She also told Laura and I how thanks to us things have been moving so smoothly and she is incredibly grateful. Yay. She also hooked us up with out sweet seats, so props to Julie.

Quandt came over again saying that I have to keep Rich in line then we chatted about the DC show. I told Quandt to tell Rich to take me on the road more. Or at all. Haha. After this comment Rich asked me if that was really water in the water bottle I was drinking out of or vodka…how does he know me that well haha. Randy came over and I introduced him to the fam. He gushed about me to my mom, too funny. He also told my family how appreciative Rich is of me and how well we work together. Fun times. As we’re leaving I notice the water bottle Rich is holding is half full of purple liquid. He sees my look and says that its wine in the bottle for Trina for the car ride home. Now see, this is why I love my job. Because all you all who question my antics…see its all normal here in my life here. Ha.

And now here I am at home with insomnia recounting the weekend. Tomorrow will be pretty chill. I have some LDE stuff I want to work on, laundry, cleaning, and apartment hunting online. Oh and a nice long run. Yay for Sundays.