I bolded the best part of the story. It's long, so I don't expect anyone to read it all.
So, I recently saw Marianas Trench. I had seen them before about three months ago, and was hoping that they'd remember me. Sure enough, as I was walking around, I saw Mike and Ian wandering. I went to Mike, said hello, shook his hand, and told him that I had met him at another show. "Oh, yes, I remember you! I thought you looked familiar!" Meanwhile, Ian was giving me a look, and I asked, "Do you remember me?" "Which show?" I explained. "Name?" "Shanae. I'm from the Mission...?" "SHANAE! Of course I remember you! I love your name!" "Remember, I asked if you'd get naked for Jesus!" "YES! How did you know that anyways?" "Ohhh wow. Well... fan forums and stuff. We share stories." "Okay, 'cause there's this band called Naked For Jesus and I always love yelling it out."
And then my friend and I showed them to the bathroom because they really had to pee.
Afterwards, I went with a different friend and watched soundcheck. There were maybe three other people there. I walked by, and Ian yelled from his drumset, "HEY SHANAE!" and Mike waved and grinned, too. I then found my friend who was volunteering, and we cleaned up bird shit by the stage to watch the soundcheck. I started talking to some random girls, and one looked familiar. I asked her what her name was, and immediately recognized it. "So um... do you go on the Trench forums?" "Yeah..." "Hi. I'm Fix_me, aka Shanae. Nice to meet you!" (Weird... meeting internet folk... she and her friends are more hardcore Trenchers than I am, but we made an instant bond.)
Security kicked us out, even though we weren't bothering the band at all.
Wandering with friends, we went and accidentally found Trench again, doing an interview. Mike and Ian were doing it, and Matt and Josh were wandering. Some of my friends asked Matt's autograph, and later on, I went up to him looking at NHL blankets, and told him that the real hockey team is the Canadiens, and then made fun of his Vancouver-ness. I said, "So you guys were in PEI right?" "Yeah." "You must've drove really fast!" "Yeahh, we did..." "Wait. PEI is... is... an island... oh wow..." "Yeah, we definitely flew out." "That is so embarrassing." Their roadie was with them, and I said, "Hey! I know you!" (He's in a picture with them.) "Yeah? You do?" "...Don't remember your name..." "It's John. Call me Stamos though, it's short for John." "How is that short for John!" To which Matt said, "It's his last name.." "Oh. Wow. Also embarrassing..." I reminded Matt that I saw them and met him before, but said I didn't think he remembered me. "No, of course I do!"
I left them alone, and they left the area for a couple of hours. I was walking around, and see a rapist van roll up. Oh, Trench is back! "John Stamos" waved at me.
Mike wandered in front of me, I stopped him, and asked if he'd do me the honors of going on a ride with me. "Well, I have to do some merch stuff, but if I have time, I'll put in some rides!" I wandered around the fair grounds some more.
I was looking for Ian, because he too had said he'd go on a ride with me. That was way back at the start of the day when he needed to pee.
I found Josh, and he seemed to be in a not-very-good mood, so I quickly asked if he knew where Ian was and he said he didn't know. "John Stamos" said he'd tell Ian I was looking for him.
More wandering. I find Ian and Mike taking pictures with excited fans. I stood there. Mike exclaims, "SHANAE!" I trot over to give him one of my famous hugs, and he flinches. "I thought you were going to punch me!" "No..." And I also got a hug from Mr. Casselman, as I liked to call him. He calls me by my last name now, too.
Mike ran off to do merch stuff, and I talked to Ian. We agreed to hit the Ferris Wheel (neither of us have ever been on one) and he said, "Gee. I thought you just asked if I wanted to make out with you on the ferris wheel. You're forward!" "I DIDN'T SAY THAT!"
We discussed other random stuff, such as my hometown, and I let him go do merch. I visited the two at merch later, when my sister came (with the camera I forgot at home... oops!) Mike and Ian made my sister and I stand side by side to judge if we looked mistakably alike. They decided we looked similar, but not the same.
I got two pics with the both of them. Ian tried to stick his tongue out, but I said, "You have a pretty smile, let's see it!" So he laughed. Haha.
I asked if if they had fun at the MMVAs. They said yes. "Do you think you topped Billy Talent's entrance?" "No... it's pretty hard to beat a tank..." and then we chatted about how their entrance ideas kept getting rejected.
I was at the very front for the actual concert. The sound was awful so close, so I couldn't hear much vocals. Josh put on bras during the show, and "John Stamos" came out, ripped a teddy bear's head off, and threw it into the crowd... Josh laughed so hard he couldn't sing.
Nobody knew the words to anything but Cross My Heart, Shake Tramp, Say Anything, and All To Myself. I think maybe thirty out of however many there actually KNEW their music. Me being one of them, happily singing along.
I got a few enthusiastic smiles from Mike during the show. And after signing, "I love you" to Ian, he shook his head and mouthed, "No you don't!" He also winked, smiled, rolled his eyes, and gave me the rock sign.
Encore time. People are chanting for it, and "John Stamos" is getting a few things ready onstage. I had finally found out that his name was Brett, and that John Stamos was an actor who apparently was in Full House. It's before my time, but I sure fell for that joke. I yell, "Hi Brett!" and he leans over, and says, "Hey, would you like to help me onstage?"
Um, yes!
He pulls me out, and says, "Okay, you're going to hand Josh his guitar for Shake Tramp." I asked him for extra camera batteries (mine died) and he gave me some. After watching/taping 'Lover Dearest' from backstage, Brett handed me the guitar and I pranced over to Josh. My friends were screaming at me, people were saying, "I HATE YOU!" (hopefully in jealousy), and Josh looked surprised to see me. "Oh! Hello! What's this? How are you?" He slipped his arm around my shoulders. "Thank you!" We shared a lopsided hug and I gave him his guitar.
I frolicked -- yes, frolicked -- back to Brett. "Thank you for this." We talked about how his name was not John Stamos, and I explained that I only watched Friends. He said John Stamos is in a Friends episode, so I'll look it up.
During 'Shake Tramp', Brett handed me Mike's, Matt's, and Josh's picks, and Ian's setlist. (Now I have two!) Ian signed it, and Brett led me to the back to get the other three. And took me. Inside their camper. Which no fans EVER go...
We made small talk while they passed the setlist around, and Mike rambled on and on about statistics of the common cold. To which I asked how bored he actually gets on tour. Haha.
I thanked Brett many times, and gave him a big hug. "I love you! Seriously, this was amazing. Thank you so much." The hardcore fans (the ones I had met before) came to talk to me, and said, "Nobody has ever went onstage at a Trench show like that before! Ever! You're so lucky!"
At the meet and greet, the Hardcores and I waited to be last in line. The bitchy security guards wouldn't allow pictures, so Mike playfully tousled my hair, gave me a hug, and we agreed on an upcoming show where we'd meet yet again. Ian thanked me, I thanked him, we hugged, and the guards forced us along. I thanked Matt, told him how awesome the show was, and he hugged me, too. The Hardcores were busy giving Ian cookies. Josh came last, and I thanked him as well, and said that I had met him before at the other show, but also wasn't sure if he remembered me. He did.
I had to run off, because security was being stupid.
Sorry that was so long, but I mean... my musical heroes know my name, happily visit, and I made friends with the roadie. Who got me onstage. And backstage.
Be nice to roadies.
I had a blaaast.
