Let me tell you of my adventure…

Yesterday, I traveled to Chicago,  to a place called Chicago Ridge, which is one of the suburban areas about 20 minutes from the city. It’s a small place of about 15,000 people, but it was nice. I went to their Ridgefest, which is their county fair. This took place at Freedom Park. I didn’t go for the rides, or the food. I went for one thing.

To see a band.

A band with a very special bass player.

A band called…Becky.

Ha! Betcha thought I was gonna say Dogstar, huh? Well, for all intents and purposes, it may as well have been Dogstar; Keanu is on bass and Rob is on drums; Bret has gone solo, so the lead singer is Rob’s girlfriend Rebecca, and the lead guitar player is a cool guy named Paulie Kosta. They were the headliners on the main stage last night. And they rocked, let me tell you. But there is more to this story than me taking one of my many jaunts to Chicago…so much more…

It started out like all my other Chicago excursions…I didn’t sleep the night before, so I was tired as hell, but I was also very exited. I was going to see Keanu again, after 4 years! I was so happy at this prospect that any thoughts of being tired drifted away.

I drove to the airport and parked the car in the overnight parking lot, got on the train, and headed to the Windy City. The only thing different about this trip was that it would be an overnight one, since the band wasn’t set to hit the stage until 9pm; South Shore would have been long gone, and I didn't want to deal with Greyhound. I stayed at a Days Inn in Alsip, which is 3 miles from Chicago Ridge; it was the cheapest place. I had planned to get off the train at the Kensington stop, because it was closest to Alsip on the map, but it was slum personified; I wouldn’t send my worst enemy there in broad daylight, so I chose to go the rest of the way to downtown. Once there, I walked to the L-train to get on the one that went to Midway Airport, where I would take a bus to Alsip. Now, mind you, I haven’t slept yet, and I’m carrying 3 bags…my backpack, a big red bag, and a plastic hospital bag with my nice boots. I’m carrying them down the street, and up the 2 flights of stairs it takes to get to the train platform (you should have seen me go through the turnstile…that was a sight to behold.) Luckily, the train was there within 5 minutes, so I didn’t have to wait too long. After what seemed like forever, I was finally at the airport. The bus terminals were right there, but then I remembered…the busses run every hour, and I sure as hell didn’t feel like waiting there for who knows how long, waiting for the right bus to get there. So, I decided to take a cab. And the adventure begins…

The first cab I got into had a driver who, not only spoke English poorly, but didn’t know where the hell I wanted him to take me. I gave him the address several times, the town, the name of the hotel, etc., and he had to pull out his maps and look them over as if his life depended on it. I felt very uneasy with this particular driver, so I told him that I would just get another cab. He kept saying “no, no, I’ll find it,” and when I opened the door to get out, he kept telling me to close the door, but I got out anyway and got into another cab. This time, the driver knew where the hell he was going, and I felt much better, until we got there…$30 for the ride. I gave him $35, because he was really nice and got me there without taking me to hell and back, but it still stung to pay that much.

Anyway, I got out of the cab and walked into the hotel. I told them I was checking in, and the woman told me that it was too early, that they usually don’t check people in until 1-3pm. I told her I’d called a few days earlier and asked if an early check-in was all right and was told yes. So, she looked for a room on the computer, found one that was clean, and checked me in. Once in the room, I pretty much wanted to collapse on the bed, but I was already there almost 2 hours later than I wanted to be, so I just decided to smoke a couple cigs, get dressed, put my make-up on, and head back out the door (did I forget to mention that it took me several minutes to find my room? Room 219 was a nightmare to locate!) I called another local cab company and they picked me up and took me to Freedom Park (actually, they took me about 2 blocks away from the park…roads were blocked, and there was a classic car show going on, so I had to do more hoofing.) Once there, I sat my ass down and smoked more cigs. The gates didn’t open until 1pm, and it was about 12:15pm when I got there.

Once inside, I headed straight for the main stage and sat down with a few others who had the smarts to get there early. There was Sara, a 15-year-old with red and black spiked hair; Laurel, her friend, and a few others who post on Becky’s message board. I’d brought my tape recorder to interview Keanu fans, and that’s precisely what I did with these folks. Everyone thought it was cool that I was doing interviews for my radio show, and everyone was more than willing to gush about Keanu and tell me how long they’ve loved him and why they do. It was nice to be around others who are just as fanatical about him as I am, but most of them were Keanu virgins; they had only been fans for 5 years or less; I’m on my 15^th year of loving him, so I had all their asses beat big time! J

Up on stage, various crew members were testing equipment and doing the sound checks, fucking around with the drums, microphones, etc. While this was going on, I was busy interviewing people. I paid attention back and forth; I’d look at my interviewee, then look up on stage. Finally, I quit taping for a while and just watched the crew guys do their shit.

Then Paulie came out. He plays lead guitar. He came out and strapped on his guitar and had his back to us for the longest time, fucking around with the biggest amp I’ve ever seen…lots of pretty glowing buttons it had. He was up there for quite a while, doing whatever the hell he was doing.

Then came Rob. He was messing around with the drums, doing whatever testing needed to be done. I knew who was coming out next, so I got up and grabbed my camera, scrapbook, and poems, and waited.

And then he was there.

Keanu walked out on stage wearing his Norton hat, jeans, that damn puke-green shirt, his black blazer, and sunglasses (the sun was nowhere to be seen this day, either.) He looked at all of us and waved, and my spike-haired buddy Sara put her signs in motion. She had several that she made, all saying various things: KEANU, YOUR BAND IS MOST TRIUMPHANT…KEANU, CAN I TOUCH YOUR BUTT?, KEANU, CAN I HAVE A HUG?, KEANU, CAN I RIDE YOUR MOTORCYCLE? KEANU, I ADORE YOU, & KEANU, CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH? When he was out playing his guitar, she held up her signs, and he acknowledged them, her, and the rest of us. I waved at him, and he waved back (just like last time,) and then they did their sound check for a bit. I SWORE I pushed record while this was going on, but when I listened to the tape later on, there was nothing. I must have pushed play, or something must have screwed up somewhere. But that doesn’t matter, because the best is yet to come…

Apparently, Sara asked nicely for a hug, because one of the stage crew came over to her and said that since she asked nicely, Keanu would come over and give her one. This eventually led to a 20-minute hug/autograph/photo session with everyone. Earlier, while he was still on stage, I called to him, held up my scrapbook, and asked if he would please sign it. He said “yeah, as soon as I’m done here.” I said “thanks,” and went on watching the sound check. Later on, when he came over to us and began the task of signing, hugging, and posing, I held out my book to him again and asked if he would sign it. He took it and signed it, and I said “thank you, Keanu, I really appreciate it.” He said “sure.” He then went up and down the row of people (there were probably between 30-40 people lined up against the fence, clamoring for his attention) and continued signing things, posing for pics, and getting/giving hugs. Finally, when he was in front of me again, I asked him if I could give him a hug, and he said “okay.” I said “I’ve been waiting 15 years for this,” and then he leaned in and I hugged him. I said “I love you, Keanu.” He didn’t say anything back, as I didn’t think he would, and then continued on with signing, etc. A stage crew guy took a picture of me hugging him, too; I really would have liked to have had both of us looking at the camera, but that is quite all right. When he was back in front of me again, I asked him if he would please say hi into my recorder. He looked apprehensive about it, but being the sweetie he is, he eventually shyly leaned in and said “hello” into the recorder (after I said “pretty please?”) I again thanked him for signing my book and for the picture, as well as for saying hi into the recorder. I said “I really appreciate it, Keanu,” and he said “you’re welcome.” He stood around for another minute or so, and then he had to leave.

After he left, we were all in shock. Sara was really happy; he let her touch his ass, and then he said “oohh!” after she did. She also got to keep the beer bottle he’d been guzzling on earlier (Miller Lite, I think.) One of the stage crew guys got it for her.

A few minutes later, Paulie came around again, and I got a picture with him; he also said hi into my recorder, but it didn’t record due to my fuck-up or equipment error. I told him how I appreciate the e-mails he sends out to the fans, and he said it was no problem, and thanks, etc. After that, I sat down and was just talking to the girls I was around. At about 4:30, a Beatles tribute band called Instant Karma began playing, and then after them, a cover band called The Hat Guys (who, by the way, just about blew the roof off the stage…they ROCKED!) Becky was slated to come on at 9pm, but they didn’t hit the stage until 9:15. By this time, the nice little group of people by the fence had turned into a mob scene. It got darker, and I was standing up at this point, because I knew if I didn’t, I’d never get off the ground.

What started out as 10 early birds by the fence (the early bird gets Keanu!) had now become hundreds of drunken lunatics behind us. I’d never been so happy to be so early in my life, I swear. I’d waited (again) for 9 hours to see the man I love, and it was so completely, utterly worth it. It was worth having pains in my feet from standing in my heeled boots for so long; it was worth loosing sleep and having the band look blurry, as if it was a dream; it was worth paying $35 for cab fare; it was worth it all. Becky completely rocked the park, and in the 3 times I’ve seen Keanu perform live, he had never been so lively or passionate than he was last night. He even sang for a second. That man knows how to play a crowd, I swear. He knows that when he looks out into the crowd, or smiles, or jumps around, the crowd will go nuts, and that’s exactly what it did. The screams were deafening, and there were drunken women bumping into me, and it was raining just a little, and my feet and legs were killing me, but none of it mattered, because he was there.

At the end of the show, the fireworks went off…right in front of us…big time. We were fine, but the booms scared the shit out of us, and a spark hit my arm, but I didn’t care. I’d had the best day of my life. Now, all I wanted to do was sit down, because I knew if I didn’t, I’d be falling down. I went and found a bench and sat down, feeling my legs give a sigh of relief. They were throbbing and stinging, but not as bad now that I was off of them. I sat there for a while and looked at the rides, which were all lit up, and felt the rain fall on my face. Tears were forming in my eyes, and I let them fall; there weren’t a lot, tho…the torrent would later come at the hotel. I sat there for a few minutes and decided that I needed to get up and get out…NOW. I went to the front entrance and sat down on a folding chair. Taking out my cell phone, I called a cab to come get me. And then I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

According to the nice lady cop, I probably waited for an hour and a half for the fucking cab to show up. I called them several times, and they kept telling me that they sent one out…it’ll be a few minutes…one’s on the way, blah blah blah. Apparently, someone stole the first cab I called, because on one of my call-backs, they told me they’d already picked up someone from the park. I told them that the only vehicles I’ve seen were cop cars and the shuttle busses. So, they said they’d send another one. And I waited some more. After a while, I stopped this fireman and asked him if cabs were able to get on this road (the roads had been blocked off earlier.) He said yes, that the roads were clear now. I told him that I’d called a cab ten million years ago and it still hadn’t shown up yet. So, he called them on his cell phone, and no one answered. Then he called another cab company, and someone finally answered after a million rings. Apparently, there was a fuck-up between the two cab companies, which are one and the same, or something like that. I guess they had a really busy night; they completely dissed me. L The man ordered another cab for me, and then he waited with me. I told him “I apologize if I start to cry; I’ve had a very eventful day.” I was tired, I was cold, it was raining, my feet were killing me, and all I wanted to do was get back to my hotel room. A few seconds after I said this, the tears just fell, and wouldn’t stop. This young woman stopped and asked if I was okay, then she came over to me and kept giving me terms of endearment. She kept calling me “honey” and “sweetie.” She asked me my name, and then told me hers…Bird (“it’s not my fault…my parents were hippies.”) I told her why I was crying and about the day I had, and this woman wiped the tears from my face…twice. I think the last time I had someone physically wipe my tears away was when I was a little girl. Anyway, I told her that I got to meet Keanu, and she playfully called me a bitch, and then asked if he was arrogant, and I said “oh, no no no,” and she wiped my tears away again, because they just wouldn’t stop. I should mention that, by this time, the park was now completely empty, everyone was gone, and it was after midnight; the concert had ended at 10:15. She told me she didn’t have a car (hell, even if she did and had offered me a ride, I wouldn’t have gone with her, nice as she was. I’m crazy…not stupid.) She told me everything would be okay, etc. and then walked away. After about another 15-20 minutes, a cab finally showed up, but it was there for someone else, but the nice man that waited with me stopped it and put me in it. I thanked him for waiting with me and he told me to have a good night, and I told him the same. Then I told the cabbie to take me back to my hotel. I guess he was there to pick up a Jim, but Jim never showed up, so he took me instead. HA! Someone stole my cab, I stole yours, motherfucker!! HA!

When I finally found myself back in my room, I closed the door, locked it, dropped my backpack on the bed, put my hand over my mouth, and completely lost it.

I cried like I did on the day my dear, sweet, precious mother died. I paced the room and cried. I sat on the bed and cried. I leaned against the wall and cried. I cried like I’ve never cried before. They were tears of frustration…tears of happiness…tears of relief…but most of all, they were tears of joy. True, complete, unfettered joy. I had finally met him! I finally got to meet Keanu Reeves! After 15 years of wishing, hoping, praying, and fantasizing, I finally met him! I got to hug him! I gave him my poems! I told him I love him! I got a picture with him! I taped his voice! And he could not have been nicer. It was very obvious that he was tired, but he went up and down that line of people and signed whatever they wanted him to sign, spoke to someone’s mom on a cell phone, posed for pictures, and even let someone touch his ass, for God’s sake!! He was completely gracious to everyone, and very shy, and very sincere (when he’s touched by something, he puts his hand over his heart and says thanks, or smiles and nods his head, and that’s what he did when he looked at one of Sara’s signs; I think it was the one that said I ADORE YOU. He wanted to give everyone what they wanted. He was SO SWEET! Some people were saying goofy things, like “Keanu, take off your sunglasses, so I can see your pretty eyes,” or “Keanu, can I have your sunglasses,” etc. But he just takes it all in stride. Most were there to oogle him because he’s handsome. I was there to show him my true love for him, and I hope I succeeded. I hope he reads my poems, but I suspect he won’t; he doesn’t read his fan mail. All I know is, he is the sweetest, most gracious, generous, and sincere man I have ever met. I know he’s used to being hounded, and other actors would probably blow us off, but he didn’t. He stayed for as long as he could and was nice to all. Because of this, I love him a zillion times more than I ever did.

July 24, 2004 began as an enormously frustrating and tiresome day, but it ended (literally and figuratively) with a bang.