Meeting Adam in San Francisco
Adam interviewing and performing at Tommy T's for radio (101.3) on March 28th 2012 This post has Every Excruciating Detail, you are warned. Take the warning seriously! :) Beyond this point I am not responsible for my flail--well, actually, I am totally responsible for my flail, but, as ever, not for your reading it. *g* I DO flail. *hugs flist*
So in the middle of March I entered a contest for passes to a performance by Adam at a San Francisco radio concert. I totally spaced it afterwards but at 3am on Tuesday morning (March 27th) I found the email (one I'd received only hours earlier) saying I'd won two tickets to the show and meet&greet for the 28th of March. Oh my god, I'd won tickets to meet Adam. Oh my god, I only had a day to figure out how to get halfway across the country to get to the show, or how to afford a flight. I was stunned to the point of being incapable of thinking. Seriously. For many, many minutes. And then I was torn between jubilation and aching disappointment. Meeting Adam! But how could we get there? But meeting Adam!!!
stasia and my mom are both brilliant. I wish my mom had been able to come so so badly. She would love to meet Adam as much as me. ♥♥♥♥♥ But between mom's and Stasia's brilliance and my determination not to let a chance to meet Adam slip by, I ended up on a seven hour flight - counting the layover in Phoenix - to San Francisco, stasia, and meeting Adam. *\o/*
The first flight was fine, but I came off it with a headache - and dorkishness at myself for forgetting to take off my belt through security (but the security were funny and nice as they patted me down), and dismay that I'd forgot my lunch in the fridge at home (I bought a Naked mango smoothie as a last ditch effort to have a breakfast/lunch) - and Phoenix was super overcrowded (as in there were no unoccupied seats in the waiting areas) and super hot even in the airport! And my flight was delayed. It was not pretty. I drank my smoothie, threw back a couple pills and grumpily sunk into a seat far off from my boarding gate until I could finally shuffle closer when another flight boarded. My second flight was lovely, even though it was delayed. We boarded and taxied forever. I nodded off, jolted awake on take-off and read the rest of the way. By some miracle the huge 180 passenger plane was only about a 3rd full, and by some bigger miracle my headache was gone when we landed. I met Stasia and Geordie at the SFO airport.
We went out for some lunch and plane watching before heading home so Stasia and I had time to get ready and leave on time for the show at 6:45 (having to arrive at 6:00). We got dressed, I wore my snazzy black ruffle military jacket which I adore (really adore. XD), and then we rushed out. We arrived at 5:30. lol And then waited until something like 7:00 to be let into the show, just standing there in line. lolol
I was very jittery and nervous and flaily and Stasia was very amused. We debated coffee, decided to hold down the line together instead, and she began knitting a project. We also met a few Glamberts, some who were just fun to listen to and others who were in search of spare tickets. Finally - omg, me with my nerves and flailing to the point of becoming nauseous. Seriously, I was a wreck, a big flaily wreck. - Finally we were slowly checked in and could go upstairs, with a brief stop to get our photos taken for the radio photographer. Then inside the little bar/club/dinner room four long tables were laid out tightly together for us to cram into. Stasia and I scored great seats just right of dead center, two seats in. It was small and intimate and there were only sixty of us, but closer is always always always better. We got drinks - a beer and raspberry margarita - and some snacks - a few veggies and fried deliciousness. We chatted with a few of the attendees sitting with us.
And then Adam was introduced. And then Adam came on. He. Was. So. Gorgeous. Gorgeous zippery boots, drape-y dark sweater, snug jeans, high casual hair, and a big smile. He was as tired as I felt, with his long day and my days long sleep-deprivation to get there myself. (I didn't sleep for something like 48 hours before the show. ha!) I was, amusingly and perhaps unsurprisingly, the farthest traveler for the show, having come halfway across the country.
He settled in, chatted a little, and Adam and Tommy performed Better Than I Know Myself. I cannot describe the way this song twists at my heart, his notes making me soar with happiness and grieve with love teetering on a precarious edge. I mouthed the words through the whole thing, like I always do. XD After, he chatted more, answering questions from the radio hosts. At some point, before or after BTIKM, I can't quite remember which, they played "Does Adam know Adam better than … himself." lol Adam talked more, all laughing and joking and adorable. The next song he performed was Never Close Our Eyes, which was so simply gorgeously bouncy and all about love, those singular moments of pure bliss where you want nothing more than for the moments to go on forever… The way Adam makes us Glamberts feel. lol I bounced and grinned like a dork and sang silently along again. Then he answered a few more radio host questions, and then performed Cuckoo. Cuckoo is shear fucking ear candy that makes you want to dance along. I sang along to this one too, and bounced a little more gleefully. At the end he was like, "Can we answer some questions from the fans?" And there wasn't much time, but yes! He answered a few questions before being pulled off so there would be time for pictures. Throughout the whole show I took about twenty-five pictures. Stasia took a few pictures and recorded the songs! YAY! (And they're gorgeous! I am embedding them here!)
Better Than I Know Myself
Never Close Our Eyes (this song comes out as a single on the 17th, guys!!! Dancepop bouncy sexy hawt! I cannot wait omfg!)
Cuckoo
It was organized so that the professional picture line formed by consecutive tables. Our table was last. No autographs or fans taking pictures allowed, alas. It was too dark for the latter in any case. Stasia and I hovered back, ending up at the back of the line because we shifted off for a couple minutes so I could flail at Tommy and get his autograph. I almost sidled up to him, because I just hate disturbing him after shows, to be honest, and get all shy and flustered, because he seems like such a quiet guy. But I basically sidled, and asked for a photo hopefully (dorkily), and when he said yes proffered photo and sharpie like a crazy Glambert Girl Scout (our motto is, of course, Be Prepared (for All Adam Contingencies)). And he said, "oh, this picture!" and I promptly gushed back, "yes! I love that picture!" And then he handed it back to me. lol But by this point I'd broken through the Do Not Disturb Tommy barrier and I was Determined so I gushed some more, something along the lines of, "I am so glad you're with Adam, you're such an amazing guitarist." And he looked a bit surprised and thanked me and said he loved playing the guitar. I asked if he was guitarist first, before a bassist (though I was pretty sure he was, 90%), and he said yeah, guitar was his real love and he got into bass because guitar was taken, and he'd learned to play - and if you could play the guitar you could pretty easily pick up the bass - and I rambled about how he was a great bassist though, but also a better guitarist and he was amazing tonight. Then I thanked him and said it was nice to meet him and grinned like an idiot and shuffled off.
I hurried a wee bit back to the line for Adam, which had dwindled spectacularly and I worried we'd miss him suddenly. When he got there I was pulling out a picture to get signed for my mom and alas, the staff said, no signings! Bugger bugger bugger! But fuck, getting my picture taken with Adam! And then we found out it had to be two people with Adam - which okay I get they wanted to go fast, but I also think that's a bit ridiculous anyway - and so Stasia, who hadn't planned on getting a picture taken, bounced over with me. I possibly settled in at Adam's side completely naturally. Stasia grabbed my purse and hauled it away. I desperately clung on - amusing the hell out of Stasia - and dug out a silver snake ring (one about two or three sizes too big for me, which I hope is just perfect for Adam since my fingers are sort of ridiculously thin) to hand to him. I pretty much said, "This is for you, a snake ring. I hope it fits! I just saw it and thought of you and…" and he said, "aw, thank you," and then Stasia was back and we were getting our picture taken and I was so flustered and rushed and my mind was racing I didn't take him in at all, not like one should. He was warm and tall and radiating amazing, happy, possibly slightly loopy-tired energy.
Stasia and I slipped back out of the way. We tried to hover and the staff, after ascertaining we'd had our picture taken, said we had to leave. So we shuffled back to the door. Stasia tried to take a picture from there but the room was too dark. I bemoaned my failure to get an autograph. Or get a hug. Or tell him he's amazing. Or wish Sauli a happy birthday as in-person as I could get. Or really take in being that close to Adam. :3:3:3 So after hesitating a minute and flailing at Stasia and digging out our parking pass for validation, I gripped my purse, took a deep breath, and marched back over there to at least try asking for an autograph. I arrived just in time to hear Adam's handler explaining to another guy - with Adam standing next to her looking either sheepish or spectacularly levelly blank - that Adam couldn't sign something for one person or he'd have to sign something for everyone. I let off a mental sigh and then determined right then and there at least to get the other stuff in. So I sidled again, shifting between the guy and the handler, and Adam met my eyes and I grinned - probably sheepishly - and said, I think almost exactly, "Just a couple things… Can I get a hug?" And here I think I probably had a pitifully hopeful smile on my face, but he didn't even hesitate a second, going, "aw, sure!" and engulfed me in a hug that was far, far too brief and I feel like I somehow checked out again, but he smelled amazing, and was so warm, and when he pulled back I sort of habitually held onto his hand, because it's really just what I do with people I feel close to or feel the need to relate something important - and he held my hand back! AWW OMG!!! HE HELD MY HAND BACK!!! - and I looked up at him and he looked straight back at me - and okay, I never thought I'd be able to manage to maintain eye-contact with him, and I don't know if it was his energy, our energy, my own sleep-deprivation, my happiness, or the one margarita I had, but god, meeting his eyes and being open with him was the easiest and most natural thing in the world, like talking to the closest person in the world to me - and I said to him, "Okay, I want to tell you how great you are, but I don't think you'll believe me!" And he saw, "aw, thank you!" or was it, "aw, that's so sweet!"? I don't remember! It was one of those, only I was just so relieved that I'd been able to tell him that and that my sincerity shone through, and god, I hope my belief in how good he is shone through as well. And then I was dazedly taking a step back and grinning at him, knowing I had to go, and he had stuff to do, and then I remembered one last thing and I stepped forward again like a fucking rocket, "Oh! And tell Sauli happy birthday!" and he said, "aw! I will!" and I beamed and was all yay and happiness and I wandered back to Stasia, finally content. I did everything I could. *\o/* Adam is such a sweetie it is ridiculous, you know?
I still couldn't leave though, not when Adam was right there, so Stasia very patiently waited with me the last minutes until Adam left. And then we left ourselves, meandered down the stairs and out the doors. The cool air outside was a refreshing change from the heat inside. I flailed, Stasia listened and grinned and asserted that I wasn't crazy but adorable. lol We wandered into the parking lot, paid, and there were two limos right there, parked and waiting for their people to come drive them away. I flailed at Stasia. She laughed at me and dragged me off to the car even as I was laughing at me. I am such a dork. I mean, what if Adam came out to one of those limos? Yeah, okay, we probably wouldn't get to talk to him or anything, but we could see him, and fuck, that'd be amazing. Because it's hard to ever get enough of just seeing him. Being near him is a trip. Stasia doesn't see it. lol But win, because she had fun tonight too, and thought Adam had a great voice, and that he was nice and handled himself really well, even with fan questions that would've set her off. And I loff Adam and Stasia and everything in the whole fucking world and omg. Love.
There it is! I wrote that in the wee hours of the morning right after the show. I was sleep-deprived, happy, and high on Adam, and EVERYTHING WAS (IS) RIGHT IN THE WORLD RIGHT IN ALL THOSE MOMENTS. :)
So in the middle of March I entered a contest for passes to a performance by Adam at a San Francisco radio concert. I totally spaced it afterwards but at 3am on Tuesday morning (March 27th) I found the email (one I'd received only hours earlier) saying I'd won two tickets to the show and meet&greet for the 28th of March. Oh my god, I'd won tickets to meet Adam. Oh my god, I only had a day to figure out how to get halfway across the country to get to the show, or how to afford a flight. I was stunned to the point of being incapable of thinking. Seriously. For many, many minutes. And then I was torn between jubilation and aching disappointment. Meeting Adam! But how could we get there? But meeting Adam!!!
stasia and my mom are both brilliant. I wish my mom had been able to come so so badly. She would love to meet Adam as much as me. ♥♥♥♥♥ But between mom's and Stasia's brilliance and my determination not to let a chance to meet Adam slip by, I ended up on a seven hour flight - counting the layover in Phoenix - to San Francisco, stasia, and meeting Adam. *\o/*
The first flight was fine, but I came off it with a headache - and dorkishness at myself for forgetting to take off my belt through security (but the security were funny and nice as they patted me down), and dismay that I'd forgot my lunch in the fridge at home (I bought a Naked mango smoothie as a last ditch effort to have a breakfast/lunch) - and Phoenix was super overcrowded (as in there were no unoccupied seats in the waiting areas) and super hot even in the airport! And my flight was delayed. It was not pretty. I drank my smoothie, threw back a couple pills and grumpily sunk into a seat far off from my boarding gate until I could finally shuffle closer when another flight boarded. My second flight was lovely, even though it was delayed. We boarded and taxied forever. I nodded off, jolted awake on take-off and read the rest of the way. By some miracle the huge 180 passenger plane was only about a 3rd full, and by some bigger miracle my headache was gone when we landed. I met Stasia and Geordie at the SFO airport.
We went out for some lunch and plane watching before heading home so Stasia and I had time to get ready and leave on time for the show at 6:45 (having to arrive at 6:00). We got dressed, I wore my snazzy black ruffle military jacket which I adore (really adore. XD), and then we rushed out. We arrived at 5:30. lol And then waited until something like 7:00 to be let into the show, just standing there in line. lolol
I was very jittery and nervous and flaily and Stasia was very amused. We debated coffee, decided to hold down the line together instead, and she began knitting a project. We also met a few Glamberts, some who were just fun to listen to and others who were in search of spare tickets. Finally - omg, me with my nerves and flailing to the point of becoming nauseous. Seriously, I was a wreck, a big flaily wreck. - Finally we were slowly checked in and could go upstairs, with a brief stop to get our photos taken for the radio photographer. Then inside the little bar/club/dinner room four long tables were laid out tightly together for us to cram into. Stasia and I scored great seats just right of dead center, two seats in. It was small and intimate and there were only sixty of us, but closer is always always always better. We got drinks - a beer and raspberry margarita - and some snacks - a few veggies and fried deliciousness. We chatted with a few of the attendees sitting with us.
And then Adam was introduced. And then Adam came on. He. Was. So. Gorgeous. Gorgeous zippery boots, drape-y dark sweater, snug jeans, high casual hair, and a big smile. He was as tired as I felt, with his long day and my days long sleep-deprivation to get there myself. (I didn't sleep for something like 48 hours before the show. ha!) I was, amusingly and perhaps unsurprisingly, the farthest traveler for the show, having come halfway across the country.
He settled in, chatted a little, and Adam and Tommy performed Better Than I Know Myself. I cannot describe the way this song twists at my heart, his notes making me soar with happiness and grieve with love teetering on a precarious edge. I mouthed the words through the whole thing, like I always do. XD After, he chatted more, answering questions from the radio hosts. At some point, before or after BTIKM, I can't quite remember which, they played "Does Adam know Adam better than … himself." lol Adam talked more, all laughing and joking and adorable. The next song he performed was Never Close Our Eyes, which was so simply gorgeously bouncy and all about love, those singular moments of pure bliss where you want nothing more than for the moments to go on forever… The way Adam makes us Glamberts feel. lol I bounced and grinned like a dork and sang silently along again. Then he answered a few more radio host questions, and then performed Cuckoo. Cuckoo is shear fucking ear candy that makes you want to dance along. I sang along to this one too, and bounced a little more gleefully. At the end he was like, "Can we answer some questions from the fans?" And there wasn't much time, but yes! He answered a few questions before being pulled off so there would be time for pictures. Throughout the whole show I took about twenty-five pictures. Stasia took a few pictures and recorded the songs! YAY! (And they're gorgeous! I am embedding them here!)
Better Than I Know Myself
Click to viewNever Close Our Eyes (this song comes out as a single on the 17th, guys!!! Dancepop bouncy sexy hawt! I cannot wait omfg!)
Cuckoo
It was organized so that the professional picture line formed by consecutive tables. Our table was last. No autographs or fans taking pictures allowed, alas. It was too dark for the latter in any case. Stasia and I hovered back, ending up at the back of the line because we shifted off for a couple minutes so I could flail at Tommy and get his autograph. I almost sidled up to him, because I just hate disturbing him after shows, to be honest, and get all shy and flustered, because he seems like such a quiet guy. But I basically sidled, and asked for a photo hopefully (dorkily), and when he said yes proffered photo and sharpie like a crazy Glambert Girl Scout (our motto is, of course, Be Prepared (for All Adam Contingencies)). And he said, "oh, this picture!" and I promptly gushed back, "yes! I love that picture!" And then he handed it back to me. lol But by this point I'd broken through the Do Not Disturb Tommy barrier and I was Determined so I gushed some more, something along the lines of, "I am so glad you're with Adam, you're such an amazing guitarist." And he looked a bit surprised and thanked me and said he loved playing the guitar. I asked if he was guitarist first, before a bassist (though I was pretty sure he was, 90%), and he said yeah, guitar was his real love and he got into bass because guitar was taken, and he'd learned to play - and if you could play the guitar you could pretty easily pick up the bass - and I rambled about how he was a great bassist though, but also a better guitarist and he was amazing tonight. Then I thanked him and said it was nice to meet him and grinned like an idiot and shuffled off.
I hurried a wee bit back to the line for Adam, which had dwindled spectacularly and I worried we'd miss him suddenly. When he got there I was pulling out a picture to get signed for my mom and alas, the staff said, no signings! Bugger bugger bugger! But fuck, getting my picture taken with Adam! And then we found out it had to be two people with Adam - which okay I get they wanted to go fast, but I also think that's a bit ridiculous anyway - and so Stasia, who hadn't planned on getting a picture taken, bounced over with me. I possibly settled in at Adam's side completely naturally. Stasia grabbed my purse and hauled it away. I desperately clung on - amusing the hell out of Stasia - and dug out a silver snake ring (one about two or three sizes too big for me, which I hope is just perfect for Adam since my fingers are sort of ridiculously thin) to hand to him. I pretty much said, "This is for you, a snake ring. I hope it fits! I just saw it and thought of you and…" and he said, "aw, thank you," and then Stasia was back and we were getting our picture taken and I was so flustered and rushed and my mind was racing I didn't take him in at all, not like one should. He was warm and tall and radiating amazing, happy, possibly slightly loopy-tired energy.
Stasia and I slipped back out of the way. We tried to hover and the staff, after ascertaining we'd had our picture taken, said we had to leave. So we shuffled back to the door. Stasia tried to take a picture from there but the room was too dark. I bemoaned my failure to get an autograph. Or get a hug. Or tell him he's amazing. Or wish Sauli a happy birthday as in-person as I could get. Or really take in being that close to Adam. :3:3:3 So after hesitating a minute and flailing at Stasia and digging out our parking pass for validation, I gripped my purse, took a deep breath, and marched back over there to at least try asking for an autograph. I arrived just in time to hear Adam's handler explaining to another guy - with Adam standing next to her looking either sheepish or spectacularly levelly blank - that Adam couldn't sign something for one person or he'd have to sign something for everyone. I let off a mental sigh and then determined right then and there at least to get the other stuff in. So I sidled again, shifting between the guy and the handler, and Adam met my eyes and I grinned - probably sheepishly - and said, I think almost exactly, "Just a couple things… Can I get a hug?" And here I think I probably had a pitifully hopeful smile on my face, but he didn't even hesitate a second, going, "aw, sure!" and engulfed me in a hug that was far, far too brief and I feel like I somehow checked out again, but he smelled amazing, and was so warm, and when he pulled back I sort of habitually held onto his hand, because it's really just what I do with people I feel close to or feel the need to relate something important - and he held my hand back! AWW OMG!!! HE HELD MY HAND BACK!!! - and I looked up at him and he looked straight back at me - and okay, I never thought I'd be able to manage to maintain eye-contact with him, and I don't know if it was his energy, our energy, my own sleep-deprivation, my happiness, or the one margarita I had, but god, meeting his eyes and being open with him was the easiest and most natural thing in the world, like talking to the closest person in the world to me - and I said to him, "Okay, I want to tell you how great you are, but I don't think you'll believe me!" And he saw, "aw, thank you!" or was it, "aw, that's so sweet!"? I don't remember! It was one of those, only I was just so relieved that I'd been able to tell him that and that my sincerity shone through, and god, I hope my belief in how good he is shone through as well. And then I was dazedly taking a step back and grinning at him, knowing I had to go, and he had stuff to do, and then I remembered one last thing and I stepped forward again like a fucking rocket, "Oh! And tell Sauli happy birthday!" and he said, "aw! I will!" and I beamed and was all yay and happiness and I wandered back to Stasia, finally content. I did everything I could. *\o/* Adam is such a sweetie it is ridiculous, you know?
I still couldn't leave though, not when Adam was right there, so Stasia very patiently waited with me the last minutes until Adam left. And then we left ourselves, meandered down the stairs and out the doors. The cool air outside was a refreshing change from the heat inside. I flailed, Stasia listened and grinned and asserted that I wasn't crazy but adorable. lol We wandered into the parking lot, paid, and there were two limos right there, parked and waiting for their people to come drive them away. I flailed at Stasia. She laughed at me and dragged me off to the car even as I was laughing at me. I am such a dork. I mean, what if Adam came out to one of those limos? Yeah, okay, we probably wouldn't get to talk to him or anything, but we could see him, and fuck, that'd be amazing. Because it's hard to ever get enough of just seeing him. Being near him is a trip. Stasia doesn't see it. lol But win, because she had fun tonight too, and thought Adam had a great voice, and that he was nice and handled himself really well, even with fan questions that would've set her off. And I loff Adam and Stasia and everything in the whole fucking world and omg. Love.
There it is! I wrote that in the wee hours of the morning right after the show. I was sleep-deprived, happy, and high on Adam, and EVERYTHING WAS (IS) RIGHT IN THE WORLD RIGHT IN ALL THOSE MOMENTS. :)