meet Neko Case

Two weeks ago, I was scanning the local paper and saw an announcement of a Neko Case concert just an hour’s drive away.

The fly in the ointment: I had already scheduled a LASIK for the day before the concert.

Well…I wasn’t going to let that deter me from seeing my Favorite Singer of All Time.

So, I had the LASIK on Friday, actually felt pretty good, and convinced my Dear and Loving Wife to drive me up to Park City really early so I could get a good seat.

I’d never been to the club before, and I had no idea how the seating was arranged.

The show is scheduled to start at 9 pm, so we showed up at 5:30. The doors are locked. A stairway leads upstairs to the club, and the door is ajar; inside Neko and her band are doing a sound check. So, we just sat down and chilled.

A guy comes by (I found out later he was the light guy) and said, “Are you with the band? Can I help you?”

I said, “no” and explained what we were up to. I was told the doors open at 8 pm and so we left, got something to eat, then I formed the line at about 7 pm.

I pretty much figured my dream (and 43T goal) of meeting Neko Case was shot, then and there.

Although we had our first choice of places to park ourselves, I messed that up, and we ended up in chairs against the wall maybe 30 feet from the stage.

A whole bunch of people came in, and filled the mosh pit between us and the stage. We all figured out that by perching on the counter behind us, we could see pretty well, so we sat through the whole show like that.

It was incredible.

After the show, there was a booth set up for merchandise so I went over there to try and score a poster or a t-shirt. (I already have every piece of music she’s ever recorded.) There I was, thinking about what I wanted to buy, and I looked up and said to myself, “that saleswoman has on the same t-shirt as Neko Case wore on stage.”

Well, duh. It was Neko Case.

So I gave her my business card (yeah, I’m a geek…) and she reads the title and sort of looks impressed. I said, “it’s not really all that big a deal.”

She said, “so, you are the guy who fills the candy machine?” and we chuckled, and I said yes, that’s about it, and she signed my poster, as you can see here.

I met Neko Case. Wow.

She is the bomb! I think she has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard.

I just love to hear her talk, to sing, gargle, what have you…as long as it involves her throat. She has an amazing voice.

I didn’t get to meet Neko Case, but I did go to the show and it was incredible. Her voice is so amazing and she is just so talented…

I am going to a Neko Case show very soon, and maybe that will be my chance! (odds are probably slim that I will get to meet her though.) anyway, I am still excited to see her perform.