My obsession started back in 2006 when I first heard the song "Butterflies and Hurricanes". From there, MUSE would be my favourite band EVER! I know every single one of their songs, even the b-sides. Having over 100 songs, it's pretty much all I listen to. Back in September 2007, my 2 sisters (Jenny and Maren), and I drove down to Orem, Utah just to see them for their Black Holes and Revelations tour. After that day I have checked their website everyday just to find out about album releases, news and tour dates so I could see them LIVE again!
Back in December, they finally announced that they were doing a show in Salt Lake City on April 5, 2010. I bought tickets as soon as they were available, Jenny and Maren got tickets too, of course. About a week later, they annouced that they were doing some Canadian shows and Edmonton was one of them, a week before the SLC show, March 29! The first thing I thought was "YES!!! I get to see them 2 times!" After this, I thought, "okay...I have to meet them...well, actually, I just want to meet Matt Bellamy (he's the lead singer/songwriter/genius of the band/awesome entertainer/professional concert pianist/beautiful amazing voice/can you tell that I am obsessed with this guy?) Thus started "My quest to meet MUSE"
So I thought of some options to try to meet them. Maren's old manager used to work at Sonic 102.9 and we tried to use him to see if we could get anything from Sonic, they said no. And then my husband told me about a contest they were having on Sonic 102.9, it was called "Supermassive Meet and Greet." Here's what you win: The Garner Andrews show picks you up in a Limo, you go out to dinner with them, they drive you to the concert, you get tickets to the show, you meet the opening band (Silversun Pickups) before the show, and then you meet MUSE after the show! Since I already had tickets, all I care about was meeting them (Matt) after the show. At first I didn't believe Joe, I thought he was making this up because he knows how bad I want to meet them. So I called Garner and it was true! This is how to win though...starting March 22 at 7:40am, you have to me one of 3 callers on the line. Then they will play you a snipet of a song from the radio and you have to guess the name and artist. AND...all 3 callers have to get it right or no one wins that round and you can call in again later that day at 4:40. I DO NOT listen to the radio! I listen to MUSE! So I thought "great, I am never gonna win this, but I have to try." So I studied the radio for a couple weeks, I even made an excel spreadsheet of the songs they play. I was starting to feel pretty confident about winning...I just had to be one of the callers. Well, March 22 came and all I got was a busy signal when I tried to call...I didn't win the contest :( I was super bummed. I had spent the amount of a full time job the last couple weeks trying to learn radio songs and I didn't even get a chance to use my excel spreadsheet. I couldn't help it...I started crying. I know, it's silly. But I barely slept the night before and I was really tired! 5 minutes later I heard Joe on the phone with Garner, offering $1000 to any of the winners for their passes to meet MUSE, and explaining that I was their biggest fan. He gave Joe the number of the guy in charge of promotions at Sonic. I think his name was Brent, anyways, Brent told Joe that I should write an email about why I am their biggest fan and he would sent it to the MUSE guys, and maybe they would get me another pass. Long story short, too late, they still said NO! I thought "what do I have to do to meet these guys?!!" So my quest continued!
I wasn't giving up! I had to be one of those crazy staker fans that waits at their hotel...and that is exactly what I did. The evening before their concert, I went looking downtown for tour buses parked outside hotels. Claire Johnson helped me find the tour buses, she is a pro! We saw some buses parked outside the Westin downtown. So I sat in the lobby and waited, and waited...and waited. I finally saw some crew members walking around. But there was no sign of the band. Finally at about 10:30pm, Maren had the guts to talk to some of the crew members. They knew right away that we were looking for the band. They didn't tell us anything though. One of the crew members, Freddie, got Maren VIP tickets cause she didn't have tickets to the Edmonton show, only the SLC one. These passes got you access to the VIP room after the show, which the band sometimes shows up after. They told us they usually don't if they have a show the next night...which they did, in stupid Cowtown! Anyways, I had no luck that night trying to stalk them down. I thought I maybe could after the show the next night.
Day of the show. I was all ready and lined up at Rexall Place by 12:30pm, because we had floor tickets and it was a general admission show, and I wanted to be at the very front, right infront of Matt! When I got there, there were only 2 other girls there, and their names were also Sarah! Too funny. So we waited for about 6 more hours. Here is a pic of us waiting in line...
When the doors finally opened, I ran like a crazy person to the floor. I was so fast...I was the FIRST person running out onto the floor, so I pretty much got to stand where ever I wanted! Here is a pic of me and Jenny sitting right at the front waiting for the opening band...
This is Mark...he is the camera guy on the left side of the stage, right infront of us. We met him at the Westin the night before and he remembered us and got us on the big screen a lot. I had people asking me on facebook the next day if I was at the front at the concert...yes I was...
It was such an awesome show! Here are some of my favourite pics from the show taken from where Maren and Tarilyn were sitting...
He is such a genius at the piano...
And the best singer...
Did I mention how attractive he is yet?...it's okay, my husband knows...
Here are a few pics taken from one of the other "Sarah's" camera, she was standing right beside me...what a view...
I know this might sound crazy, but this is my favourite face he makes when he is singing...
Right when the show ended, Mark (the camera guy mentioned before) gave me the setlist!!! And here it is...
So, after the show, Jenny and I met up with Tarilyn and Maren to go to this VIP room...I was really excited to possibly meet them, but not hopeful...I had been dissapointed in trying to meet them so many times already that I was ready for more dissapointment. Well, they didn't show up in the VIP room, I was a little sad but still so pumped from the best show ever! Here is a pic of us in the VIP room...
This is us acting dissapointed that they didn't show...
After being dissapointed at not meeting him again I thought "it's okay, I still have next weeks show in SLC!!"
My quest continued in SLC...moving forward to the next week...I was so happy that I was going to be able to see them again! We were later lining up at the SLC show. We started lining up around 3pm and there were about 50 lined up already. I thought "doh! we won't be at the front this time I guess." The doors finally opened and for reasons I don't need to go into detail for, we made it to the front...AGAIN!!! Wee! I was so pumped! Here is one of us waiting outside for the doors to open...
Even though it was the same band I saw a week before, this show was a bzillion times better than the one in Edmonton. We had more interaction with Matt. There was a "moment" we had with him. In this video, when he is down on his knees, right when the drums come in, he turns his head, at this moment, he looked right at us and we freaked out!! It was the "moment" of the show we will not forget, or stop talking about.
I don't have any pictures from the show, we couldn't really bring our SLR cameras in there! So I just relive the time being there by looking up other peoples videos on youtube.
So after the show, the quest was back on. We thought we could maybe use the VIP passes we had in Edmonton, but they were playing in Denver the next day and the same thing might happen to us, and so we thought we might have a better chance of meeting them by stalking down their buses. We walked/ran (because it was snowing like crazy and it was really cold!) around the back of the building and squeezed through the gate to get to their buses. So we stood right by their tour buses and there were security guards walking by us and didn't say anything...I thought "this is it! I am finally going to meet him!" 10 minutes went by and then this mean British guy saw us and asked us if we had passes...we said "no, but..." and he was like "no, you need to leave" and then escorted us out to where there were some other fans waiting.
Plan B was on...the VIP passes we got in Edmonton. Since we only had 2 it was only Maren and I that could try this next plan. We went back in the venue and asked where the VIP room was and showed them our passes. They escorted us down to the doors of the room. The security guard outside the room said we had the wrong passes and we made the saddest eyes ever and said "if you let us talk to Freddie (the guys who gave us the Edmonton ones), he will let us in!" The other security guard that was there let us find Freddie and we made it into the VIP room!!! Muse wasn't there...yet. The opening band was in there, but we didn't talk to them, not really interested. We were in there for about 15 minutes when Dom (the drummer of Muse) walked in. I thought "YES!! I am for reals going to meet Matt...finally!" We talked to him for a couple minutes and got pictures with him...
He was really nice...and british...Maren asked him if Matt was coming and he said that he had already left. I instantly didn't believe him...I was in denial. Then Chris (the bassist) walked in and we eventually got pics with him too...
He was really nice too. Maren asked Chris if Matt was coming and he said he didn't know...that gave me hope. But I knew deep down, Matt wasn't coming. So I got really sad...
Okay, that was totally posed, but I was really sad, and trying not to be because I had just seen the best live show ever and met some of my favourite band! So after a while we decided it was time to go...
This one was posed too, it was hard because Chris and Dom were standing like 2 meters from me and I didn't want them to see me looking sad...even though I really was.
Okay, this is the worst part of the story...So we get outside the VIP room and the security guards are like "so, did you get all the pictures you wanted?" We were like "kinda, we really wanted to meet the singer, Matt." They were like "what? He was in there! But that was a while ago, we saw him walk in and out of the room but I think it was about 5 minutes before you guys got here. He was really nice!" I had the hugest pit in my stomache! I missed Matt by 5 MINUTES!!! I know it might sound lame but I still get sick thinking about it. I have wanted to meet this guy for the last 4 years! I tried and am still trying to not let that get to me...only time can heal my pain!!! So my quest to meet MUSE is now my quest to meet MATT (I guess it always was anyways) and it continues...oh and if Matt is reading this, I am not crazy, I just think you are super talented and a genius and I love your music...and my number is...
Going to Park City the next day to go SHOPPING helped a lot...super deals over there! This last one is of us with our cousin Britt, we stayed at her house in Alpine, she was so awesome, the best hostess ever!
Sorry this was so long...I just had to get it all out. I don't blame any of you for not reading the whole thing...I wouldn't!
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