The day had finally come, after months of waiting, my first Goo concert! Of course, when we left home and drove 3 hours to the Fieldhouse, I would never in my life imagine what would happen.

We arrived in Peoria about two hours before the show so we decided to scope out the Fieldhouse for awhile before getting something to eat. I discovered the doors were closed until 6:00, one hour later. Then we saw two huge busses, and knew immediately whose busses they belonged to. At like 150 feet away, we spotted a crowd in between the building and the busses, and could make out both Johnny's and Robby's hair and knew it had to be them. Because the Goos have been my one and only passion for the past 5 months, I suddenly felt sick and dizzy.

My dad practically dragged my friends and I (okay, we all get nervous really easily) over by a crowd of about three other people; there we could hear what the Goo men were talking about, and also peeked under the bus and saw Robby's bare feet :)* :)* What I didn't like was we saw 3 hooker-trashy-looking girls walking away from their bus.

It was a mere 5 minutes until John and Robby appeared from behind the busses to mingle with all the fans! All I could think was, "Omigod, Omigod, Omigod! They are really real humans, not just phenomanal music from a stereo or beautiful faces from the TV screen." I was so nervous and I was trembling (they are my idols, okay?), but I approached them and soon lost all my 5 senses. John asked if I wanted a picture (I think he could tell I was overwhelmed), so of course we got a few pics. He needed a shave, but looked so adorable. He had his arm around me, and my arm was around him for like 20 seconds! He has a strong, muscle-y back! He didn't think the camera was working, so he requested my dad take a few more. (It really was working, but of course we would have to be mentally screwed up to tell John that!) I wanted to tell him how much their music means to me and that I couldn't live without them, but like I said, all my senses just shut down. Well, I tried to squeak something cheesy like, "You know I really love your music" but he was talking to someone else then, and didn't seem to hear me! He was so friendly and kind. I couldn't believe my luck of finally meeting the one and only Goos, and being so close to John for so long.

After that, John went to go on to give autographs, and I realized Robby had disapeared! I was so disapointed, I love Robby! He is one-third or the band! I wanted to say hi and get some pics and stuff, but at least I saw him within 4 feet with my own eyes. Soon, Johnny started to leave, but then he saw that my friends and I wanted an autograph, so he apologized for not seeing that before! That was sooo sweet! A lot of famous people would rather ignore fans and not give autgraphs! The grumpy manager let him sign only one thing, so he signed their tickets and my Jed cover (It was the CD sleeve on top of the stack of covers). Of what I saw of Robby and Johnny, they were so friendly and down to earth and just plain cool guys. Not your typical "rock stars!"

After John left, I thought I was going to throw up, and I was just shocked! We stood around in the parking lot, wondering if we should wait to see if more guys would come out, or if they already left to get a bite to eat, but decided to stick around. Soon, I saw Mike just strolling along the parking lot! So I screamed his name, waved, and ran over to him like a trained puppy. I would've asked for his autograph, but forgot my pen, so I got a great pic with him. He looked really tired and exhausted and is very tall, was really nice, and he heard me when I barely whispered again "I really love your music." He said "thanks." I had no clue what to say. Some other people got pictures with him too, and then he had to go :( How did "rock stars" get so sweet? I thought they were supposed to be conceited and cold, but not the Goos!

Okay, by this time I really didn't know what was going on, just dazed and on Cloud 9. We trusted our gut again and stuck around. We talked to this really nice girl about our love for the Goos and stuff like that for awhile, when Nathan came out, making his way from their busses to the building! We called his name, ran over, and asked for a picture (I forgot my pen again! :( ) He said,"Sure, but hurry because I have to shave." Okayyy...I should've felt bad for taking up his time, but I didn't. He put his arm on my shoulders with a cigarette in his hand, and smelled like he was smoking for the past 6 days straight. I didn't mind. Isn't he is one of the coolest looking people you've ever seen?

After that, we finally headed somewhere to eat, figuring they were out too by now. It would've been really cool to see them at the reataurant also, but I count my blessings and figure that was GOOd enough, especially because we all expected to go to the concert, witness the most kicking show ever, then head home. I can't believe how open they are, are so glad to meet fans, and really care about you. I don't mean to sound like a cliche, but I won't ever forget them, could never forget them, because they have given me so much. Someday, hopefully, I will be able to thank them for that, and also let them know how awesome they are, and that they have fans who really need them, and are not just entertained by their music. Long live the "Love and Magic of Goo!"