A.D.W.D.A.K.!

So… J Devil tomorrow…

Well, it was a good run. I’ll give it that. It’s not over yet. In all honesty, it went better than I expected.

The Junkyard wasn’t open Wednesday, I should have expected that. So Thursday we went at 4:30. I take back what I said before, this place is actually pretty cool inside, if you like decor made out of beer cans. But the style is cool. I’ll admit that. Way too dark though! We found an employee and asked if the manager was around and she said, ‘oh yeah, he’s just talking with somebody, he’ll be out in a few minutes. You can sit at the bar while you wait ;) ’ So we did. I was melting in a puddle of sweat because I was so nervous. I started going over my lines. Then two guys came out- one tall man in a button-down striped shirt and slacks and a casually dressed dude with a Monster hat on. I freaked because I saw the tall dude looked like a hardass. But when the two finished talking it was the other guy who came over to us. He actually seemed nice. He shook our hands and introduced himself as Alex. He was no taller than myself which made me feel a ton better. I came out with the question right away- ‘I just had a question about the show Friday night, the J Devil show, is it 18+ definitely or is there any chance it could be changed to all ages?’ I went into how I was JD’s #1 fan and he smiled and agreed and my mom chimed in about how yes, I definitely loved Jonathan more than anyone. He said ‘yeah, I do believe it’s 18+. It’s just a liability thing. It’s hard enough making it 18 because trying to keep them from coming in and drinking is difficult. I’m really sorry, I know how you feel. I’ll tell you, we do have a lot of celebrities come through here, and I’ve never once wanted to meet any of them, but Jonathan, I do. I’d like to meet him.’ That made me feel good. He knows how great a person JD is. He knows Korn. We talked some more, I found out JD himself wouldn’t be coming on until midnight or later, there’d be local DJs the first part of the night. He also said there’d be upwards to 400 people attending, which I find truly hard to believe, the place cannot squeeze in more than 250 at most, and that’s filling the entire building. In the end, he felt bad for me and took down my name and number and told me that actually he is about to meet with Jonathan’s promoter, who is the person who really decides the age restriction. Alex said he’ll try and talk to him about it. That made me really happy. But what made it a success for me was that he said to me, ‘Well, if it turns out you can’t come, I guess I’ll just have to make sure he comes back next year!!!’ I died a little bit there, he is so kind. We said goodbye and I went home to await the phone call.

What amazed me most though was the stage. I almost cried when I saw it. It was absolutely tiny, no more than 10 by 15 feet, in the front corner of the building, against the wall, with no backstage. I didn’t see a place where JD would put his equipment, and there is almost no room for him to jump around. I can’t imagine what the show will be like. What killed me is that if I had been able to go, I would have been no more than 2 feet away from him. And he would have to go through the crowd to get to the stage as well. I could’ve just reached out and touched him… And taken some awesome photos too D:

So I go home and await a phone call anxiously. It comes at around 8:30. I pick up and it’s Alex. I say hi. He says ‘So, how are you?’ I say ‘good, good.’ He says ‘I’m really sorry, but it’s 18+. I tried. I know how much you wanted to go and I feel bad.’ I say ‘Even if I had a parent with me?…’ ‘No… sorry. When’s your birthday?’ ‘May 15.’ ‘Ha, tax day XD I guess we’ll just have him come back next year, ok?’ ‘Ok.. Hey, um, do you think there’s any chance that if, maybe, if Jonathan’s here before or after the show, um, you could find a way for me, you know if I can’t actually go inside, to just maybe see him or meet him and say hi? I mean, if he’s just hanging around.’ ‘Oh, yeah, um, maybe. I don’t really know if he’ll be there setting up early in the day, maybe. Yeah, it’s a possibility. I could try. Listen, I’ll keep your number handy, and if I find out anything, I’ll get ahold of you. Sound good?’ ‘Yeah, thanks so much. This really means a lot to me.’ ‘Ok, see ya.’ ‘Bye!’

That was that. A glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he can arrange a meeting. A quick hello. A goddamn photo. I mean, yes, I’d love to finally go see this man do what he does best, but at the end of the day meeting him is worth a gazillion times more. He’s coming down from Canada. I’m not sure exactly when he’ll arrive because since he’s not with the band, I don’t know whether he’s flying or driving. But if possibly he does have some extra time, which I’m sure he will because he’s not due onstage until midnight, maybe he wouldn’t mind giving a few minutes to a devoted fan? I feel like it depends whether he’s told ahead of time, and by who. Alex wanted to meet him, so I’m sure he will the day of, when JD arrives. LOL when he wakes up. If he is kind enough to mention me to Jonathan I’m sure he wouldn’t be opposed to saying hi. But if it’s not told to him then me just popping up might catch him offguard and he might say ‘this is a bad time’ or something. I dread being rejected by him. That would shatter my self-esteem. This is going to be a really intimate show, I hope Korn fans going really take advantage of it. Just a minute. To say hi, get the sympathy of ‘I tried so hard to get in but I’m just too young :’(  but I’m so glad I can finally meet you!’ if I could even muster up that, and if I’m lucky, an autograph, and if he’s in a good mood, maybe a photo? I care about that way more than him signing my poster. A photo is eternal.  But anything is wonderful, just wonderful. Just the fact he is stepping on ground I go by every day on the way to the supermarket is unbelievable.

Whether or not I get a call from Alex tomorrow (I begged my mom to let me stay in all day Friday in case he calls but she insisted we go out) I’m still going. I may not be able to step foot in the Junkyard past 9pm, but before that? Maybe they are setting up or doing rehearsal and who’s to say I wouldn’t be able to sit in, if Alex says I’m alright? I’d shut up and be quiet if they want. Or even if I can’t get in at all, you bet I’ll be lurking around back as much as I can without drawing attention. I’ll hang around the bird food store until I see JD come out :P Even after the show, at 1am, that’s when they close, everyone will have to clear out, and so will JD. Maybe I can catch J Devil packing up. I bet Alex would let me in with my mom if the show’s over and Jonathan’s just chilling or something. Anything. You can be sure I won’t leave that parking lot without seeing Jonathan.

It’s not over. The fun’s just begun.