I detest going out of chronilogical order when it comes to our blog, but I have GOT to make an exception! We attended the Corbin Bleu concert last night at the Idaho Fair and many have asked to see the pictures. Plus, I couldn't wait to tell my side of our adventurous night, so, I am breaking all rules and posting this entry out of order!!!!
About 2 months ago, Trey and I were visiting the Pronto Pup stand in the Boise Town Square Mall and I saw a little poster with Corbin Bleu's picture on it. It said, "Free Concert with Corbin at the Idaho Fair." I couldn't believe it! I later got on line and searched the Idaho Fair website, and sure enough, with admission to the fair, the Corbin Bleu concert was free on August 21st. We were so there!
As the time got closer, I started hearing commercials on 103.3 KISS FM for VIP/BBQ tickets. I had told my co-worker Shelly about the promotion and how much Trey would LOVE to attend. We were already planning on going to the concert, but to get VIP tickets would be amazing! 2 weeks before the concert at work, Shelly began calling into the radio stations. The winner had to be caller number 9, and multiple times Shelly got through, but with the number 2 or 6. Justin even called in once and got caller number 3. I thought our luck was running out until 3 days before the concert. Shelly had heard they were handing out more VIP tickets at a certain time, she programed 2 of our work phones, and she WON! We BOTH screamed like complete 12 year olds! I was so excited and SOOOOOOOOOOOO grateful for her efforts! She is the best!
I called the radio station to ask how many tickets we got, what our tickets included, etc. We were told we got a VIP BBQ, seating in a VIP "lounge" and free access to the concert seating. I asked if Corbin would be at the VIP BBQ and they said "No." I was okay with that, but I wasn't sold on their answer.(Trying to think positive.)
So, August 21st arrived and we got to the fair 2 hours before our VIP BBQ began. As we were sitting watching a JEEP expo show, we could see the line to the Corbin Bleu concert creaping into the concert venue. We decided it was probably time to get into the BBQ as it looked as if people were already getting seated. We enjoyed the BBQ of hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, pasta salad, beans, punch and brownies and got a kick out of our little local celebrities, the KISS FM DJ's doing their thing! (Shelly had asked us to get pictures of the DJ's and a possible autograph from Corbin for her valiant efforts!)
-here are the radio DJ's Shelly asked for!!!-
Lucky, the DJ came to the BBQ and asked if there was anyone who still needed to pick up their "Meet and Greet" wristbands to meet Corbin backstage. No one raised their hands, but one mom and daughter said, "We would LIKE to go meet him." Lucky said, "If I have any extra, I will come back," and he took off. I grabbed Trey, left Justin to hold down our VIP table, and took off to follow Lucky.
I stopped and asked Hooker, the DJ where Lucky was going, and he told me Lucky was at the front of the concert venue. Keep in mind, me, being 9 months pregnant, running, with Trey in my arms after this DJ. I am sure I looked like a complete fool, but it was all for our little Trey-man! I found Lucky standing in the middle of a huge group of people, who were all wearing bright orange wrist bands, all anxious to meet Corbin. I heard Lucky ask the crowd if there were anyone who still needed their wristbands. Some did, but Lucky STILL had a huge handful of orange wristbands in his hand. I just waited patiently at the back of the crowd, hoping to "blend in" and not be seen.
Moments later, Lucky took us to the concert venue and told us to wait in a single file line, in front of a security guard. This security guard was checking for everyone's orange wrist band, and THANKFULLY, Trey wanted to be held at that time, and in one of my hands, I was holding a sign that said, "KISS FM", so, I wrapped the poster around my one wrist, and held Trey firmly with my other wrist, so the security guard couldn't see my naked wrists.
After waiting in line for about 15 minutes, we were ushered backstage, I made it through security without any question, thanks to Trey's booty covering my wrists, and stood in line for about another half hour behind the stage and tour buses.
-Trey between two trailers with the stage behind him. He was so patient.-
We talked with the band, watched the backup dancers come in and out of the buses, and made friends with the people in front and behind us. The man behind us was a grandpa with 3 of his grandkids. He got backstage tickets thanks to a friend who works for the radio stations. The woman and her 3 kids in front of us got tickets from the commercial company she has been working with. None of these people WON the tickets, so I wasn't feeling as guilty, UNTIL the lady in front of me asked me how I got my tickets. I said, "Well, my sweet co-worker won us the VIP tickets from the radio station. She called in and was caller number 9!" This woman seemed impressed! Go Shelly!
As we stood in line, Trey looked up at me several times and said, "Mom, I am nervous." I told him I was nervous too (imagining waiting in line for so long and getting up to finally meeting Corbin and being told, "No Corbin for you. You don't have an orange wrist band" and being humiliated!) but not to worry. Later he said, "Mom, I'm,...I'm,... I'm SHY!" I just smiled. He was being shy and I figured he would clam up when we got up to Corbin, but I told him it was okay to be shy and that it was going to be so much fun. If he could have only heard my heart pounding, thinking of those nasty securty guards.
So, our turn was coming up and I saw a nasty security guard eyeing me. He whispered something to another security guard that was collecting the fans cameras, and I saw him whisper "wrist band" and shook his head. I was dying at this point. DYING. He noticed neither of us were wearing orange wrist bands and I had to think of something quick to say. When it got to be our turn, the "nice" security guard asked how many were in our group. I said, "Two" as I pointed to Trey and me. I asked him if he would take a picture of us, and he said, "Yes." The "nasty" security guard said, "Um, where is your orange wrist band? " So, strike me dead and send me to hell, because, here comes a BIG, FAT, LIE! BIG LIE. I looked at him and said, "I was only given one wrist band, which I gave to him,(pointing to Trey) and about 20 minutes ago while waiting in line, he couldn't stand it around his wrist and he tore it off and threw it down. He's only 3 and doesn't like bracelets."
Please, as you read this, don't think of me less. I know lying is so awful, but I figured, I wasn't doing much harm. I came unarmed, I definitely wasn't going to try to beat up Corbin (hello, I am 9 months pregnant. I am about as useless a sausage in a dumpster when it comes to causing harm to anyone!), all I wanted to do was get a picture of Corbin and Trey. Were they going to turn me away? NO, they said, "Oh, alright. Which button do I push to take a picture?!"
So, we were ushered to Corbin's table. I set Trey up on the table so he was at eye level with Corbin, Corbin asked him what his name was and he said loud and clear, "TREY!" Corbin said, "Oh, hi little man" as he signed our sign for Shelly. He shook Trey's hand and he shook mine. I said, "Hello" (I think I was more shy then Trey!) and I told him thanks for meeting us. WHAT AN IDIOT I AM! We posed for a picture (which is NOTHING to write home about, considering my sweet backside. I should have just gotten a picture of Trey and Corbin, but I wasn't about to leave Trey standing on the table and I didn't think Corbin wanted to hold Trey.) and then we were ushered back to our seats. I was stoked. I was exhausted from basically holding Trey for 45 minutes and standing in line.
-Trey shaking Corbin's hand-
-I SWEAR Corbin is looking at my huge baby bump thinking, "You crazy old lady. You are way too old to be waiting in this line." Yeah, I felt like an idiot, but at least there are pictures for Trey AND Tian's memory book!-
-And HERE is the sausage shot of my "sweet backside" that they could have cropped out. Memories have been made at 9 months of pregnancy. Not the prettiest, but they are truly memories!-
We met Justin back to the VIP section and I wanted to devour our dinner we had barely touched. As we sat and ate, I told Justin about our adventures. I first started telling Justin how brave I was to go and take Trey to meet Corbin. He said, "What was the big deal? Waiting in line for all that time?" I just ignored his comment and continued to tell him about our adventure. I got to the part where the security guard had asked for my orange wrist band, and Justin stopped me. He said, "Yea, where IS your wrist band?" I said, "That was the whole big deal Just. I WASN'T given a wrist band. We SNUCK IN!" He said, "I thought you were chasing Lucky to GET a wrist band." I told him I wanted a wrist band, but they didn't have any extra. He said, "That is NOT like you to sneak in. That is something I would do!!" I told him, "No, you wouldn't have. You would have been a chicken and wussed out!" Which I am still holding to my word. I seriously think he would have gotten too nervous! He was wondering why I thought it was such a big deal we met Corbin, and now that he realized we snuck in to see him, he knew the extent of my efforts.
A big "Thank You" to the Baumgartners who let us borrow some ear protections for Trey. About 1.5 years ago Trey had tubes put in his ears. Ever since, his ears have been so ultra sensitive to loud noises, and I didn't know how he would do with the concert noise. Amy was so gracious and let us borrow Gage's ear protections and Trey LOVED them. The noise didn't seem to phase him at all. Thanks Amy and Gage!
The opening act for Corbin was Justin Stein, he had a great voice and fantastic backup dancers, but you could tell the crowd was excited for his exit!
-Justin Stein made it to the middle of the crowd to sing to his "fans." I really don't think there were too many in the crowd.
-Justin Stein "fighting" he way through all the "sweet ladies out there" as he called them. Justin thought he was soooooooooooo cool. I spotted him walking around the concert venue with a hoodie over his head and big sunglasses, surrounded by his backup dancers. THEN I spotted Corbin a few minutes later, waving to his crowd, like a normal human being. That Justin Stein, his head is already too big for himself. After a short intermission, Corbin came out and wowed the crowd.
A few minutes into the concert, Trey asked, "Is that Chad?" He calls Corbin "Chad" from his character on High School Musical. He didn't even put it together that the same guy on stage was the one we met about a half hour prior! Trey asked for his camera phone, which I thought was so cute. He wanted to take his own picture of Corbin.
Trey really enjoyed one of Corbin's songs, he sang and danced with some sticks. I got a video for Trey to watch over and over again! One of the last songs we saw was so neat! Someone had gotten a fans cell phone number. Corbin came out on stage with a cell phone, told everyone to get their phones ready, and he dialed the number. It was a number of a girl named Jodie who was sooooooo cute. He brought her on stage, sang to her, took pictures with her, signed an autograph, and gave her a gift bag! So sweet!
-Corbin singing to Jodie on stage. He was so sweet with her. I bet he made her year!-
Trey had had enough after about a half hour and asked to go feed the animals. I was so sad. I couldn't believe all that and we weren't even going to watch the whole concert. Oh well, we were there for Trey, not for me and my stupid High School Musical love.
Thanks Shelly for making our night so special!
