Mission Accomplished!

I was not planning to attend another concert this year but when my friend's husband decided he did not want to go to the Duluth concert and was going to sell his floor seat ticket, I jumped at the chance to go again. Even the six-hour drive ahead of me did not faze me too much, knowing I would be that close to the stage!

I had three things I wanted to accomplish - meet up with the Dreadheads (fans of Jason Castro) have my son's guitar autographed (his birthday is Thursday - what a great present!) and to see the Idols I had not met yet.

To get the guitar signed, I had to get there when the Idols got off the busses since I did not have an after party or a meet and greet pass. They had barricades set up where they would come out at; fans had already lined up to see them. A detour and construction traffic slowed me down; I had already cut my time too close. When I was about 30 minutes away, my friend, Tammy, called and said, they were told the Idols were not coming out to sign autographs because Larry King was going to film an interview with the Idols and there was not time. To say there were many disappointed fans would be an understatement.

I slowed down a little, checked into my hotel and then went off to meet up with the Dreadheads at a tailgate party. They catered a BBQ under tents with Jason Castro's music playing in the background. I met several of them who post on daydreamingboy.com (one of Jason's fan sites.) Their nametags read: needacoke, LeslieforJC, PRNC5, roy_33, ChoppersMom, 4everinbluejeans and many others, using their Internet identity to recognize one another. Most were women but there were a few husbands and boyfriends who were along for the ride (bless these guys - they deserve a little shout out for indulging their significant other's Idol love!) Jason's CD's, pins, spirit towels, fans, peace necklaces and coke bottles were distributed in gift bags to all the Dreadheads. I can honestly say it was the best tailgate party I have ever gone to!

After rushing back to my hotel to shower and change, I parked my car in the restaurant parking lot, adjacent to the hotel where Tammy was staying, about a 15-minute walk from the arena. We met at her hotel and her husband dropped us off at the arena. We found our seats quickly; the seats were about 10 rows back on the right side - great seats!

Since the concert in Detroit almost a month ago, the Idols have gained more confidence on stage and in the strength of their voices. The crowd was not as loud in Duluth as it was in Detroit but it was still quite loud. Jason and Brooke seemed to improve the most; Brooke had been sick in Detroit and Jason, even adlibbed a line to his set of Daydream, pointing to himself while singing "Daydreaming boy, that's me!" During Kristy's set, my camera died; shortly after, my cell phone died. Note to self: make sure the batteries are charged before the concert!

At this point, Tammy received a call saying the barricades had been put back out and that the Idols were going to come out after the show. She is a die-hard Castro fan, so she ducked out to secure a place at the front of the line. I was torn. I love all of the Idols, so I went back and forth - do I stay for the rest of the show or do I leave and get a front row spot. I waited a little while longer; making it through Syesha's set and then decided I couldn't leave until after I heard David Archuleta's Angels. The whole time I was thinking I really want to see David Cook sing the Time of My Life. I had seen it in Detroit, so I made up my mind to run out and get in line. When I got out to the barricade, there were only four people in line. I started to think I should run back to the restaurant and get my son's guitar. Did I give up my place in line to get the guitar and would I make it back in time? I decided to go for it but after going a short distance, I realized I probably would not make it. I saw a police car up ahead - maybe he would be able to give me a ride! I ran up to him and said if it wasn't appropriate, then that was okay but could he give me a ride to my car to get my son's guitar, so I could get it autographed by the Idols for his 9th birthday. He said it probably was not appropriate but he would give me the ride! I had never been in a police car before so when I went to get out to retrieve the guitar from my car, I was so nervous I could not get out! I thought he was going to have to get out of the car to let me out! I figured out the car handle was on the outside (with his help) and jumped out. I got the guitar, hopped back in the car and he dropped me off at the barricade! Thank you Eric Cline, you are the Guitar Hero of the night!

A few more people had arrived at the barricade but I was still in the front row, except now I was holding the guitar, my purse, my folder of pictures to be autographed and the guitar case strapped on my back. As more people filed out of the arena, they lined up behind me and I started to get claustrophobic. I kept looking ahead so I would not see the crowd of people all around me. I held the guitar with one hand and my folder in the other. I stayed in that position for about an hour and a half, maybe two hours. The wait was well worth it. When the Idols came out, one at a time, the shrieking and pushing started but I did not budge. Syesha, Carly, Ramiele, Brooke, Kristy Lee, Jason and David Archuleta worked the crowd of fans, some even coming back a second time to meet more fans. With my camera not working, I tried hard to capture the moments in my mind. I was only a few inches from the Idols; the thing I noticed the most was how incredibly beautiful they all are! David A's skin is amazing, Syesha is drop-dead gorgeous, Brooke's inner beauty is just as evident as her outside beauty, Kristy Lee has hair to die for (I told her I loved her new song!) Carly is stunning, Ramiele was just the cutest in her strapless sundress and Ugg boots and Jason, smiled his million dollar smile, feeling the love from all the Dreadheads. He spent a lot of time with them, making several people very happy! Chikezie, Michael and David Cook did not come out; they were definitely missed by their fans. Security told us that David was ill; hopefully he will be better in time for the concert in Miami!

Rhonda Cloutier lives in Santa Rosa Beach. You can reach her at IdolBeat@gmail.com.