Dana
Okay..here’s the Minnesota story. It was very hot out. Very. I was thanking the heavens that there was a large air conditioned area where you could watch the concert on monitors. I got there about a half hour after the concert started. I had no idea when Nick was supposed to be on stage and all these radio show concerts have varied in their use of his “hosting” abilities, so I chanced it and went early. BIG MISTAKE. I was so bored for the first five hours I was there waiting for my meet and greet time. It took all my will power to not starting I.D.ing girls to make sure they were old enough to dress like video whores. It amazes me what YOUNG girls are wearing nowadays.
So, skipping ahead…I get my pass and there are about 20 of us that get to go back. We’re all standing there and I get a glimpse of him in between a couple of trailers. He was on the phone, walking around. He was wearing an orange hooded sweatshirt and khaki pants…remember people…it was 92 degrees!
Then he came over to the meet and greet area where everyone was lined up, he shook hands with a few of the radio people, and of course I started snapping pictures right away. So I’m on the far end of the line, which was good, because then I got more time to look at him and take pics. Then, this gal, who was much older than me, even ( if you can believe that) runs up to him from the back of the line and buds in front of these girls that he was actually talking with. She wouldn’t move her ass out of my way, and I’m like..you crazy bish, move out of my way! Nick, being the kind person that he is, just put up with her. She took like 104 pics with him ( we only allowed one with him) and THEN, when he moved on to some other people, she walks behind him and grabbed his ass.: He had that look on his face like he just got goosed by a guy or something and he goes ( eyes bugged out).."She just grabbed my ass! I can't believe she just grabbed my ass". He was none too pleased, but he handled it like a champ.
So he's about five or six people from me, and he all of the sudden decides he wants to do quick introductions with us, before he actually has to meet us. He goes down the line shaking our hands and asking us our names ( I was last). I felt his hand in mine and I was like...do I have to let go? Very warm and soft. Probably because he was melting in his sweatshirt. So then he's signing autographs and I'm holding the CosmoGirl magazine (just got it that morning, I ran all over hell because no one had it.) And he looks over at me, stops what he was doing with the other chick who was four people away, comes right over to me and says,
Nick: "Where'd you get that?"
Dana: "I got it this morning at the bookstore."
Nick: "That's not out yet"
Dana: "Yes it is, it came out this week."
Nick: "Are you sure? Let me see that"
Nick takes magazine out of my hands to look at date on the magazine, and then he kind of chuckles and looks at me ( which was nice) and says "I didn't even know it was out"
Dana: "Surprise!"
Then he kind of giggles again and goes back to the other chick
(Oh, I should sidenote and say that when he asked me where I got it, it wasn't interrogating like I stole it from Cosmo or anything, it was more out of surprise. I really don't think he thought it was released yet.)
The girls standing next to me before he got to me asked him if he was hot..( I'm like DUH, Yeah he is..look at him) But he says, "Y'all gotta remember I'm from Florida soooo." So then I say, "And 92 degrees in Minnesota is cooler somehow?" And he goes, "It's just different". I just shook my head. That’s Nick for ya.
Anyway, so he FINALLY gets to me and I am unusually calm and comfortable. And I give him the Cosmo to sign and I ask him to sign to me, and he writes the D on the mag then asked if I name D - A -N -A, and I'm like yep, D A N A.
So then I tell him that I am really proud of him doing his solo album and that I was so happy that he was able to do it, and I'm really looking forward to hearing the whole thing
And he looks right at me again ( which was nice), and says, "Awww, thank you. thank you so much. I really appreciate that."
Then I got my hug and yes, I rubbed his back! Through the sweatshirt and it was very nice! He's really cuddly.
Then we got our picture together I was on his right. I had my left arm around his back and he totally wrapped his right arm around me ( at least it felt that way, we'll see what the picture shows). And, my head was totally on his chest and I had my right arm wrapped around the front.
So the folks running the meet and greet were like, if you have your autograph and pic, then you have to leave. As soon as your were done they were escorting you out like immediately once they were done. The radio station people were really rushing him, which was too bad, because you could kind of tell that he wanted to talk to people a little. But, I think they just wanted to get him out on stage as fast as possible. No one was really sure what time he was planning on showing up, and I think they thought he was going to be there earlier.
I had put the Thank You in my front pocket so I wouldn't forget to give it to him. He went on to the next person so fast after our picture I was like DOH! So, before I was past the gates, I called my friend who works for the radio station and who was there during the meet and greet and I told him that he had to come and get me. So, he comes out to where I was but apparently I was already passed a certain security point, and he couldn't even bring me back. So I gave him the Thank You and I told him to tell him it was from the girl with the Cosmo mag and that this was just to thank him for everything he does. So, he ran back there and gave it to him for me. Then he called me on my cell and said that he looked at it for a second, then he smiled and told him to tell me Thank you.
So that’s mah story. Obviously, I was feeling much more emotion than displayed. He is really just a very sweet person. Very down to earth, and just normal. You would never know the guy had millions of dollars. He certainly doesn’t act like it. And.did I mention he’s really cuddly? Tee Hee! I’m a very happy lady today, and I can not wait to get my pics back.