Friday night I went to the David Byrne/St. Vincent, "Love This Giant" tour.The day I got tickets they were rapidly selling out. I didn't have time to see if anyone else wanted a ticket so I bought only one. Also, I think my friends are tasteful people, but no one I knew is as crazy about David Byrne or St. Vincent like me.
I went and sat in Bass Concert Hall, waiting for the concert to start. One couple told me they had loved David Byrne forever, but had no clue who this "St. Vincent was." I assured them she was fabulous!
The other couple sitting next to me were two older gay friends. One of them whipped out his phone and showed me a burly bald man posing in his mirror. Obviously some sort of dating website was what my fellow concert-goer was looking at. He asked me, "What do you think? Is he hot? He's hot right?"
I agreed. He then said he was scared b/c he was very Christian. I laughed and said, "Well as long as he's out right?"
He laughed. Then we started talking about Byrne and St. Vincent. They didn't know who she was either.
The concert was AMAZING. The whole thing was rather theatrical, different colored lighting for each song, coinciding w/ mood, and a bit of fog about the stage. The ensemble consisted of very talented horn players, a drummer and St. Vincent and Byrne.
About six songs in, I noticed a man entering the third row in front of me in the dark. Because I know that Ryan Gosling is here filming a movie w/ Terence Malick, Natalie Portman and Christian Bale, I'm on constant alert that at any moment they may appear like little new characters in the tableau of Austin.
And since I have seen many a paparazzi picture of Gosling, I KNEW this was him! He walked in w/ a woman on his left hand side.
Ok, so after recognizing I was in the same room as the HOTTEST MAN ON EARTH, i went back to being in awe of the concert. They encored w/ "Burning down the house" and "Cruel" - two of my favorites.
There is NOTHING like hearing the music you jam out to live. It has even more resonance with your ears, heart, soul. Every word is pulsing through the speakers and everyone is connecting to this idea being shared in the room by the artist.
So after the show I knew it was do or die. This was gonna be my only chance EVER to see/meet/talk whatever to Ryan Gosling. I was in high school when "The Notebook" came out. Like any other girl, Noah Calhoun was dreamy. I had to make this opportunity happen!
As I approached, I saw two other girls go up and do the same. They said hello and then Ryan Gosling shook his head at whatever they asked. I'm 99% positive it was a request for a photo. He shook his head w/ a hell no conviction. I knew whatever the hell I was going to say had to be short and no mention of picture!
So - i finally got closer. No other fans around him (to be fair, there were like a total of three - no one noticed he was there b/c you wouldn't see him unless you were in nearby seats....also it was dark in the crowd during the show). This was my chance!
There were three girls sitting by his right side. They were all emaciated, fashionable girls, wearing size -0 clothing of chiffon and leopard prints. They could not have been more than age 22. They all had red lips. Vogue, baby. As I got closer they began to whisper at me, shake their heads and violently scowl. They spoke just loud enough so I could hear, but he never seemed to turn to his right to notice they were talking to me. They began saying, "No, no."
I said, "oh i'm just gonna say hello." i said this in my sweetest Midwestern girl voice for fear of being cut by an LA fashionista.
"no! no! don't even think about it - he IS NOT in the mood."
As i got closer to him, the final curse came out from their hissing lips: "It's not going to work."
Looking back at the moment, what was THAT supposed to mean? I realized these young women were in a completely different expectation level. What did they mean by "It's not going to work?"
Did they think I was going to bear my chest, rip my clothes off, write my phone # on his abs? I have no idea, I just thought this empty threat was extremely odd.
ALSO: why does his entourage consist of these women? EVA MENDES - i wish you woulda been there. You're hot. and you seem nice.
Finally he turned to me, knowing i was one of "those girls." Initially he looked tired and blase and a tinge of sour. Once I said Hi, he responded with the same word. I then said, "I hope you're enjoying your time in Austin!" I said this as a RA welcoming committee would say to a pack of freshmen. It was genuine and whole-hearted. I think once he realized i wasn't asking for a picture or to make out w/ his face he was no longer perturbed. After I said that, he held out his hand, i took it and he said, "Thank you." He seemed like a very tolerant fellow.
But let me gush a little bit more. Can I just say that man is as handsome as he is in the pictures. Which is a hellavah lot handsome. His eyes are a beautiful, crisp blue green and his tousled hair was --- just devastating. Also he was wearing all black. Another sexy detail. Ugh! such a hot man.
A local review of the concert here.
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