So, last night (December 12, 2002) was the Private Party Parliment/Goo Goo Dolls concert! The first 25 people (along with a guest) would be able to meet the band. I originally got to Roseland at 12noon --- with NO ONE in sight! So, I decided not to stick around looking like an idiot just standing there alone. Instead, I did some walking around, some window shopping and I had some lunch. After passing the time by talking to folks on my cell phone, I decided to see if there was a line forming around 3:30PM. Sure enough, there was a small gathering forming. I decided to join them. Well, an informal count was made and I was number 26---just missing the cutoff point of being able to meet the band! I was LIVID! What made it worse was having to listen to the woman in front of me constantly calling people that she knew telling them she was number 25 and that she had made it to go in as a "V-VIP" member, which meant she was going to meet the band! Slowly, but surely, the line grew and I began making friends (including the woman in front of me!), and we all started chatting it up. Around 5:45PM a worker from Roseland made a FORMAL count and by the luck of the gods, I'M the one that wound up being number 25! Well, I looked up to the heavens and thanked God! I couldn't believe it! Just one catch, though---I wasn't the one holding the tickets! My co-worker was the one who had all the information and without him, 25 or no 25, I couldn't get in without him!!! So, I whipped out my cell phone and called him telling him my good fortune! Not being a Goo Goo Dolls fan to begin with, he wasn't too impressed. I explained the situation of the first 25 getting in to meet the band and asked him what time he would be able to make it because the doors were going to open at 6:45PM. He couldn't give me a definitive answer and actually seemed a little annoyed at me asking! So, not to push my luck, I begged him to do his best getting there on time and that was that. Six o'clock came, 6:15, 6:20---NO CO-WORKER to be had! By then I became depressed even though the people around me kept trying to uplift my spirits by telling me that he would get there on time! By 6:30 I had given up all hope! Then, outta the blue, a WONDERFUL human being by the name of BOBBY came to my rescue. He'd been #21 but had no GUEST! He came over to me and said, "Look, if your friend doesn't come on time, you can come in with me!" At first, I thought he was messin' with me and said, "Yeah, right. Whatever!" But, the women that he had befriended said, "NO! He's serious! He's got no one to go in with! You could be his guest!" Well, at that point I was freaking out! I gave him a HUGE hug and said, "I LOVE YOU, BOBBY!!!" This news made the guys BEHIND me super happy because now THEY became #25 and THEY were able to get in, as well! As luck would have it, my co-worker showed up at EXACTLY 6:45PM and I had to thank him profusely for showing up but that I no longer needed him to go in because BOBBY came to my rescue! This relieved my co-worker GREATLY because he didn't want to go into the concert to BEGIN with! So, I thanked him for everything anyway and he said to have a good time and that we'd see each other tomorrow. Well, they really didn't open the doors until 7:30PM and I stuck to Bobby like GLUE! He was a little on the buzzed/tipsy side but an all-'round good guy! Once inside, they checked all of us for any unsavory equipment (and they confiscated my disposable camera)which I didn't mind, really! After that was through, it was off to the bar for drinks and little hors d'oeuvres that were being passed around. The crowd I was on line with pretty much stuck together and we were having a blast! Then came time to meet the band---which was really just taking a picture with John and Robby---and that was it! Once up there, it went by so quickly that I hardly remember it! But, I had to give my address to Bobby because the picture would go to HIS address. He did promise that once the picture came he would mail it to me! He said he definitely didn't want to have a Goo Goo Dolls picture in his possession! HE didn't even take a picture with them---he left that all to me! I was so high from the excitement that I didn't stand IN BETWEEN John and Robby! I stood to the right of John and as he put his arm around me I did the same to him! (Now THAT I remember)! After the flashbulb went off, I was quickly escorted out and I thanked the guys! THAT WAS IT! That was "meeting the band"! Don't get me wrong, this was my very first picture ever taken WITH them, but when YOU read "meet the band", don't you think you'd at least get to TALK to them?! Well, after that, Bobby and I went out to the concert area where we hung out with the rest of our "crew" that was on the right side stage from the actual concert stage. There were seats there and a bar---especially for the "V-VIP" people! Once there, we did nothing but wait until 9:30PM when the guys came out blasting to "NAKED" ! John was in SUPER rare form crackin' jokes about the bras that were being thrown up to him and that he was going to donate them to the women that lived in third world countries! He sounded TERRIFIC! Now as for Robby, well, in my opinion, I've heard him sound MUCH better! I could barely hear him last night! But, as for his personality---well, what can you say? Robby is....well, ROBBY! He was all over the place and bringin' us along with him! A WILD ride, indeed! The evening ended around 11ish. In order to beat the coat-check rush, I hugged and kissed all the people that I hung with and SUPER thanked Bobby with a kiss on the ckeek, and told him to NOT forget to mail me the picture and then I was off! And, that was the evening for me! Now, I can't wait for the NEXT Goo concert!