Metal Meredith

I am the Luckiest Girl in the World

This past weekend I went with Kym to say a farewell to some very dear friends, the band Barenaked Ladies. I met them in 1993 and have lost track of how many times I have seen them since. I am not only a fan of their music, but of each member of this wonderful group of guys.

In 1993, their music was fun, energetic and silly, all emotions I lacked during the divorce of my parents. It was an escape out of my daily life into a world where those things didn’t matter and I was special. This was the year I first met them and the start of a wonderful journey into adulthood.

Since then, I have been lucky enough to attend a New Year’s Eve party in Philadelphia in 1998, be introduced to sushi by them in 1995, have them meet (and approve of) my future husband in 1997, played video games with them in 1998, meet their families in 1999, and still have an entire list of memories beyond that.

When around them, Kym and I were always treated like people, not fans (or how fans should be treated.) Kym and I have more stories surrounding the shows and the meet and greets and aftershows than we can contain to one conversation...remember when Steve yelled at you for making him laugh during the “sad” song?...remember when you kicked Ed’s ass at Virtual Fighter at Celebration Station?...remember seeing Tyler’s new baby?...remember when they used to look like they shopped at JC Penny?...remember when they called Kevin at home on New Years during the show when he was undergoing chemo and it was so sweet we cried? The list goes on and on.

Since neither Kym nor I work for the label anymore, we had little hope past this show that we would ever be face to face with these guys again. When going to say our farewells, it was all I could do not to cry. It was not simply saying goodbye to a band, it was leaving behind a huge part of our lives that made us both so happy, that made us feel so special.

We have been lucky enough to have these people on a list of few that we call “friends”. Sure, they are famous, sure they live in Canada, and sure, we might only see them once every 2 years, but I love them more than I can put into words. So, here is to Barenaked Ladies; Steve, Ed, Tyler, Jim and Kevin. Thanks for everything you have given to me, Kym and our lives.

Meredith