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Final Blog
 Posted
5/5/2009 12:00:00 AM
The Loop should seriously consider
organizing some kind of "post-Roadie rehab” counseling because I am
going to miss my five-star treatment entirely too much! I always joked
that when my term ends as the Roadie, you might see me standing
outside the Loop's station, holding a plastic cup, begging
strangers for rock concert tickets. All joking aside, after serving my year as
the first Loop Rock Girl Roadie, in which I attended more than 30 free concerts
and events, met Rush, filmed a hometown tour, gave Kelly guitar lessons,
maintained my own blog and hung out with Byrd at the House of Blues, only one
word comes to mind—grateful!
I overcame serious odds to win this
contest, but was more surprised that it happened to someone like me—whose
lifestyle was practically tailor-made to be a Roadie. At times, the
Roadie gig felt so natural that I began to feel that I was born for this. In
fact, my life really wasn't much different before being the Roadie because I've
always surrounded myself with classic rock music, the Loop, concerts
and playing guitar. The only thing that really changed is my life became
glorified— and that's the best word to describe what being the Roadie
feels like—you are a glorified Loyal Looper. I meant it when I said that I
was born in the wrong era and would enter a time machine in a heartbeat to
live during the golden era of rock ‘n’ roll. The Loop certainly didn't
work any miracles in the field of time travel, but the station helped me blow
off a lot of steam by being the Roadie—and for that I am in debt to the Loop
forever.
Once the shock wore off that I
actually won the drawing in May 2008, I decided that being the Roadie
would be a top priority in my life. I recognized early on that nothing this cool
will ever happen to
me again, and I needed to take full advantage of my Roadie privileges. I also
felt honored because I was able to set the standards for future Roadies.
In fact, in the beginning, the Loop staff told me that not even they truly knew
how the Roadie gig was going to play out. But I made it well known
that my love for classic rock and the Loop is undying and that I would
represent the station well. Because of this, the Loop staff generously gave
me the freedom to set the template as to how I thought the
Roadie should be perceived.
I know at first, most people thought
the Roadie was supposed to be nothing more than some guy who oogles over the
Loop Rock Girl and follows her everywhere. But my vision was that of
a Roadie who represents the station with class, by showcasing a burning
passion for rock ‘n’ roll through attending as many events as possible and
spilling those experiences into detailed blogs. No matter how tired I
felt after coming home from a concert that ran late, I forced myself to stay awake
and jot down ideas. As promised in my bio posted on the Loop Web site,
I poured my heart and soul into my concert reviews, and I hope that
you enjoyed reading them, too. The best compliment that I could get is to see
future Roadies continue to build on what I started. My hope is that
someday the Roadie contest branches away from being a
"follower" of the Loop Rock Girl and into its own separate category. It's
up to you Roadies of the future to keep raising the bar.
Speaking of future Roadies, I have
officially—and painfully—passed the torch over to Andrew M. of Harvey on May
1at the House of Blues for the 2009 Loop Rock Girl Finals. As always, it was a
magical night, with great entertainment from bands Fan Halen and Back in Black.
Congratulations to Andrew and our new Loop Rock Girl, Leah of Carpentersville.
I had a chance to hang out with Andrew at the event, and I think you are all in
good hands—he’s a firefighter! Go figure, you go from a Roadie who is a
paramedic to a firefighter. My No. 1 tip for Andrew is to go to as many shows
as possible! The year goes by criminally too fast. And when your Roadie time is
up, you’ll feel like a part of you has died—but of course, the memories you make
will last a lifetime. And aside from the memories that I have, well, life goes
on. I'll continue to rock out to the Loop and attend concerts—I'll have to
pay for them of course, maybe sit 300 level a few times—but I'll still be
there! And every time I listen to the Loop, I’ll do so with a smile on my face,
as I think of the unforgettable times I spent as the station’s first Roadie.
Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely sad this is over, but I'd rather
miss being the Roadie as opposed to never being the Roadie at
all.
I want to thank EVERYONE from the
Loop who had an integral role in making my experience what it was. I have
to specifically thank certain people here, so bare with me. Thanks to Brian
Lueck and Ryan Lange from the Loop’s interactive department, for all their hard
work. To Adam Moorman for always catching my better side on
camera. To Byrd, who always took time out from his busy live
broadcasts to chat with me about music. FYI Andrew—be nice to Byrd. Trust me,
he’ll show you a good time! I, of course, have to thank the2008 Loop Rock
Girl Kelly for everything she's done from promoting my blogs to being
patient enough to sit through a couple of guitar lessons—let me know if
you ever want to finish! To my very special fan, Jan Engle, whose constant
shower of compliments really pushed me to write as best as I could. And to my wonderful
and beautiful girlfriend Julie who not only stood by my side for many of these
events, but who took time to edit all of my blogs, making me seem much more
grammatically intelligent than I actually am.
Last but not least, a very, very
special thanks to Loop Promotions Director, Justin "Jimi" Hendrix,
who would give me the keys to the United Center if he had them. Aside from
having the best beard ever, Jimi facilitated everything that I got to do this
year and always made sure I was getting the most of my Roadie experience,
during a very hectic year. Jimi, The Loop is very lucky to have someone as
committed as you. All of your hard work easily made this the most satisfying
year of my life and I will never forget that.
That's all I got, Loopers. Stay
loyal! You really do listen to the greatest classic rock radio station out
there! No other station is more generous to their fans than the Loop. I mean,
c’mon, what other station offers free concerts all year to a lucky listener? I
enjoyed being your first Loop Rock Girl Roadie more than you could ever
imagine. It was a very special feeling to be part of a family that I’ve always
been extremely passionate about. Being the Roadie is the true definition of a
"once in a lifetime" experience. Someday I'll be able to sit my
grandkids on my lap and tell them I was the first ever Loop Rock Girl
Roadie. No matter what else happens in this crazy life, no one can ever
take that away from me!
—Your Roadie forever,
Mike
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Mike
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