The Night I Met Brian May
by Joy Solomon
I went to the Greek Theater on August 25, 1995 (I'll never forget that date!!)
to see Steve Miller and the Doobie Brothers concert. I went with my boyfriend
and two of my friends. It was a great night. We were partying. The show was
really good.
For some reason, while Steve Miller was playing Fly Like An
Eagle, I looked down at the concession area where they sell drinks and food
and I saw a very tall guy with long curly black hair wearing all black
standing there talking to three people. It looked like people he came to the
show with. For some reason, I got this really funny feeling. Now, keep in
mind that I am buzzed pretty hardcore from partying at the show so I didn't
say anything. I just kept looking at this guy. From where I was, he was
about the size of my middle finger. My friends kept asking me what I was
looking at because I wasn't looking at the stage where Steve Miller was playing.
All I said was, "Wait. I'm concentraing on something." (Sounds funny, huh?)
So, anyway, there were two guys seated in front of us who were sharing their
binoculars with us. When they passed it to me, I grabbed them and looked at
the guy in the concession area. Then my friends and boyfriend are like, "What
the HELL are you looking at?" All I kept saying was, "Leave me alone. I'm
concentrating." (They probably thought I was losing it.) Well, when I looked
through the binoculars, the curly-haired guy had his back to me but I could
see his shoes looked funny. Oh my God!!!! They look like CLOGS!!!!
At that
point, I dropped the binoculars and I said to my boyfriend in a very quick
manner of speech, "I think I see Brian May down there and I have to go to look
to see if it's him. You can come with me if you want but I'm going RIGHT
NOW." He said he didnt want to go. At that point I said to my friend, "I
think that's Brian May. Doesn't that look like him?" She says, "I have no
idea but if you think it's him, it's probably him. I'll go with you." (You
see, all my friends know I've LOVED Queen and Brian since I was 8. I'm now
25.) So, off we were.
We went running down all these flights of stairs.
(Now, keep in mind I couldn't see his face through the binoculars because he
was facing away from me but something about his shoes and his posture were
giving me the feeling that it was him). So, we run down all these stairs that
twist and turn and when we got down there I lost my sense of direction and
didn't see him. Then I turned around and there he was. Now, his back was
still towards me so I told my friend to wait here and that I would walk a big
circle around him so I could see his face. At that point, I started walking
around in a big circle trying not to look conscpicuous. When I got to the
other side of him (at this position, I was facing my friend on the opposite
side) I looked at the curly haired man and IT WAS HIM!!!!!!!
At that point, I started shaking uncontrollably. I couldn't believe what my
eyes were telling me. It seemed TOTALLY UNREAL. I couldn't believe he was
just standing there, no entourage, in the middle of where they sell drinks.
He was not hiding or anything. So, I run around this big circle back to my
friend and I said, "Holy shit! It's him. It's him. It's him!" I was
shaking so bad at that point. (Now, keep in mind we're about six feet from
him. My friend happens to be a Queen fan but not to the same extent that I
am). So, she says to me, "Go talk to him." Well, the problem was he was
talking and talking and talking to his friends and I didn't want to be rude
and interrupt him so there we stood right next to him waiting for him to stop
talking. (By the way, he is soooooooo tall. I'm about 5'6 and he was
probably a foot taller than me). So, finally my friend pokes him on the
shoulder (I couldn't believe she did that. You don't POKE MR. BRIAN MAY) and
she says to him, "My friend here really needs to talk to you." I was dying.
I was shaking. I couldn't believe what was happening and I was still so
buzzed and I didn't want to sound like a jerk. I mean, what do you say to
someone you've loved since you were a child?
At that point, he turns to me
and looks at me. (I can't explain in words what was going through me at that
point. A rush of emotion. I was excited and nervous and scared. I was
scared because what if I opened my mouth and he was a jerk to me? It would
have broken my heart. I had always heard he was nice but you never know, you
know?) So, I said to him, "Brian, it's such an honor to meet you, you have no
idea." (Hey, that sounded pretty good. My voice was shaking a little but not
too bad). He smiled and said, "Thank you," and then he held out his hand for
me to shake it. I shook his hand and as I was shaking it, I was trembling
because I couldn't believe I was touching the hands that play the guitar that
makes that incredible music that gets into my soul. His face started turning
red. He was BLUSHING. I couldn't believe it. He has a great smile although
I noticed that his teeth were a little crooked. Something I never noticed in
the MILLIONS of pictures I have of him and used to stare at all the time.
So,
at that point my friend extends her hand and shakes his hand and says, "It's
an honor for me too but not as much as it is for her."
At that point, I asked
him if I could hug him. He said, "Sure. I guess so." He bent down (like I
said, he's very very tall) and hugged me. At that point, I became a sponge,
absorbing everything about him. I would like to say that his beautiful curly
hair is extremely soft. I always thought it would be like brillo or something
because it's so curly but it was soooo soft. I put my arms around him and I
felt his ribs through his back. Yes, he's incredibly skinny. I was absorbing
all of this in a matter of a 20 second hug. I gave him an extra long hug and
squeezed him tightly. I'm sure he must have felt me trembling. At that
point, I thanked him again. He thanked me and my friend and I walked away.
I
didn't want to ask for autographs because I didn't want to draw attention to
him if people weren't noticing him already. I didn't want him to be mobbed
because of me. I really couldn't believe that no one else was noticing him.
I mean, there were people standing in line to buy drinks and they weren't even
looking at him. This is a Steve Miller crowd. You'd think they'd know who
Brian May is. So, anyway, we went back to our seats and I said to my
boyfriend, "It was him." He said, "I know. I saw." Then he asked me if it
was him standing down there would I have been able to recognize him. It was
funny because he was jealous. It was probably his worst nightmare come true.
Who would think I'd ever actually meet this guy?
So, that's my Brian May story. After I returned to my seat, he left and went
backstage and that was the end of that. So, all in all, he's a very sweet,
polite, friendly guy and I'll never forget that day.
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