My 19th birthday will probably forever be the best birthday I have ever had in my entire life. There's no way I can top this birthday, and it'll probably be hard for anyone else to ever have a birthday better than mine. My birthday is on June 1st, and, as previously stated (or maybe not stated yet, depending on if you read my first concert), Skillet is my all-time favorite band, and I am their biggest fan...ever... Anyway, for O
NCE they were actually coming to California, and they just happened to be playing two days in a row and it just happened to be May 30 and 31. So, when my parents asked what I wanted for my birthday, I told them I wanted help splitting the gas and hotel and everything to go and see them (because, let's face it, it was the summer of 2008 and gas was 4.16 a gallon--not the peak of the summer, but still pretty intense.)
The first of the two concerts was at the Jesus Shack in Bakersfield, California. I went with three of my friends, and I warned them we would be getting up really early to go, because I'm crazy and Bakersfield was a three hour drive. We got up at 7 AM and drove out there, checked in our hotel, went and got the tickets, and went over to a gas station really quick to get some drinks and stuff because it was like noon and we were about to be the first people in line. While we're at the gas station, I've got my little "man bag" that Rachel gave me for graduation, and it's got a bunch of stuff in it--including my skillet. While we sit at a table inside the gas station, my skillet falls out and clanks onto the ground really loud and everyone looks at me because of the noise, and then looks at me like I'm crazy because, of all things, a frying pan just fell out of my bag. So the lady behind the register just kind of gives me an odd look (while my face is freaking red) and says, "Do you always carry a frying pan with you?" And Rachel, being the joy that she is, responded with, "Yes. It's kind of like a security blanket." You'd think that would ruin the day, but oh man. It didn't.
We head back over to where the Jesus Shack is (because it's right down the road) and we stand out there. Now, in May in Bakersfield, it's pretty hot. It was probably at least 100 degrees and we're standing out there 7 hours before the show actually starts. Yeah, I'm a pretty intense fan. At some point during the day, the gates behind us get closed and we get shut into the venue. I think they thought we were volunteers because we were there so early. Either way, they told us just to make sure no one else came in and if anyone came up to the doors to tell them they weren't open yet and they'd have to line up outside by the street. So, as Rachel put it, I was "on security" for Skillet. At one point, the buddies I had met from the first Skillet concert pulled up and I got to tell them they weren't allowed in. They looked relatively pissed. It was funny. Jen (the drummer) and Ben (the guitarist) drove up and right by us, which was pretty exciting. I saw them walking around setting up the merch table, and I was like "Hell yeah, I get to see Skillet standing like...right there." It was exciting.
A few hours later (maybe around 4), when we'd been out there for what? 3 1/2, 4 hours a couple of the people (who were actually volunteers) came out to set up the ticket taking table. They looked at us like we were crazy obviously for being out there early enough to be shut into the venue. So they ask if I'm just out there to see the show and I tell them I was celebrating my birthday. They said I must be a pretty dedicated fan to be out there so early, and I told them I was the biggest fan ever. One of the guys said he was 
Skillet's bus driver for the day and asked me if I wanted to go with him to pick up John and Korey when they were ready to come out. Obviously, I said yes, but unfortunately that never happened. What did happen, however, was another girl named Mika said Jen and Ben were just sort of chilling backstage and asked me if I wanted to go and talk to them. There's no way in hell I was going to say no to that, so she took me back and said, "I have a fan for you guys to meet. It's his birthday." I just want it to be known that I have NEVER been that nervous in my entire life. Not when I had my Eagle Scout board of review, not when I moved off to college...NEVER...I mean, meeting your favorite band is nerve wracking because you don't want them to think you're a freak (which, they probably do, so I guess it's cool). And not only did I get to meet them, but I was meeting them backstage and hanging out with them.
So Jen tells me happy birthday and so does Ben and I chill with those two and Jonathan (the violinist.) I actually had no idea who Jonathan was because he was just added for the tour, and I thought he was Jen's boyfriend, so I actually wasn't nice to him...at all...And then when he got up on stage later on I was like "Wow, I'm a tard." That was cool. I told them how I got hit by a semi the last time I saw them, because I'm awesome. Ben told me I was really dedicated, but the truth is they probably think I'm a freak. Anyway, I also said to Jen, "You know...The last time I saw you guys, Lori personally handed me a drumstick." So she got all British and said, "Oh frick! Well, maybe I'll just have to hand you two drumsticks and ask you who your favorite is then." Oh, Jen. She is my favorite.
I go back out to where Chelsea, Katie, and Rachel are and I'm already excited beyond all belief. I mean, this was the most riveting experience of my life. Little did I know, the experience wasn't even over yet. When the concert started, we made it through the opening band, Diz Mas. I was really glad they were better than the opening bands from the first time I saw Skillet, and I was also stoked they were the only ones so I didn't have to wait around for 8 stupid people to finish up before seeing Skillet.
Skillet comes on, amazing show. Jen's an intense drummer, and I was really glad because I was really skeptical about her because I was so used to Lori. She got the job done. The opening of the concert was epic, they added all the pyros and smoke and all that, it was just an enjoyable time. Of course, I was right in the front row again, so that made it all better.
Here's where the next amazing thing happened. During the song "The Older I Get," John looks over at me, takes his mic out of stand, and walks towards me. He stops right in front of me, sits down, and hands me the microphone. So I got to sing along with Skillet. It was absolutely amazing and not exactly something I expected. After the song, he walks back over to his stand and says, "Give it up for this guy right here," and points over to me. The crowd cheers and he says, "Was it you that it was your birthday? Was that you?"
....
What? Seriously?
I just kind of looked at him and said, "Yeah..."
And he said, "How old are you turning?" And I said, "19," and he said, "What's your name?" and I said, "Andrew."
Then.
"Well we're all going to sing Andrew happy birthday."
If you don't believe me, guess what? There's a video.
He starts talking to me at 2:59 in. You can't hear me sing in this, but you don't have to believe that if you don't want. Because John Cooper and a venue of 1300 hundred people were there to see it and then sang to me afterwards. Let me also say, after John sang to me, there were some PISSED OFF Skillet fans around me mad that I got a special something from John and all that. It was awesome. But there was a lot of tension.
The thing I love the most about this story is, even that wasn't the end of it. After all that happened and everything, later on in the concert John was talking about something and Korey looks over at me and winks and I smile (because obviously I've got the biggest smile/most shocked look she's ever probably seen in her life). She smiles at me, leans over, and tosses me her guitar pick. Without any reason or anything, just kinda "here you go." Kinda like when Lori gave me her drumstick. (By the way, I still have all of these items obviously. When there were the fires in Yosemite, I was there for those and my mom asked me if I could save anything if the time came down to it what to tell her to grab, and I told her it didn't matter if she grabbed nothing else, she better save this Skillet stuff or I'm going to be bummed for the rest of my life. Luckily the fires never reached our house. But still.)
didn't really know them apart from the random podcasts they showed up in. When I finally made it over to John, he was excited to see me. I mean, his face lit up and it seriously looked like he was seeing an old friend for the first time in a long time. It was awesome. And Korey was there and said, "Happy birthday man!" I got John to sign a picture "Happy Birthday". It was awesome.So now I have two drumsticks from Skillet, a guitar pick, a complete signed skillet, and a picture that says "Happy Bday!" signed by John Cooper.
The concert the next day wasn't fun at all. We drove all the way down to Adelanto (which is a wayyyy southern part of California. There were cacti.) They played in a baseball field and we were in the stands and they were in the outfield. It was lame. But we stayed with my friend's grandma, who made us drinks for my birthday and it was fun.
Pretty much the best birthday of my life.
And, just in case you didn't (for some reason) believe I sang at the concert:
