Todd's Reviews
Blues Traveler Proposal in Port St. Lucie
by Todd McFliker
Listening to the magic sounds of Popper as I properly popped the
big question.
It
was early October when I noticed an advertisement that changed
my life. Flipping through the pages of the new
RAG Magazine, I
spotted the full-page ad for the Blues Traveler concert at The
Mojo Room three weeks later in Port St. Lucie. Right away, I
got emotional, bought tickets and started preparing to surprise
my better half, Mary. And if fate would allow them to recreate
either “Alone” or “Hook” by the iconic blues singer, John
Popper, I will properly pop the big question to my sweet Mary.
The last time we saw Blues Traveler was at two sold-out nights
in Fort Lauderdale’s Culture Room in the fall of 2006. They
were phenomenal. Burning time backstage with Popper after the
first performance, Mary mentioned how upset I was that Blues
Traveler never played one of my personal favorites, “Alone.”
And before I knew what was going on, he immediately started
singing the opening verse to just the two of us.
I said I love you. She began
to cry. She said she needed a friend. I said I’ll try…
I had to walk away. I was too choked up. That was a
beautiful day in both our lives.
The Mojo Room is a fantastic place. It’s an old Publix that was
converted into an enormous venue. There's a giant platform in
front of an even bigger floor with two fully stocked bars on
each side. The club was full of laid-back thirty-somethings
just wanting to enjoy Blues Traveler’s chill vibes. Following
Lisa Bouchelle, a talented vixen with just an acoustic warming
up the Room, the boys took their stage. By this time, I had
secured a front row spot to stand on the general admission
floor. Popper appeared dressed in all black, from his jeans,
button-down and signature hat, to the frames of his thick
glasses.
Blues Traveler mixed their popular singles in with rare material
dating back fifteen years. In between the singer’s cigarettes,
we heard “But Anyway,” “Mountain Song” and “Gina,” just to name
a few. During some twelve minute jams, every musician impressed
with extended solos. Toying with his harmonica, the passionate
Popper clenched his eyes, tilting his head up as he sang the
heartfelt ditties to hundreds of spectators.
No, we didn’t get to experience “Alone” this time. But we did
eventually hear the evening’s obvious highlight, “Hook.” Mary
told me she had to run to the ladies room. This was a sign. I
knew he’d play one of the special tunes I had been anxiously
awaiting while she was gone. Just like when Lez Zeppelin
dedicated “The Rain Song” to my lady, the “Queen of all my
dreams” in New York City. And sure enough, Blues Traveler began
a slower, unorthodox version of the modern classic, “Hook.” I
was losing my mind waiting for Mary to reappear, which she did
relatively quickly. As Popper vocalized his poetry,
I wanna bust all your
balloons. I wanna burn of all your cities to the ground,
I squatted down. A small crowd circled around. Someone tapped
Mary to turn around and have a look. Seeing me on one knee, she
thought I had hurt myself. But I quickly asked her the golden
question as I held up the diamond ring. Mary freaked out. I
stood up and my flabbergasted partner embraced me for about five
minutes. Tears fell. Without oral verification, I knew her
answer was a positive one. And so did the receptive crowd all
around us.
After my big moment, a sloppy local fellow named Sean wrote out
and tossed a note to a band member explaining my proposal. The
message was large enough for the bass player Tad Kinchla to
notice what was up. He passed the news along to the rest of the
crew. Then Popper handed me a harmonica and shared some
powerful news: “Wow in the space of this show, someone proposed
to someone right over there. Did she say yes? That’s the
important part. Well, she’s not sure… Oh, she did she said yes
everybody. It’s helpful to know before you announce it because
what if she said no? Congratulations you guys. You have to
name your first five kids after each of us.”
Just then I handed Popper a photo of Mary and him from the
Culture Room. He held it up, announcing “This is a picture of
me seducing his fiancée. I’m keeping that,” he advised me.
“Obviously I didn’t get very far. Our clothes are on, come on.
Usually when it's photograph time, I’m naked. Now they’re
picturing us naked and I’m sure they are picturing you more than
me,” he explained to Mary. Then he changed the subject. “I
know this has nothing to do with your wedding, but why am I
wearing a shirt like Charlie Brown?" And his cooperative mates
began creating the familiar instrumental from Peanuts. “Well
you guys have been awesome and congratulations and we’re really
psyched,” he continued. “To the happy betrothed couple in St.
Lucie. You’re really awesome.” Now a handful of spectators and
even the bartenders were buying us beers and kamikazes for a few
more hours. Nice. It’s just too bad we had that 90 minute road
trip in front of us.
Out
back by Blue Traveler's trailer after the jam session, we got to
chat a bit with guitarist Chan Kinchla. The smiley rock star
explained that he had no idea what had happened until Popper
talked about our engagement. All he saw was the crowd up front
going berserk when I stood up. Chan assumed that a miracle
must’ve taken place, like I was getting up from a wheelchair for
the first time. The story sparked a conversation about Popper
impressing his massive audience from a wheelchair for their
annual 4th of July gig at Red Rocks back in 1992.
While Blue Traveler was loading up onto their vehicle, the
friendly Popper was still at the bar getting his drink on. The
intoxicated rock star had two young women hanging all over him.
There were three bouncers surrounding the celebrity as well.
Mary and I approached the sloppy drunk to give him a copy of my
published book. Popper is quoted in the conclusion under one of
my photos of Blues Traveler at the Culture Room. The silly
singer grabbed my work, autographed it and handed it back. I
had to tell him it was his, a gift from me. He extended loving
words, hugs and kisses to congratulate both me and my fiancée.
Thank God I bought a live CD of the event. I received a good
sounding cut of the unforgettable experience 20 minutes after it
ended. It’s perhaps the best $15 I ever spent. After all, most
of the evening was a blur for both of us after the big question
was popped. According to the Best Man, audio technician Chris
Cimaglia, selling decent-quality recordings of concerts started
with the Allman Brothers back in the ‘70s. Cool. But there’s
one thing I need to clarify today. The bride-to-be has to
remember a crucial detail: I get both of the puppies in a legal
prenup, or the whole shin-dig is off. But let’s just push that
aside for the time being. Mary, I love you with a passion that
you just don’t know. You are a woman among women. You are
alone, even if you’ll always be stuck with me… as your husband.
Posted at: Oct 25, 2007 by Todd McFliker |
