06/15/04’s illustrious band:

Stage Love

Brought to you by music groupies.

It’s been a quiet few weeks around the Acres, so I’ve been reading up on a music group I like (Rockapella, in case you’re wondering). I learned a new term from some of the fan sites: stage love. Stage love is when a performer appears to sending a fan love, or at least special attention, from the stage: nodding, waving, pointing, making eye contact, or even singing directly to some lucky audience member. This is what groupies live for, this feeling of being noticed and included in the lives of their idols, even if just for a moment, even if just for show.

Can’t blame them, though, can you? Can’t blame them for wanting to be part of something larger than themselves, like fandom for a particular group, and to be recognized for it -- especially when they’ve traveled hundreds or even thousands of miles to see the beloved, as many of the faithful do.

You also can’t blame them for enjoying the ritual of seeing the same concert (often with many of the same fellow fans) time after time. There’s something reassuring about knowing what’s going to happen, more or less, while still reserving room for a bit of the unexpected: new between-song banter from your favorite band, a new line reading from your favorite actor, a new homily from your favorite pastor, a new episode of your favorite TV show, a new guest speaker at the next Trek convention.

We’re all groupies for something. For me, it’s T’ai Chi. Class proceeds on the same schedule each time, but there’s always a new lesson to be learned or a new technique to be tried. It’s like singing a familiar song: the standard melody lies in the procession of warm-up, meditation, first section, break, and last round, with a jazz riff of a lesson second to last. Keeps me coming back for encore after encore.

Today around the world: June 15 is Youth Day in South Africa.

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