Newly Famous

Saturday night, I went to see Johnny Reid in concert. Reid sang to a sold out house. He has a powerful voice, great songs, great musicians, and the show itself was terrific. But I was struck by something else from the moment he walked on stage: he absolutely loved being there and he is so grateful to his fans. He is still new enough to being famous, and not quite famous enough yet, to be thrilled with the applause and the fact that all these people came here to hear HIM. He has not yet become jaded with the whole fame thing. He has not yet been famous enough for long enough for him to take it all for granted. It really was something to witness. Several times he thanked people for using their "hard-earned money" to purchase tickets for his show. It was almost like he couldn't quite believe that people would pay to see him. He talked about his father being a diesel mechanic and how, coming from this working man background, these last two years have been an incredible ride. You could hear the joy, happiness and almost-disbelief in his words and see it in his actions. It made me smile just to watch him on cloud nine. I have never witnessed this before - usually by the time most of us see a singer, he or she has been famous for awhile, is already blase and though they thank their audiences and their fans, it doesn't come from the heart. Reid's new fame and his joy in it is something I have never seen before and probably won't again. Likely, in the near future, after filling stadiums and concert halls time after time, he will not be so mesmerized by it all, but for now he, and his audience, are enjoying the ride. Having the opportunity to hear someone who is newly famous and sharing in the wonder . . . it's a good thing.