Country Heart

Backstage With The Country Music Queen

Terri made her way back downstairs and through security, heading straight for Lyllian's dressing room. She had done this a dozen or more times with other leads, but never on her own. She rehearsed what she was going to say, over and over in her mind. She knew a bit about Lyllian, but only the same basics everyone else knew. So she wasn't quite sure what to expect. Terri had come to learn that there are three basic types of music stars. First, we had the Humble ones that were so grateful to have a career, that they go out of their way for their fans. Next, we had the Up and Comers. They were just learning the business. They walked both lines, from being bossy to humble but were usually pretty easy to work with. Lastly, we had the Narcissists that assumed the world revolved around them. Sadly, she had met lots of those and their careers seem to ebb and flow like the tides, sometimes up and sometimes down. What she wasn't sure of, was which category Lyllian Hudd fit into?

Turning the corner, Terri stopped at Lyllian's door and took a deep breath. Feeling the souls of her boots on the concrete below her, she repeated her mantra over and over again to herself. "This going to be great. I am confident. I am worthy. I can do this."  With a click of her boots together, yes just like Dorothy, she knocked on the door and waited. About thirty seconds later, a giant of a man opened the door. He looked at her quizzically, sticking his head out a few inches and proceeded to just stared at her. Realization sunk in, as her brain registered that the man staring down at her was none other than Blaine Feldon, the country music superstar. She hesitated a moment but didn't let him intimidate her. She smiled and with confidence from her mantra oozing out of her, she stated, "I'm Terri with Babbit Merchandising. I'm here to meet Lyllian and discuss the meet and greet after the show."

As if a light went off behind his eyes, his intimating behavior changed and he smiled at her. So the gentle giant smiles, she thought. "Well, mighty nice to meet you.  I'm Blaine, come on in." He stepped out of the way and pulled the door open so she could sneak by him. Smiling, she sidestepped around him and into the room. 

It was a deceiving door, that's for sure. Outside the room were concrete walls and your typical stadium backstage areas. But this dressing room was far from ordinary. The room was decked out in tapestries and rugs. It looked like a fancy living room that a new age guru might live in. There was incense burning, music playing, a large oversized sectional with a matching couch on the other side. It was a lot to take in. That's when she noticed that right in the middle of this impressive room was Lyllian Hudd, and she was walking straight towards her.

Somewhere between the large hunk of the man at the door and this moment, Terri lost her confidence. So, she took another deep breath and reminded herself why she was there. With renewed vigor, she headed towards Lyllian with an outstretched hand. "Hello, I'm Terri from Babbit Merchandising. I'm in charge of your Meet and Greet  event, tonight." Terri moved her hand closer to Lyllian and she just smiled, batted it out of the way and proceeded to hug her.

"We are all family here. Shaking hands is for politicians," said Lyllian. Pulling back and looking me over she asked, "So are we all ready to meet the fans tonight?"

Terri smiled and quickly replied. "My team is handing out the final passes now. We have some really interesting mega fans coming. One is an adorable little ten-year-old girl that can sing like nobody's business, and of course, all she sings are your songs. It's going to be a fun event." 

Lyllian laughed. "Her Mom must just love that." 

Terri shook her head up and down in agreement. "You know it. She's here, seems proud and annoyed at the same time." 

"Oh, that'll be too fun. How's the timing? Do I have time to change after the show?" asked Lyllian

"We have the fans coming backstage straight after your final encore. You'll have 30 minutes or so to get ready. If you need more, just let me know. I can entertain them with t-shirts and swag as long as you need. Then when you're ready, I'll be outside your door to escort you to the area," answered Terri, hoping the timing was okay for the mega music star.