(Midnight Red serenading a little girl with an a capella version of "Boyfriend"
at the Mall of America - Aug 18th, 2012.)
It's no secret to anyone in my Twitter or Facebook timelines how much I love Midnight Red. Unfortunately, many of you are under the wrong impressions as to why, so I want to clear things up.
I joke about being a cougar, but the fact is, I'm not. These guys are young enough to be my children. There's absolutely nothing sexual there for me when it comes to them. They're adorable and they've got great moves, but that's where it stops. For me, it's about their music.
When they opened up for New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys last summer, it was all over for me. Some friends of mine got to see them at their very first opener in Vegas and told me to check them out on YouTube, so I did. And I saw something in them that I hadn't seen in 20+ years: passion for music.
I immediately started following them on Twitter (@ItsMidnightRed) and began conversing with members of the group (@ThomasAugusto, @JoeyDiggs, @AnthonyLadeo, @EricSecharia & @ColtonRudloff).
When we drove to Kansas City to see them, we didn't get the chance to meet (although, it wasn't without effort on my part - ahem, FOUR pans of homemade cinnamon rolls went missing - care to explain, Rob Lewis? ;) ), but the first song they sang caught my attention and I was done. I've always been a lover of good music, especially that which gets me moving because I love to dance. Midnight Red did that. Songs like "One Club at a Time" and "Rockstar Lover" were catchy and I found myself singing their music in the car on the way home. (Ask my bestie, she'll tell you!)
Later in the summer, I drove to Columbus and Indianapolis, too. Finally, in Indy, I ran into Anthony and Joey at the mall downtown and got to spend some time talking with them. And they're awesome. Very sweet, super respectful and I could tell instantly how humble they were about the opportunity to open up for the two biggest boy bands to ever hit the stage. They were generous and posed for pictures with me and I cemented my fandom that day.
My bestie and I drove to Minneapolis last weekend when Midnight Red was performing at the Mall of America. That's right, we drove eight hours round trip for a 45 minute show and meet-and-greet with them. And they were worth every minute.
Keep in mind, I haven't spoken with any of them since last summer (except via Twitter), but each one of them recognized me and were excited to see me there. Hugs, high-fives and kisses abounded. Thomas even broke the rules and posed for a picture with me (Thanks, Tommy!). Joey refers to me as "CinnaBun" (Again, with the cinnamon rolls, Rob Lewis?!) and he immediately remembered where he and Anthony met me for the first time.
It's things like that that determine the greatness of a band. You can have amazing music and super stage presence, but if you don't interact with your fans, you've got nothing. These guys do all of that and more.
There are artists out there today who have been given opportunities left and right or have practically landed in the right hands right from the beginning. They don't understand what it means to walk the walk or talk the talk. They don't know what hard work is. They act entitled or, at the very least, act like everybody will love them because they're hot.
The guys of Midnight Red aren't those artists. They filling clubs, they're connecting with fans, they're busting their asses and they're not afraid of hard work to get them where they want to be. They're talented, both individually and as a group and they're going to be big...soon.
To me? They're big now. I'm not some sixteen-year-old-girl who wants to do bad things with them (I'm more like the hot older sister, yeah?), but I do support them and I keep them and their music close to my heart always because I recognize their passion for music.
On September 21st, they headline their very first show in New York City at the Gramercy Theater. Tickets go on sale this Friday (only $12 or $30 VIP -incl tix, early entry, M&G and poster). Do yourself a favor and go see them. They're worth it!
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