Let me start this off by saying that even the threat of a hurricane couldn't keep me from seeing this show. I was excited to see my friends Kill Betty open for Hurtsmile, a band that I had the pleasure of interviewing back at M3 in May. The evening started off slow, as we walked into Recher Theater and heard a band called Don't Tell performing Extreme's "Get The Funk Out". In my opinion, they should probably have just gotten out. Not exactly my favorite band of the night.

Next up was Stereo Trigger. Not a bad band all in all, and apparently I'm not the only one who thinks so. They were opening up for Daughtry the following weekend. Their singer had a lot of energy and I liked what she brought to the stage.

Kill Betty took the stage shortly after. I swear, everytime I see these guys, they get better- TONS of energy, killer guitar solos and a harmonica player that made a special appearance which nearly blew me off my feet. I'll be seeing them again soon.

It was finally time for Hurtsmile to come on. I was excited to see them again, since I didn't really catch them at M3. (Note: When you go to a festival like that, either go to work or go to watch but never go to do both.) I was a fan of Extreme, so it was great to see Gary Cherone up on stage again. He's such a performer. Unfortunately, there was barely a crowd at that point. I don't know if the threat of Hurricane Irene scared people or if they just weren't as excited to see Hurtsmile as I was, but whatever the case, they missed a good show. But it's what happened after the show that will stand out in my memory forever.

I can't tell you how many times I've been called a groupie in my life. But I've never considered myself one, because to me, a groupie is someone who follows one specific band on tour and ultimately, ends up sleeping with at least one member of said band. So I'll say it now, as I always do...I'm no groupie. With that said, I'll tell you about an evening my friends and I shared with Hurtsmile...

After the show was over, my friend was pretty bummed that she never got to meet Gary and the guys. I was telling her during their set the who's who of the band and how great they were to Shockwave at M3. She really wanted to meet them. So, unlike I've ever done before, I ran over and sat by their van and took my friends with me and we waited to see if the guys came out. Wouldn't ya know, eventually they did, one by one, and (gasp!) they made their way over to the fans that were waiting for them. My friends and I patiently waited for them to talk to us, like any good fan would do. Imagine my shock when Gary came over, shook our hands and recognized me from M3. We all chatted about the show, shook some more hands, and then took pictures. Dana Spellman, their drummer and carnivore extraordinaire, said I was sassy. Joe said feisty. I liked it. At some point, we all decided to go to breakfast. I can't tell you what everyone had, I was too busy convincing Dana to try scrapple...and he did. I just can't get over how friendly these guys are. They've been around the world. They've seen and done a lot. But for that night, they were just regular guys in a diner eating breakfast with some fans. Excuse me; din-ah, as said by Dana. When breakfast was over, we all parted ways. All I can say is, we don't feel like just fans anymore. A big thanks to Hurtsmile for sharing their time with us. We're patiently awaiting their return to MD.