My clogging teammates once showed their love for me by (pleasantly) refusing to allow country star Marty Stuart to leave the area until I came out of the bathroom. Yep, they are keepers!
We are fortunate to be the house cloggers at the Red Barn Convention Center, a local entertainment venue. In November, we got to dance in the pre-show for Marty Stuart's concert at the Red Barn.
I was particularly excited, as I have been a fan since "Tempted," when his hair was huge and you could be blinded by the light reflecting off his jacket.
Our first sighting was Cousin Kenny from the Fabulous Superlatives! He was tending to the musical instruments as we lined up backstage for the first dance. Bedecked in a black jacket with sparkly pink trim, Kenny Vaughan looked every bit as cool and every bit as skinny as he does on television. He gave us a quick hello and continued his show preparations.
I don't recall how our dances were broken up for that particular show - how many sets, etc. - but I do recall attempting to get into the backstage bathroom at least three times after our first set, only to find it occupied each time.
FINALLY, the bathroom was empty and I rushed in. Almost immediately, I heard a commotion, along with a couple teammates loudly asking, "Where is Sheila?!" This was followed by an equally loud announcement from another teammate that I was um, in the bathroom.
"HURRY UP! MARTY STUART IS WAITING!"
Pulling up pantyhose when one is sweaty is no easy task, but I believe I set a personal record for speed in getting my costume adjusted, hands washed, and getting out there.
The team was lined up, ready for a photo with Marty Stuart, waiting for me to join them. I got to shake Marty's hand and jump into the photo you see above (that's me in green).
In case you are wondering, Marty's hair IS as awesome as you think it is.
His solo rendition of "Orange Blossom Special" on the mandolin is even more amazing than his hair!
There's no real moral to this story, other than my teammates could've left me out of the photo with Marty Stuart, but they didn't. Marty Stuart could've visibly winced when he shook my hand, still slightly damp from the speed washing, but he didn't. (Sorry about that, Marty.)
I gained a new love for my team that night and became an even bigger fan of Marty Stuart! If you get a chance to see him perform live, GO!
If Marty ever returns to the Red Barn, I hope to find out what product he uses to make his hair look that perfect...