Heavy Metal Detector

I arrived at the curbside check-in at the MSP airport before sunrise Sunday morning. I felt a bit haggard after awakening at 3 AM to feed my giant lizard before heading out to hop on my flight. A jovial group of guys with long hair were clustered around the door near the check-in booth. Stacks of metal equipment cases sat at their feet. Boy, those guys looked familiar. Maybe after so attending so many metal shows, every fellow metal head looks familiar to me.
But then a jolt of recognition electrified me. I saw these guys on a concert poster at the State Fair a couple of weeks ago. They were members of the Grammy-winning hair band Great White.
A quick glance at the side of the equipment cases confirmed my hunch. The band's name was stenciled on the cases. I nudged my husband. "Hey, those guys are from Great White." He harrumphed. I'm pretty sure he thought I was making an ill-conceived pre-dawn joke. I pointed to the equipment cases and he quit harrumphing.
Great White was playing a show at a biker rally Saturday night, just outside the Twin Cities in Wisconsin. I studied the promo poster closely, because I thought it might be fun to ride the motorcycle out to the rally. I'm definitely not a big Great White fan, but if they're playing at campground for a bunch of bikers, it might be a pretty cool show.
As we pulled off our belts, leather wrist cuffs, and wallets with chains together in the security line, I noticed how happy and relaxed the band members were. I bet their show on Saturday night went well. Even though I'm not a big fan of their music, I do hope that anyone who has the guts to get out there and keep pursuing the music they love has a good show. A lot of people give up on the things that really matter, and settle down in front of the TV to watch other people pursue the important things in life. I noticed the band was proudly wearing their own shirts, unlike a lot of bands which eschew that as uncool. I think its perfectly fine to take pride in your work. I hope Great White had a good flight.