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‘American Idol’ devotees who have traveled all over to see singers arrive in Wilkes-Barre Township for local show

September 10, 2009

Never idle for ‘Idol’

WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Whether Michelle Huston has a husband this morning is debatable, she said. Lucky for her, her spouse has been understanding and quite tolerant of her “American Idol” obsession.

On Wednesday evening at the Wachovia Arena, where the 2009 season’s Top 10 finalists performed, the 32-year-old from Severna Park, Md., said she hit shows in her own state as well as New York and Wisconsin this summer before coming to Pennsylvania. Her main goal has been to see winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert.

“It’s fun to be spontaneous every now and then,” said Huston, a Great Britain transplant sporting black nail polish in classic Lambert style.

She has plenty of company and has even made some friends in her “Idol” travels. Case in point: 50-year-old Cathy Matthews of Baltimore, who took a day off from work to attend Wednesday’s show in Wilkes-Barre Township, one of the later stops on the 50-city tour.

“We met in line for ‘Good Morning America,’ ” Huston said of Matthews. The two attended the Aug. 7 “American Idol” finalists concert in Central Park.

The pair, who have Adam Lambert ringtones and photos saved on their cell phones, recognized each other there from the Aug. 5 Baltimore performance.

On Wednesday, they were again among more than 100 diehard fans from up and down the East Coast gathered outside the arena early in the afternoon hoping to catch a glimpse of their obsessions, who were doing an afternoon press conference.

“It’s been a life-changing summer,” Matthews said, explaining she even scheduled a vacation with her husband to New York City in August to see the Idols.

“He wouldn’t let me stand in Central Park by myself,” Matthews said. Not a fan, her husband ended up waiting in Central Park for four hours until the concert was over.

At that performance, Huston realized Allen was wearing something around his neck that she gave him at a show in Baltimore – a peace-sign-shaped guitar pick.

“He’s been wearing it ever since. I’m thrilled to bits,” she said.

The day that she put in to get here speaks to her passion. She awakened at 6:30 a.m. to carpool with Matthews from Maryland to Wilkes-Barre Township and guessed she’d get back home by 4:30 a.m. today.

She’s not unusual in such all-out devotion.

Consider 23-year-old Jennifer Brill of Delaware, who also follows the singers on tour.

“My parents think I’m nuts,” the psychology major at Wilmington University said.

“Between the tour and online communities, it’s just been amazing,” Brill said, adding she’s considering writing a thesis about the summer tour.

“I’ve written about my ‘fan-ish’ stuff in an academic context before,” she said.

Brill uses Twitter and other social-networking sites to keep up to date on the latest “Idol” news.

Waiting outside long before doors open doesn’t bother her either.

“It’s like camping out for a midnight movie,” she said.

Next to Brill, 39-year-old Barb Mathis of Easton stood with four generations of her family, including her daughter, mother and 83-year-old grandmother Dorothy Pfeffer of Phillipsburg, N.J.

“She says she’s their oldest fan,” Mathis said.

She might, however, be a little more subdued than some other fans, Huston included. This time, Huston brought a sign quoting a line from one of Allen’s favorite songs, which was nothing like a present she offered him weeks earlier. At a show in Wisconsin, she threw him a plaid bra.

“I didn’t feel like he was getting enough bra love,” she joked.

The 2009 “American Idol” season not only led to a friendship for Huston and Matthews but also for 25-year-old Amie Mocere of Melbourne, Fla., and 28-year-old Samantha Flood of western Canada.

The two met in Grand Rapids, Mich., at an “Idol” show a few days ago and came to Wilkes-Barre Township together.

Their friends back home don’t understand their “Idol” obsession, Mocere said, explaining, “We don’t tell them a lot, but when we do, they think we’re nuts.”

Mike McGinley, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7127.

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