Ok. So . . .
. . .my best friend, her Mom's cousin was the head writer for "The Tonight Show". So anytime we wanted tickets to "The Tonight Show", we could just ask her Mom's cousin and he usually could get them for us with enough advance notice. The benefit was, because they were like "special guest" tickets, we would be placed on a list and able to park where everyone who works at that studio parked. So we would go in the same entrance as Jay Leno or Paul Moyer (because I think the NBC nightly news taped there as well, though I could be wrong about that). It's a small studio and not too many NBC programs are filmed there.
So, it was when "Astronaut" came out or was coming out (I think it was already out) and they were promoting it, and they were the musical guest that night on "The Tonight Show". My best friend has loved Simon Le Bon and her middle sister has loved Roger Taylor forever (or at least since the early 80's) so they got tickets. Unfortunately, my best friend had just had her baby and was going back to work, and it turned out that the show DD was going to be on was scheduled for when my best friend had to go back to work, like her 2nd or 3rd day back. So there was really no way she could call in sick. So she asked me if I wanted to go with her sisters. And I'm very close to her family, so I said, "Sure."
So me, her two sisters, and one of her sister's best friends go. We get there super early, park, and then we have tons of time to kill. So we go to the NBC cafeteria which has an outdoor patio that overlooks the parking lot and the back entrance to the "Tonight Show" building. So we're just killing time, sitting on the patio, talking, sipping drinks, munching on snacks, and having a good time when I go, "Hey! Let's call Dawn [my best friend] at work and pretend like we just me Simon!" Dawn's oldest sister is a huge prankster and tormented Sherry and Dawn when they were kids, so she was all on board. So Deb calls Dawn and starts weaving a tale of how we met Simon. But Dawn is smart and she doesn't fall for it. So then we're all just talking to Dawn and on and on when one us really sees Simon and we go, "Oh my god, there's Simon!" And Dawn's on the phone going, "Ha ha. Yeah right! You guys are funny." And we go, "No! It's really him. We're not bullshitting this time! He's with Nick!"
So we keep Dawn on speakerphone and we all go walk over toward the back entrance of the "Tonight Show" building. They were filming promo spots with Simon and Nick for that night's airing. So we told the two fim crew guys that we were big fans and we wouldn't interrupt, we just wanted to watch. It's been so long, I can't remember if it was Simon or Nick, but one of them said that they would come over when they were done filming. So we watch them do take after take for the promo spots and then, as promised, Simon and Nick came over to talk to us. The STUPID, BAD STALKER FANS we were -- we had completely forgotten to bring a camera!!!!! But Sherry had her 1984 "Arena" tour programme and so Simon and Nick signed that. And then we had Simon sign something for Dawn and Deb was holding her primitive cell phone up with Dawn on speakerphone so Dawn could hear everything.
I was so shocked at how nice they were. I really had expected Simon Le Bon to be a complete dick, but he was actually really, really nice, as was Nick. So we chatted with them for a short while and then said thank you and then they went inside and we were all like birds twittering "OH MY GOD"s to each other. hahahaha But Sherry still hadn't met her #1, Roger.
So eventually we go inside to the special guest Green Room. Hang out in there. Get taken to our seats. See the show. That night DD played '(Reach Up For The) Sunrise'. It was a lot of fun.
After the show, Deb, Sherry & Dawn's cousin (the head writer) comes out to meet us and see how we liked the show (like he always did). He told Deb that he has some stuff for their Mom, but it's up in his office. So he leads us all upstairs to his office which is just passed . . .
. . . the "MUSICAL GUEST GREEN ROOMS"!!!!!!!!!
And ALL OF DURAN DURAN are just hanging out, drinking, mingling and milling about up there!
Now, officially, we're not supposed to talk to or bother any of the Talent. Deb, Sherry and Dawn's Mom's cousin is very strict about these rules. But Sherry wanted her programme signed by the whole band. So the cousin told us to wait outside his office while he went to get Roger, Andy and John's signatures for her. Then he said his goodbyes to us and we were set to leave. And, of course, to leave we had to walk RIGHT PASSED THE GREEN ROOMS!
So we ended up meeting all of them and they were so very nice. I specifically remember talking to Andy and Roger and telling them how much I liked "Astronaut" and how impressed I was with it. Sherry got to shake hands with Roger and give him a quick hug, and tell him how she has been a huge fan of his for so long. He was just so nice to her.
Then we said our goodbyes, walked downstairs, and out into the parking lot and to Deb's SUV.
Sherry cried the whole way home.
It was a very fun day and DD were very nice.