Hullaba-YOUBETCHA!

Stranger things have happened, sure.  But I have to admit, I'm kind of one big ol' happy dance about the fact that I've been granted Big Girl Media Credentials for the upcoming HullabaLOU Festival.... despite... well, despite having said, ahem, some kind of critical stuff about the plans... and the line-up... and the assigned seating.

I like to think that the fine folks over at HullabaLOU looked past my deep skepticism and saw through to the little girl who loved her Aunt Rose and loved her some Tom Jones.

Anyway, while I've been considered media by Actor's Theater, Broadway Across America, the now defunct Six Flags, and others, this will be my first experience since the days of the Tom Jones interview with being a bonafide journalist (as opposed to a writer with free media tickets or my name on a "list").  And I'm pretty darned excited.

I've already downloaded my free HullabaLOU iPhone (iTouch, really) app.  It's nicely designed.  Like Bonnaroo's app, it lets you customize a schedule.  Unlike Bonnaroo's app, it also has a radio component, which lets you listen to songs from HullabaLOU artists-- just in case you don't know what Dierks Bentley sounds like, for example (which I didn't)-- and then add them to your schedule (which I didn't).

I'm not the least bit embarrassed to admit that this whole shebang would have me excited if it were just a Bon Jovi concert.  When Bon Jovi was really popular, I made relentless fun of them and lumped them in with every other hair band of the 80's.  But I was a moody, mopey teenager.  I liked deep, meaningful music, preferably sung by men with ambiguous sexuality, eyeliner, hairspray, and leather pants.  Oh wait a minute, hold the phone...

Seriously, back in the heyday of Bon Jovi, I was a Cure/Smiths-loving, poetry-writing, mainstream-scoffing teenager.  But now that I'm a thirty-mumblemumble-something, I look back and realize that Bon Jovi was kind of the real deal when it comes to rock bands.  They're no Bruce Springsteen.  But they're, you know, in the same league-ish.  And I... well, I kind of have a little Jon Bon Jovi crush these days.

Anyway, I'll be spending the next few days figuring out the best way to cover HullabaLOU.  I promise, I won't let the affirmation of "media credentials" color my coverage.

Remember kiddos, there is a local blogger who only says nice things about local stuff.
That local blogger ain't me.