DMA Riverside Review October 2017 Riverside Review USE THIS 30 Oct | Page 17

The Will Call office did not have the
press passes. The lady behind the glass said
they might be at the Press Gate. Of course,
when we get to the Press Gate … no luck. To
make matters even more perfect, my cell
phone reads, “No Service.” (This kind of stuff
is pretty standard, which is why I ALWAYS
show up very early.)
Fortunately, I’m not alone. I’m with Ed
Cohen, Clement’s manager (his cell phone
doesn’t have service either) and Air Force
Staff Sergeant Kristina LaCoste, who will be
my photographer for the evening. We
manage to get a message to Carla Dragotti,
Cheap Trick Tour Manager. Her message
back: ”You’re too early. Stay right there. I’ll
be there in two minutes.”
Two hours pass by. My interview starts
in eight minutes. One thing to keep in mind,
Dragotti has a mind-blowing number of details
she must handle at these events. To make
things worse, Foreigner is the lead act for the
evening. The headliner sets the agenda,
generally at the last minute. Everyone else
must then conform.
I look at Cohen and say, “I’m starting to
get a little nervous.” I’m now envisioning a
scenario where we turn around and go home
for the evening with nothing. LaCoste then
says, “Let me go back to Will Call. Maybe the
passes are there.” As it turns out … that’s
where they are.
During the show, if you listen closely to
the first few questions I ask Zander, I’m still a
little out of breath.
Robin Zander was incredibly gracious
that evening. He allowed AFN to interview
Shawn K. Clement and Jack Douglas in his
dressing room as he prepared for his concert.
This required him to dress in his private
bathroom which was not air conditioned on a
hot Southern California night. When Douglas
asked how he was doing, Zander yelled back,
“I’m melting!” Not too many famous musicians
would do the same.
In the end, the evening was a
tremendous success. We got entertaining
interviews from all three gentlemen. LaCoste
took some great photos. The Cheap Trick and
Foreigner shows were fantastic. It was just one
of those nights I will remember for a long time.
As we left the parking lot and started
driving home, my cellphone service suddenly
returned. All at once, I received several text
messages from Dragotti which were sent much
earlier in the evening. They were all various
versions of, “You’re too early.” Yes, I suppose
I was.
In keeping with the theme of the
evening, LaCoste went to the Will Call
window, but only I can pick them up. I begin
running up the hill (you just knew Will Call
had to be UP hill). A little background on me
and “running”… I retired from the Air Force in
2009. Those who witnessed my last few PT
tests probably still chuckle at my annual mile
and a half “run.” However, there’s no time for
pride and I try to ignore the amused looks as
I’m “running” up the hill.
I pick up the passes. I run back down
the hill. Things are picking up … downhill this
time. We rush inside and the interviews
begin. These interviews would later become a
special edition of my daily radio show called,
Lunchtime Licks, featuring, “The Warrior’s
Hymn.”
Page 17
JAFAFAFN BC’s Staff Sgt. Kristina LaCoste (right) and
Robin Zander, the lead singer of the group Cheap Trick.
(Photo by George Maurer)