Backstage at the Basie with Cheap Trick

I get to do some cool stuff as a radio DJ, but last night, I had one of the most fun nights yet!

A little backstory: a few years ago, I asked a listener/Facebook friend Eileen to write a post for 943thepoint.com called 'A Day in the Life of an Autism Parent.' Writing that post inspired her to start a blog called 'Autism with a Side of Fries' which has since become insanely popular with fans from around the globe!

Turns out that one of those fans happens to be in a little band called Cheap Trick, which is where everything comes together.

Cheap Trick bassist Tom Petersson and his wife Alison have two awesome kids, one on the autism spectrum. Seeing as they are such a musically-inclined family, they've decided to create 'Rock Your Speech,' a music therapy program to help kids with autism and other related issues, which is awesome on many fronts. There's a lot of work to be done for the program, but they're getting there!

Last night, Cheap Trick played a show at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank. Alison and Tom invited Eileen (now best known as "Mama Fry") to the show, who in turn invited me and her friend Patty along! (You should know that Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" has been my absolute favorite song for as long as I can remember.)

They brought us onto the stage before the show, where they generously showed us all of the band's equipment and let us take tons of pictures, then while Tom prepped for the show, we hung out with Alison and their kids in Tom's dressing room. (Whaaaaat.)

They are the friendliest, most down-to-earth family, and we had an absolute blast. Eileen, Patty, and I got to watch the show with Alison and the kids, and it really felt like I was hanging out with people I had known forever.

I can't thank Eileen, Alison, and Tom enough for it all! So, so cool!