One of the weirdest experiences I’ve had was when I met my childhood celebrity crush, Drake Bell. How do you process that? You don’t.
A couple weeks ago, Drake was doing a little show near Fenway Park at Loretta’s Last Call. My friend and I bought our tickets well in advance, but I don’t think it ever hit us that we were gonna be in the presence of someone we looked up to as kids. When I saw the event on his Facebook page, I was sitting there debating whether or not I wanted to go. But I figured when would be the next time I would get to see him locally? So I bought my ticket.
I was obsessed with Drake Bell when I was in 4th grade, and it drove everyone I knew crazy. Watching Drake and Josh after finishing my homework on a school night was one of the best parts of my childhood. My favorite episode had to be with Wendy, aka Drake’s #1 fan. I loved Wendy because she was literally me. I think we both wanted to marry him just as bad. I also had Drake’s first album, Telegraph. I think that was all I listened to in 2006, let’s get real here.
Fast forward to the night of the concert. My friend and I were at the bar in Loretta’s, and I’m drinking a “Hug Me Brotha” on the rocks (it’s key lime rum), and all of a sudden from across the room was Drake Bell in his bedazzled red jacket, green pants, and gold loafers. That was when it hit me. I think the weirdest part for me was being in his presence now that I’m a grown up. He still looks the same, so it felt like I went back in time. I’m out here standing in the crowd thinking this is what he sees:
What also felt weird was that there were no kids at the concert. Everybody who attended the show was around my age. Maybe that’s the true marking of adulthood. Instead of hearing screaming teenagers, you hear 20 something-year-olds reflecting on the good old days. I was telling a few girls standing next to me that I was in love with him in 4th grade, and they were relating to that. This is probably what it’s like when your parents go to see a band they listened to as kids. Drake and Josh was at its prime 13 years ago and remembering that as Drake was singing on stage made me feel super old. The nostalgia really came rushing back when he played songs from his Telegraph album.
The meet and greet was a whole new level of weird. I’ve met a few celebrities before, and I get extremely shy. Standing in line, I knew that was gonna happen again, and I accepted that. I made my friend go first because I was way too nervous. She walks up to him and shouts “HUG ME BROTHA!!” And he says it back to them, and they hug. After they took a picture together, my friend introduced me to Drake. You know what I said to him? “Hi.” That’s all I could get myself to say to someone who rocked my childhood.
Standing next to him felt really strange since I still felt like I was 10. I always imagined him being super tall compared to me, but I was only a few inches shorter than him. If I wore heels I would look like Godzilla next to him. But Drake was a super nice guy to my friend and I. “I just put my arm around Drake Bell, how does that happen?!” I said to my friend in the bathroom before we walked back to my car.
While we were waiting for my car to warm up, I was looking at the pictures we took with him. “Who’s that grown-ass woman with her arms all over Drake?” That was my initial reaction when I saw the picture of us. I sent the picture to my dad, and the text he sent me was, “HOLY CRAP!” I guess I wasn’t the only one who remembered my obsession with Drake.
I posted the photo on Instagram and Facebook, and a lot of people reacted the same way my dad did. I felt super self-conscious walking around campus the next day. A lot of people have seen the picture, and I’m walking around wondering what they are thinking of me when they see me. I chose to go on with my day like it didn’t happen. I didn’t want to be that person to brag about it.
At the end of the day, whether or not I met him, I’m still me. Meeting someone who was truly a legend to us millennials was fun and all, but it’s not gonna determine how cool I am. It doesn’t change how I live, or my job, or my friends. It’s all a memory, an amazing memory. But if you have the chance to meet someone you looked up to as a child, definitely do it, because it’s something you’ll remember forever. And bring a friend! Share something beautiful together!
