I've attended Fan Fair three times now, and I think I finally get it. I performed on the MCA showcase twice in the early Nineties, but I never understood what was going on. I think I was confused by all the insiders and press hanging around, and didn't understand where the fans really fit in. They were all in front of the stage, but the throngs of people you had to remember were backstage. The whole thing was intimidating.

This year, however, a few things started to click. Perhaps my powers of observation were especially honed by being named intrepid reporter for Rollingstone.com, which is where I think Hemingway got his start. Anyway, for the first time, there I was in the thick of things with all the other hot and dusty fans, looking for the big stars. Hoping to talk to them and have our picture taken. It was kind of like going on an Easter egg hunt: you never know where one might turn up.

DAY ONE (Monday, June 14)

In the backstage area there is an ever-changing spread of food: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. It's hard to separate a musician from free food, but Bryan White has just walked off stage and I really should go interview him. This is the first time this happens to me, but it will happen again every single time I approach an artist for the rest of the week: my brain goes completely blank and I can't think of anything to ask. But somehow I collect myself and get down to the insightful and probative questions we all yearn to have answered. White's favorite Beatle is Paul, his favorite Elvis movie is Viva Las Vegas, and his favorite Star Wars movie is Empire Strikes Back. God, I'm good!

Next, I head over to meet George Jones. Truth be told, getting to talk to Jones was the main reason I agreed to advertise my illiteracy all over cyberspace. My husband [singer/songwriter Bruce Robison] and I finagled our way on stage to watch his set. Apart from the whole living legend thing that surrounds the man, Jones is special to us because my husband fell in love with me partly because I mistakenly thought that it was the girl that dies in "He Stopped Loving Her Today." Bruce thought it was cute or something. I bet if George knew this we would probably become best friends, and then I would become rich and famous and all the people who were mean to me in high school would beg me to ... wait, back to reality and back to work. I am one of about twenty-five other reporters standing outside his bus hoping to get the nod from Possum's publicist. Suddenly, a friend of mine from Austin, Monte Warden, steps off the bus with a few other Asylum artists and George splits. No interviews!

I am so crushed. Now I think I know how the other fairgoers felt. One of them told me they were disappointed that more big stars weren't there. In fact, there were murmurs from the other side of the ropes as well that most of the really big country stars opted out of Fan Fair this year. They still have their fan club booths there to sell merchandise, but they weren't there themselves. I do learn from Monte that George sang a line of Monte's song "It's Only Love" to him. That's something he'll never forget, because I know Monte and my brother-in-law Charlie Robison once smoked one of George's discarded cigarette butts. Fans can be obsessive sometimes.

Its time to go check in at the Artist's Lounge. When the artists aren't out signing autographs or performing on stage, they're back here being interviewed. Since I am registered as both artist and press I have unscheduled access to all who enter the private lounge. It's here that I find out Aaron Tippin won't go out on the road without smoked turkey, sliced. I'm getting the hang of this.

I drop my stuff and head off to the fan booths, where I have been invited to sign autographs at the CMT booth. I think these booths fill two or three shed buildings on the grounds and are all decorated and run by fan clubs. There is a makeshift Tower Records set up to sell the CDs of all the artists making appearances, as well as booths for TNN, CMT, Country Music Magazine, Country Weekly and more. Today I get to sign autographs with Mark Wills, who is making everyone laugh and making me feel dull. The way it works is folks are lined up and come through to get an autograph and have their picture taken. Then they move on to the next artist. I am flattered to find that some people have my CDs to be signed and actually know me! There were still plenty of people who had never heard of me but got my autograph anyway, and for that I was very grateful. People are nice.

Back at the artist lounge I run into Jeff Hanna of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. "Matraca Berg [that'd be his wife] pointed out to me how neat these fans are," he said. "They come from all over the world just to say thanks. It's a great opportunity to meet people all in one place." For the record, Hanna does not go out on the road without his golf clubs, and to set a romantic mood he plays Sinatra rather than Mathis. (Although in high school, he recalls, it would have been Mathis and a colored lightbulb in the lamp.)

The last person I meet today is Tom T. Hall. He is about to go play and I think I pissed him off somehow. It could be my tape recorder in his face when he thought he was safe from press. I asked him a question my husband came up with.

Me: You are such a great storyteller. Do you have any literary influences? Do you like to read?

Hall: (Rather harshly) Yeah, I read.

(Ouch!)

Me: (In my least threatening little girl voice) Um, well ... so who are some of your favorite writers?

Hall: (Still harsh) Larry McMurtry, Cormac McCarthy and Annie Proulx. (Warming up to me now) But she's not your grandmothers Louis Lamour.

DAY TWO (Tuesday, June 15)

A little worse for wear, I gear up to meet LeAnn Rimes today. She has just performed and is standing on the side of the stage talking to some Entertainment Tonight-type camera crew. I'm next! Everyone is saying she is the biggest-selling star here this year, so I ask her why she is here and what she gets out of doing this. "This is the best time I've had at Fan Fair," she gushed. "The crowd was great and I'm having a lot of fun. Everyone is scattered across the country and it's had to get to see everyone, but here you can." The whole time we're talking, I'm hoping my photographer [and publicist] is getting the back of my head next to her and not the front. LeAnn is soon being rushed off, but not before I find out she won't go on the road without her Prince, Aerosmith, Bryan Adams and Celine Dion cds.

I sign autographs at a couple more booths today, still flattered by the experience. I ran out of 8 x 10s at the Country Music Magazine booth, but Lee Roy Parnell let my sign his. I wrote "I Love LeeRoy!" on every picture.

I run into Martina McBride and Brad Paisley later in the artist lounge. By now you can probably guess my favorite question. Martina won't go on the road with a big stack of magazines and Brad won't go out without his cell phone. What can I say? I guess I'm looking for something good to take out on the road with me.

Paisley does bring up a good point, though: there is so much press around, it really cuts into time with the fans. This probably also accounts for the grumpy moods of some artists. After all, its not called "Press Fair." Having said that, I hasten to add that I am very grateful for anyone who interviewed me. Keep up the good work!

DAY THREE (Wednesday, June 16)

Look people, I have remained is good spirits about all of this, but I have a blister on my ankle from these damn strappy shoes and I can pretty much predict the answers I am gonna get from any more stars today. "I'm doing this because it's a chance to give back to my fans who have given me so much." Pick your favorite country singer, and pretend that's a direct quote from them. Chances are pretty good they said that to someone, somewhere this week.

To help put Fan Fair week into perspective, I would like to leave you with a great fan story shared with me by Mandy Barnett. She was doing a show in Cincinnati with a line-up of other acts, and it was really hot. Some woman in the front has a HEART ATTACK. They rush her off to the hospital in an ambulance. A few hours later, SHE COMES BACK, hospital bracelet and everything. "I really wanted to see Marty Stuart," she says. So Mandy took her back to meet him. You might try this next time you want to meet someone.

Okay, just one more thing. I haven't mentioned much about my husband, Bruce, but he helped me a lot with this story. I'm his biggest fan!

KELLY WILLIS
(June 23, 1999)