Fan profile: Shannon Bella loves Taylor Hicks
Thursday, September 6th, 2007
Shannon Bella met Taylor Hicks at a meet-and-greet session during one of the six concerts she’s attended. “Of course I was beside myself with excitement,” Bella said. “I was soooo nervous I almost peed in my pants!”
When it comes to Taylor Hicks, she admits she can’t follow the rules.
“I mean, what’s wrong with taking a picture?” superfan Shannon Bella says. “Or looking for your car that happens to be parked near the tour bus? Or sitting in a seat you clearly thought was yours.”
There are few extremes Bella won’t go to in order to get a better view of her favorite “American Idol” in concert.
The wife and mother of two from Houma, La., has seen Hicks six times in concert, a number she admits she would like to be a lot bigger. Bella said she has been a fan of the Season 5 winner since the “gray haired guy with quirky dance moves rocked my world during his audition on AI.”
“In April I went to my first Taylor concert and have been hooked since,” Bella said. “I’ve met a lot of great friends through this common bond, and I can’t wait untill his next tour.”
Bella, who works as a professional holiday designer, said one thing she would like to ask Hicks is if he ever plans to record a holiday album. At the moment, her favorite song is “The Maze,” and she believes she has a deeper connection with the singer than many other fans in the Soul Patrol.
“After reading his book, ‘Heart Full of Soul,’ I felt a deep connection with him. His life wasn’t always easy,” she said. “His mother drank a lot and he had a lot of sadness growing up. I lost my mom when I was 6 years old, so I felt we shared this experience of not really having a mother. Like him, I have learned to find peace and comfort in art. Different forms, of course, but all the same.
So, what if there was no Taylor Hicks on the planet? What other “Idol” would Bella, well, idolize?
“Kelly Clarkson,” she said. “Because she freakin’ rocks!”
ARE YOU AN “IDOL” SUPERFAN? If there’s a contestant you love more than just about anyone on the planet, let me know. I’ll randomly profiled superfans of past contestants as we gear up for the coming season.
