Hello again my beautiful friends in 311 nation! Happy Thanksgiving week to all in the U.S. Let’s kick it off properly with a new fan spotlight. Meet Mike Creager!
While Mike vaguely remembers seeing 311 videos as his older sister and brother were watching MTV, it wasn’t until he was a freshman in high school that he really got into their music. One of his classmates tragically died in a car crash and Mike read in his obituary that he loved 311. “Growing up hearing all the 311 means KKK rumors I never really gave them a chance prior to that point. They had just come out with their Greatest Hits CD so I went and bought that, my brother soon after burned me a copy of the Blue Album, and I slowly acquired the rest.”
For show count, Mike said this is his first attempt at really figuring out his number. He believes he is at 24 shows, which includes 311 Day 2010 and 2014, plus the cruises in 2015 and 2019. His first show was the Download Festival in 2006 at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Mike said this show is still probably his top show. “Right before 311 came on thunder and lightning came crashing in. The lights go off, and the band starts with Welcome (my first time hearing that song) I think it was that whole experience that got me hooked.”
The song “Golden Sunlight” holds a special place in Mike’s heart as it’s the first song he listened to with his daughter when she was born. For lyrics that he loves, he chose these: “It’s like you and me on Plymouth Rock, embarking on a journey that I never thought would happen to me so effortlessly, sparks flying, your laughter is a symphony.”
Mike grew up in Plymouth, Massachusetts, just a few minutes away from Plymouth Rock, which is why that lyric always connected with him. “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else because it’s like being in a small town and a city at the same time, having characteristics of both. Other than a few short stints in neighboring towns I’ve lived here my whole life and officially became a townie when I bought a house here a few years back with my wife and 3 kids.” Mike makes his living as a member of The Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 17. “I install big pieces of metal that heat and air conditioning flow through mostly in the city of Boston.”
Crazy interesting fact about Mike is that when he was about 5-6 years old, he had his fingers run over by a roller coaster! “Waiting on my siblings to get off of the Galaxy at Canobie Lake Park. The coaster ran right next to the fence, I guess I held onto the track and one of the cars ran over the tips of my fingers. Luckily other than a few popped blood vessels there was no real harm done.”
Fun fact about Mike is that he can recite the alphabet backwards. “It has gotten me a few drinks over the years.” Guilty pleasure for him is the T.V. show “This Is Us.” “That show hooks me every time.”
Other bands and musicians that Mike loves include The Elovaters, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, O.A.R, RDGLDGRN, Dispatch, Stick Figure, Twiddle, Slightly Stoopid, Pearl Jam, Band Of Horses, Counting Crows, Michael Franti, and SOJA.
To 311, Mike has these words: “You guys have been with me through the best of times and the worst of times, I don’t know what life would be like without your music, Thank You!”
Finally Mike would like to relay this message to all the other fans out there:
“To all the fans I have met, You’re some of the nicest, most welcoming people I’ve met in my life. To those who I have yet to meet, I look forward to sharing a groove with you at a show somewhere down the line.”
Thank you so much to Mike Creager for sharing his story! This is Thanksgiving week, so I’m thankful to all who participate as a fan spotlight and to all of the supporters who come back to read them every week. The 311 fan community is unique and I’m so thankful to be a part of it. Have a fantastic week my friends, see you next time.
Much Love – The Runt