Hello again all out there in 311 nation! Who’s ready for the new edition of the fan spotlight? I am! This week we meet Heidi Eytalis!
While Heidi was introduced to 311 courtesy of MTV, she was into other music at the time. It wasn’t until she met her husband and recent fan spotlight Timothy in 2000 that she really started listening. “I asked him, is that all you listen to is 311 and Eminem? It took a month and I was hooked as well.”
Vegas made Heidi’s show count turn to 34. Her first was Warped Tour at Tinley Park, Illinois in 2001. “It was a short set but still so awesome, it definitely solidified my love for them.” While there are many shows she loved, including the Grassroots Festival due to her and her family being able to stand side stage, she said Chillicothe, Illinois show in 2014 still stands out to her because it was beautiful, intimate, and there were so many friends there. “A very buggy show to say the least but so awesome because the boys were really in tune with the new album and just having fun. I know the boys got plenty of protein that night LOL. And my best friend came down from Rockford to see the show with me and her first 311 show. She said “So happy to see you so happy”. She got to see my bliss and understood it.”
Favorite song for Heidi is “Uncalm.” She’s only heard it live 3 times. “It means the most because when I started dating my husband, he said it reminded him of me and it just stuck.” One of her favorite lyrics is, “Gotta keep on climbing the hill, cause if you think you’ll make it, you will.”
Rockford, Illinois, is where Heidi grew up. She also spent a few years in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which she said she loves and is a great place to raise kids. Heidi also said she was lucky because she had an awesome mom who supported her love for music and would take her to shows. “First concert was Mr. Kenny Rogers at the ripe ol’ age of 5 LOL.” She has now lived in St. Louis, Missouri, for 14 years and loves it. “Compared to where I grew up, there are lots of music acts that come through town so that’s a plus. As to how I fund my 311 habit, I’m a business analyst for an insurance company, which I’ve done this type of work for about 20 years (geez talk about aging yourself, yikes). Love my job and the people I work with.”
Craftiness is something Heidi is good at, she even had an interview at the Art Institute of Chicago, but said she chickened out. “Now instead of doing artistic stuff, I do crafty stuff for my kiddo.” Unique talent? She can do just about every dance to New Kids on the Block. “Not sure if that’s unique but me and my friend Toni had a crowd watching us at our 8th grade dance LOL.”
Guilty pleasure? Well she said NKOTB might be one lol. But for real, she doesn’t believe in them because she’s not ashamed of anything that makes her who she is. “Oooh, I do love Twilight! Anything vampires and I’m down, not sure why.” Other music Heidi listens to include The Urge. “Steve Ewing is the sweetest man and has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. He even sang acoustically in my back yard for my 40th birthday party. Best party ever, hands down! No one can top that.” She also can be found jamming out to Incubus, Shinedown, Bob Marley, Bruno Mars, The Gap Band, Dr. Dre, Chris Cornell, and Pantera.
To 311, this is Heidi’s message: “I just love you boys, you bring so much happiness to my family! Thanks for keeping true to yourself and fans. Keep it coming!”
To all the other fans:
“I’ve met some of my best friends from this little band called 311. I love you all! Keep livin’ and rockin’ y’all!”
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That was Heidi’s story! So glad you all got to read it and thank you for being here, connecting with other fans. What a fantastic community to be a part of! Until next time, go out and spread the positivity.
Much love – The Runt