Billy Idol plays for super fan Michael Henrichsen’s birthday
After years of planning and hoping, Michael Henrichsen's ultimate birthday wish came true; to have Billy Idol sing at his 26th birthday party.
On Oct. 26 at Seattle's The Showbox SoDo, The Associated Press reports that Idol guitarist Steve Stevens played Happy Birthday and Idol himself called Henrichsen on stage for a rendition of the song.
Henrichsen's '80s cover band Nite Wave also got the chance to open for the English rock star.
See more: Bruce Springsteen surprises Taylor Swift at her own show
"Michael's had quite a long campaign to get this to happen," Idol said. "About two or three years I think he's been putting together celebrity musicians, sport figures [and] YouTube films that he put together, exhorting me to play here in Seattle for his birthday. At first I thought he was just another fan, but then I started to find out about the 'Billy Idol Aid's 1, 2, 3 and 4' [charity concert events] where he got together $13,000 for charity, that's quite good for a band like that. "
As we previously reported, the super fan set up a website called PlayMyBirthdayBillyIdol.com which featured celebrity endorsements from acts like The Beach Boys, Mark McGrath and former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan urging the 56-year-old musician to attend his birthday shindig in Seattle.
See more: Irish musicians go viral with cover of Rihanna's 'We Found Love'
He also tried to (and as it turns out successfully) get Idol's attention by hosting multiple charity concert events called "Billy Idol Aid" where he raised money for two charities.
"I'm just a little guy with a dream and some passion and some hard work," the 26-year-old Idol fan told The Associated Press. "It just goes to show that you can do anything in your life if you just set your mind to it. I'm just ecstatic right now, I feel super blessed."
After the party, Henrichsen spoke with CNN recounting the evening, saying, "This started in November of 2010 and here we are in October of 2012 and it seems like a dream."
He also said, "I didn't sleep at all last night, Billy Idol gave me an actual birthday gift, a little pendant that says 'Rebel Yell' on it, so it's all a blur. He's a very humble guy, he's super, super kind and super nice and the ladies were definitely drooling all over him last night… We've done a lot of good with this, too. We've raised over $13,000 for The American Red Cross and a local food bank called Northwest Harvest. It's definitely been a lot, a lot of work, but if you love something in life, why not chase your dreams, you know?"
See more: Ontario singing stars to perform on ABC's 'Nashville'
For more on Henrichsen's journey, head here.
