Music superfans

We all know that person who is an extreme fan of some group of artist. The person with all the posters. The person who saves all the ticket stubs from the concerts.  The person who has the bio of the artist embedded in their brain.  Most of us like a certain type of music or artist but these superfans go way beyond the call of duty.

I think of the scene in Rock Star where Mark Whalberg’s character gets in an argument with a rival tribute band stating that his jacket isn’t correct citing that the stitching and lapels are wrong.  Every time I see that scene I kind of cringe.  I mean, is it really that important to know all the details?

So where am I going with this?  I guess my question is, do these superfans prove that music can truly touch a person that deeply or are these fans just a little off center and looking for something to gravitate too.  Musicians certainly don’t want to offend their fans but at the same time you have to think “get a life” right?

There are those Deadheads who travel the country, there are parrot heads who are constantly looking for Margaritaville, and there are those tribute band guys who try to capture every nuance of an artist and replicate it albeit on a smaller stage. I guess it’s just something that really connects to them.

I’m not trying to knock anyone here, I just wonder where the line is between Fan, super fan, or stalker.