Virginia mom Holly Wickline, her husband, daughter and son jumped on a 3:30 a.m. flight Monday to be first in line for Bieber’s concert on the plaza Wednesday — two days ahead of time.
Holly isn’t just a mom bringing her kids because they are fans of the pop star, either. She’s a fan herself, and even founded the group Moms4Bieber.
“We love what he represents, his charitable works, and how he inspires us and our kids,” Holly told TODAY.com as the family happily settled in for the long wait until the concert.
Holly hasn’t been a fan for long. Last year she was like some other parents, buying Bieber-themed Christmas gifts for her daughter, Shelbe, and not quite understanding the appeal. When the family won tickets through a local radio show to see Bieber's film “Never Say Never,” Holly refused to suffer alone: She dragged her husband, Gene, and Shelbe’s younger brother, Wyatt, along too.
But the film wasn’t quite what they expected. “We came out with our jaws on the floor and tears in our eyes,” Holly said.
From then on, Holly was a Bieber fan. She followed him on Twitter, and saw some other moms were fans as well. She made herself a promise: If Bieber followed her back on Twitter, she would start a moms group about him.
Three days later Bieber did just that, and Moms4Bieber was born. Since then the group has grown, and they’ve taken part in a number of charitable activities. More members are expected to arrive on the plaza Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Wickline family of four plan to hold their place on line until Wednesday morning. They have a hotel where the kids can sleep at night while Holly and Gene take turns camping out.
So what would happen if they met Justin on Wednesday? “She (Shelbe) would pass out and she (Holly) would die!” claims Wyatt.
While Holly and her family are prepared with photos for Justin to sign in case they meet him, what they would really love is to give him a book they put together containing messages from each of them, as well as other Moms4Bieber members, about how he has inspired them.
Holly hopes that if the group's fame continues to spread, Justin might mention them.
“Justin has 14 million followers on Twitter. If they all made a bread basket of food for a needy family, we can make a big difference,” Holly said.
Tune in Wednesday to see Justin Bieber's concert on the plaza!
Lisa Granshaw writes and produces for TODAY.com. She's never had Bieber fever and still doesn't quite understand the Twihards that lined up earlier this month either, but she's becoming more and more inspired by the spirits of all these fans lining up early at TODAY!