For parents of rabid Bieber fans, special room is a lifesaver

NORFOLK

Cheri Eimer had planned to sit in her truck while her 16-year-old daughter Cady took in Saturday night's Justin Bieber show at Scope.

She was relieved to learn about the parents' room that Seven Venues, the concert's producer, provided next door at Chrysler Hall.

"If I had to sit in my truck all night, I would've been grumpy by now, let me tell you," said Eimer, a real estate appraiser from Poquoson.

Seated at a cafe table near a window overlooking a line of giddy teen girls snaking into Scope, Eimer worked on her novel.

"I was able to bring my laptop in here and write a chapter. This is great,"

Eimer said. "I wasn't going to bring my minor daughter all the way over here and drop her off."

Under dim light from chandeliers, parents and some grandparents flipped through newspapers and magazines provided by Seven Venues. Movies played on a flat-screen TV. A cash bar offered coffee, sodas and other refreshments. Eimer said she needed the quiet time after spending much of the day at Scope. Her daughter, who works part time at a McDonald's in Poquoson, bought a $380 VIP ticket, which included access to the afternoon sound check.

"She texted me from inside and said, 'I made eye contact,' " Eimer said, chuckling. "She thinks she's going to marry Justin Bieber."

Alma Saghafi sat across the room, stirring a drink. She had driven her 14-year-old daughter Jessica from their home in McLean.

"I'd never been to Norfolk. I didn't know it was going to be three and a half hours when I bought the ticket," said Saghafi, a nurse for Fairfax public schools.

The Bieber ticket was an early birthday gift for Jessica, who turns 15 next month.

"I drove all this way," Saghafi said, shaking her head. "The things we do for our kids, you know. I was in love with Leif Garrett when I was her age. My mother never did anything like this for me."

When Jessica entered Scope, Saghafi said, her daughter sent her a text, thanking her.

"She said, 'I will love you forever,' " Saghafi said. "Those words are gold."

Rashod Ollison, (757) 446-2732, rashod.ollison@pilotonline.com. Check out Rashod's blog at hamptonroads.com/blogs/behind-groove