I think it’s safe to say that 2018 is off to a great start. Friday night I got to hyperventilate along with nearly 3000 other murderinos when I saw My Favorite Murder live in Cleveland. As a huge fan of the show, it did not disappoint.
My sister and I went to the show together (it was my Christmas present to her) and we got VIP tickets so not only did we have amazing seats, we got to meet Georgia and Karen after the show! But let’s start at the beginning.
The Show
I had never been to a podcast live show before, but if you’ve listened to any of My Favorite Murder’s live recordings then you know the general format: Karen and Georgia come out, talk about random stuff for like 20 minutes, each tell a murder or true crime story, then take a hometown murder from the crowd. The show in Cleveland was the same way. Our fearless leaders told some funny stories about their trip and, of course, commented on how cold it is in Cleveland compared to Los Angeles.
Then, the murders began. I was excited because both Karen and Georgia covered cases I hadn’t heard of before. Karen went first and told the story of Ed Edwards, a serial killer from Akron who was briefly reformed and served as a motivational speaker on the subject of his rehabilitation from crime before eventually getting back into crime and escalating to murder. I won’t go into the full story in case they post the Cleveland show, but you can read about Ed on his Wikipedia page.
Georgia then told the story of Jeffrey Lundgren and the Kirtland Cult Killings. This story was crazy and included my favorite subgenre, religious cults. But, of course, I ended up having to hit the restroom during Georgia’s story so I missed about half of it! Turns out a glass of wine goes right through you when you haven’t been drinking for five weeks (thanks, Whole30).
The thing that I was surprised by at the live show was how much harder it was to follow the stories when hearing them live. Karen and Georgia did a great job telling their stories, but when you’re watching it live there’s so much to be distracted by. It’s almost like they’re having a conversation on stage and the rest of us were just listening in. Or, you know, it could have been the wine. Either way, I hope they post the Cleveland show so I can listen to it again and really soak everything up!
The Meet and Greet
After the show was over, the VIP crowd was led upstairs for the meet and greet. We were all freaking out. Some people had brought gifts, others had good stories they wanted to tell. The line moved pretty quickly, but Georgia and Karen still managed to give everyone a few minutes of time.
When it was finally our turn, my sister and I hugged Karen and Georgia before getting our picture taken by Vince, Georgia’s husband. Highlights included: getting them to pose in our signature style of awkward family photo, and Georgia telling me I smelled amazing (Glossier, obviously).
Then we got to chat with them for a few minutes. I told them a story my great aunt had told me about the Marilyn Sheppard murder in Bay Village, which they covered in episode 55. Basically, the murder happened in the early morning of July 4, 1954, and the Sheppard home was on the main street in Bay. Everyone walking to the park for the Independence Day festivities had to pass by the Sheppard house on the way. So, instead of heading to the park, many people stopped across from the house, unpacked their picnics, and just watched the scene unfold.
All of that happened in the span of like, three minutes, and then we were on our way. It was all such a whirlwind but I was so in awe of Karen and Georgia’s ability to be present and chat with us for a few minutes despite having talked to probably a hundred other people that night.
Honestly, everything about this experience went just how I hoped it would. Everyone in the audience was kind and excited, and it was like we all knew a little secret about each other that instantly connected you. I made friends in the merch line, we chatted with the people in the seats around us, and freaked out alongside some strangers as we waited for our turn at the meet and greet. Everyone was just so friendly and excited, which made for a great atmosphere.
The community that has been created surrounding this podcast is amazing and seeing My Favorite Murder live in Cleveland really confirmed that. Big thanks to our fellow Cleveland murderinos and, of course, to Karen and Georgia for such an amazing experience. If you are a fan of the show and have a chance to see them live, I highly suggest it!
P.S. We missed you, Steven!
