There were some raised eyebrows when fans of pop icon Gary Barlow set up camp in Perth city centre last week.
About 30 of his most hardcore supporters took over a plaza in front of the concert hall, a full day before their hero was due to take to the stage.
They already had their tickets, but they were determined to be first in line when doors opened.
For many people, this kind of behaviour just won’t compute.
Some will be perplexed by the fact that many of this group — from far afield as Manchester, Spain and Israel — had already booked and paid for hotel rooms that night. Some had called in sick from work, while others had kept their plans a secret from friends and family.
On social media, news of the gathering was met with bemusement and, in some cases, scorn.
And while, yes, it might be difficult for some people to get their heads around, should we really begrudge a good-natured group of friends who are simply making the most of their trip to Scotland to see their pop idol hero in the flesh?
Were they harming anyone? No.
Did it help brighten up a corner of Perth city centre for a few hours? Definitely.
Will it have grabbed Gary Barlow’s attention? Almost certainly.
These sort of occurrences should be celebrated.
Bands and pop stars that command this kind of devotion are few and far between these days.
I thought the sort of scenes from A Hard Day’s Night were a thing of the past, so it was heartening to see superfandom still going strong.
If anything, it was a bravado show of Patience.
