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Social media has the power to change almost anything. For Katie Boucher, it took a tragic story and gave it a happy ending.
Boucher, 24, and her friend Cassidy, 23, are big fans of American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan. The pair missed his Saskatoon show in March and were willing to travel a long distance to make up for it. They chose the St. Paul show in Minnesota on June 7, because it’s less than a 12-hour drive away.
Unfortunately, the trip ended terribly.
Boucher said her drink was spiked at the concert.
The women were separated when Boucher never made it back to her seat when the show started.
She said Cassidy called her non-stop, and eventually spoke to a security guard on the other line.
“They said ‘You need to come up here because your friend is not doing OK,’” Boucher said.
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The pair left the concert and went back to their hotel, missing the majority of the show.
Boucher said she doesn’t remember anything that happened, but Cassidy filled her in on everything the next morning.
“I woke up the next day and was like, ‘That wasn’t normal,’” she said. “I knew something was really wrong because when I woke up the next day I realized I hadn’t drunk very much but I still felt intoxicated. It’s unfortunate, but I’ve had my drink spiked before and this felt the same.”
Boucher said she initially felt some doubts about her experience, but came around and quickly realized the situation was not her fault.
“It’s not something that happened because of me – it’s something that happened to me,” she said. “I feel like a lot of victims go through that kind of guilt, shame and self blame, but it wasn’t your fault. Someone did that to you. That was hard to go through.”
She said she wants to remind everyone to be cautious because of how quickly and easily a drink can be spiked.
“It can happen to basically anyone at any time, Boucher said. “I just have so much sympathy for victims and understanding.”
On the long drive back home, the pair made a quick TikTok video about the experience, not thinking much of it. They certainly didn’t expect Kahan to see it himself, but the “Stick Season” singer quickly got in touch with them.
@katiie_rae I’m never getting over this loss 😭 @Noah Kahan @Cassidy
“He commented on the TikTok, and then he followed me and reached out to me via direct message,” Boucher said. “He was really sorry about the experience and wanted to make it up to us if we were comfortable. He offered to give us tickets to another show.”
Boucher said she felt nervous about going to another concert, knowing the feelings and emotions of the last show might come up again, but she knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I’m a normal person, like a celebrity is never going to reach out to me again,” she said.
The remainder of the tour dates were all in America, and Boucher picked Washington since it was only a 15-hour drive. But Kahan had other plans.
“He said, ‘I’ll tell you what. If you buy the plane tickets, I’ll comp you guys for that,’” she said. “So he paid for our flights to go to Washington and paid for our tickets, which was very nice of him.”
The women flew out to Ridgefield, Washington for the concert on July 1.
Boucher said the experience was unforgettable.
@katiie_rae Replying to @noahkahanmusic This show meant everything to us 🫶🏼 Thank you so much to Noah and his team ✨ @Cassidy
“It was unreal,” she said.
“I used the song “You’re Gonna Go Far” in our TikTok, and to hear it live, we both started crying because it felt like such a full-circle moment.
“We finally got to see it and be in the right mindset to see it. It was amazing.”
Boucher said social media helped her turn a terrible situation into a great one.
“It started out being really bad and then turned amazing pretty quickly,” she said. “That was the beauty of TikTok.”