Dianna Rule (72) has travelled to London, Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to see baroque and operatic pop singer Rufus Wainwright perform.
The 39-year-old Canadian-American is the guest artist for the Paul Simon concert at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday night.
''I'm so excited. I was shaking when I heard he was coming to Dunedin,'' she said yesterday.
''I think Rufus has only got 40 minutes, but I got my ticket as soon as I heard he was coming.
''I'm his No 1 fan. I love him.
''There is just no-one else like him. He's incomparable.
''He's got an aura about him, but it's mainly his lyrics.''
She said he incorporated a lot of opera in his performances, which made them interesting.
''His music always tells a story; a lot of it is about his life.''
She said his songs featured both sadness and ''pure joy''.
Ms Rule has lived in Dunedin since 1996 and her Northeast Valley home is a virtual shrine to Wainwright, with pride of place on her lounge wall reserved for two photos of her with the singer.
She met Wainwright in Wellington in 2010 and again in Auckland last year.
''I told him how wonderful he was,'' Ms Rule said.
She travelled to London in 2005 to see him perform in the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden.
''I saw all five shows in a row and they were all different. It cost 880 ($NZ1600) for the tickets.
''I spent six days in the seediest backpacker accommodation you can imagine.''
Ms Rule grew up in London, before moving to the United States in the 1960s.
''I was a hippie. I got married to a long-haired guy and lived in [the centre of the 1960s hippie movement] Haight-Ashbury and all that.
''I lived in San Fran from '68 to '73 and music was everything.
''But, of all the music I've seen - including Bob Dylan, who I hold dear - I've traded them all in for Rufus.''
