be there for me—help me when I need it; be supportive:
- They told us that they would be there for me and help me through the difficult time I was about to face.
be there or be square—you better be there because everyone of importance will be there:
- Cassidy is having a gallery opening…. There’s an intimate dinner party immediately following, so be there or be square.
Note: Neither expression correlates in meaning with the phrase you had to be there—used to say that to appreciate the situation you should have been there:
- There was such a feeling of solidarity and unity and peacefulness, you had to be there to feel it.