The Fame, Lady Gaga

...Wowsers, it's a long post. But filled with necessary details that describe the adventure, thoughts, and events of jetting around California and rushing to Vegas to meet a popstar.  Since I am feeling rebellious, I will start from the end instead of the beginning --a very good place to start!

 Since I am an avid listener of Lady Gaga I entered a contest a few months ago, and forgot about the entry. I had seen her fifteen minute set when she opened for New Kids on the Block and loved it! Fast forward to last week when my cousin and I planned a last minute trip to the So You Think You Can Dance Finale on Thursday since we received tickets. We drove and stopped in St. George for lunch when I received emails that eventually lead me winning a trip to Lady Gaga's Monster Ball concert in Vegas. Airfare, Hotel, Concert, transportation via limo and Meet and Greet were included (One other winner and her guest were chosen as well).

When I first won, I was excited and somewhat anxious. When meeting Lady Gaga, what  happens? Would she be all crazy and mean, or would she be fiercely nice and genuinely interested in taking a picture?

Getting to the Concert

After driving a few hours we arrived in Vegas, the city of craziness. We were booked in a suite at Planet Hollywood. One neat thing about their rooms is that they all have some Hollywood memorabilia. Ours was "sponsored" by Benny and Joon which featured Johnny Depp's pajamas and a jacket he wore in the movie. Another fun thing about the room was that the bathroom was the same size as the sleeping area.

After relaxing for a bit, we got ready for the concert and headed to the lobby where we met the other contest winner and the sponsor. Mike was the guy in charge of everything in Vegas. He was incredibly friendly guy with many connections in the entertainment industry.  We then walked out of the lobby, and into the hotel drop off point where our chariot was waiting for us. Within a few minutes we are transported to the back entrance of the MGM Grand to see the Monster Ball.  We walked through various hallways and eventually ended up in the concert venue. Once we walked through the doors, you could tell we were at a Gaga concert. Fans were dressed in all kinds of Gaga inspired attire. Some were pretty decent, and some must have missed the memo for modesty.  Just wearing caution tape is not something a normal person can sing and dance in!

We were given our tickets and I was amazed on how close our seats were to the stage. We were just a few rows away from the front. I was stoked that our tickets were not general admission standing room only!  I can only take so many people telling me that I am too tall, or having their sweaty arms against my body! 

The Ball Begins

The "pop-opera" concert was pretty incredible. There was a lot of production and special effects that were put into the show. Gaga sang every song live while dancing -- a hard feat for almost any artist or performer in today's music industry.  The show was just over 2 hours, and was filled with many songs from her two albums.  My favorite songs showcased were Just Dance, Paparazzi, Vanity, Telephone, Speechless, Teeth,  and of course Bad Romance.  Sadly though she did not include her song Paper Gangsta which is my favorite song. Something unique I noticed is that Utah audiences actually sound good when singing to musicians. The Vegas crowd still needs to work on their vocal technique...

Gaga's music is very fun and bass heavy, something I appreciate. Another thing I love about Gaga's shows  is that she has a quirky way of presenting her songs.  Some parts of the show had interludes of tornadoes, model-esque poses, and words flashing across the screens while they prepared the stage. Through out the entire concert there were not any slow moments or times when I started to get bored.  Perhaps my favorite parts of Gaga's concerts is the fact that she is so dramatic and serious, that it comes across as hilarious.  Case in point:

The layout of the concert is that Gaga is trying to get from her home in New York to the Monster Ball.  It's somewhat of a theatrical twist to the Wizard of Oz.  At the beginning her car broke down (Just Dance) and eventually led to a phone call from Ms. Beyonce (Telephone). She then called a random audience member that had provided their information to a Virgin Mobile rep previously. The fan, Little Monster, then got to talk to Gaga and move to a better seat.

One of my favorite moments that showed how great a musician Gaga was when she was singing Speechless on a fiery piano. It started out with her playing on her piano and all of a sudden it turned into a 10 foot tornado and spun. It was quite amazing. 

Scary... 

I don't intend to sugar-coat the entire show -- there were some things said or done that I did not agree with, but I can understand how someone can come to those conclusions or perform the way they did. She loves her little monster fans and is very protective of them.

Also with the city being Vegas, I am not sure what was said and done because it was "Vegas."  There were many mean drunks, who I am not a fan of, that happened to be seated near us. Sure it's comical for a bit, but when you are screaming, acting like you are carrying on a conversation with the performer, or pushing people, it gets annoying after 5 minutes. One of these inebriated people (whom we later found out has a close tie to Gaga)  mistakenly pulled down a teenage monster's shorts by accident (we later find out she was trying to tug his caution tape vest (Telephone music video attire). This resulted that the drunk woman got a punch to the face by another audience member trying to protect the teen. Wild.Careless.People.

The show ended with the entire audience making it to the Monster Ball. This was perhaps my favorite moment, because everyone in the arena was singing at the top of their lungs and dancing to Bad Romance. Pure energy filled the room.

Sealed with a Kiss

After the concert we were ushered through the passages of the MGM Grand.  We waited outside Lady Gaga's dressing room for a few minutes and went into her suite. You may wonder what my conversation would be like with top charting pop superstar. The idea of meeting and carrying on a conversation with a celebrity made me nervous several years ago, but after meeting a few of them,  I have decided they are just like the strangers we meet with a smile everyday. The key is to provide a compliment, and share something you have common ground on.

My cousin, Mike, and the other contest winner and her guest entered Gaga's dressing room.  The contest winner went first and chatted with Gaga.  At one point the winner handed the Grammy Award winning singer her phone so she could talk to her friend A____ who happens to be in fashion school.

"Hello A___ this is Lady Gaga. How are you? 

"Well I  just wanted to let you in on a little secret."  

"F%^* Fashion! You need to tell your professor to  F%^* Fashion!!" 

"I promise you will get an 'A!'"

Then it was my turn to meet Lil Gaga:

Back story: The day before I happened to be at Disneyland, and as tradition, I get a fortune card from the robotic fortune telling machine. I then decided that Gaga might appreciate a small, random and simple gift, so I decided to give her one. Snippets of our conversation went a little something like this:

"Hey Gaga, I just wanted to say thank you for starting to put an end to the
manufactured pop machine.I went to Disneyland yesterday and got you this: It's a fortune from the fortune telling machine, and I got it in honor of you."

Gaga: "Bad @$$!!!"

Gaga then leans over and gives me a kiss on the cheek as I try and focus on reading the card. Our hands both are shaking so she takes her other hand (which had remnants of fake blood) to steady the card. 

I share part of the fortune with her --"Beware of Ladies, they never have your back.
the 16th of any month will result in joy."

"Will you sign my program and CD insert?"

She agrees to providing her autograph and  thanks me for her fortune. I hand her a brand new Paint Marker, and after struggle to get the cap off with my hands so I just bite it off.

I tell her she may need to draw on the program to get the marker started.

Gaga then proceeds to scribble and some shake the marker. I respond back with, "A little shake shake, shimmy shimmy." She laughs.


She then autographs my program cover and CD inserts.  At one point she leans in and whispers "I'm so shy."  To comfort I whisper, "Me too!" 

When she is done, I thank her by winking and saying  "Paper Gangsta." 

My cousin then takes pictures with Gaga and compliments her on the concert. We leave the room and are taken back to a room where we talk about the experience with the other contest winner.Within a few minutes we also meet the little caution tape wearing monster. Turns out he got to meet Gaga because of the brawl.  After a few minutes we walk back to the MGM  lobby, where we slide into a limo as people stare at us, wondering if we were celebrities.

The After-Thoughts

I have thought about how I feel about Lady Gaga before and after meeting her. She is an extremely smart individual who is genuine and quite nice. She could have easily demanded that she was not going to sign anything because of my marker not working, but she was patient and kept trying. Also with other conversations with other people in her dressing room, she has great comedic wit.  Some have asked if I think Stefani Germanotta is the same as Lady Gaga. I think L.G. is a melting pot of her own persona, and that the two are distinguishable.  She knows how to work the media as well as entertain a massive audience. She then can switch gears and still be normal and have a conversation.  

While I may not agree with some of the antics that are done on stage, I can understand why and how she has come to those conclusions. Her fans are somewhat unique because they cover the entire spectrum, from conservative gun carrying soccer moms to LGBTQ youth who are looking for someone to look up to. Also she donates $20,000 from each show to helping homeless youth.

While some of Gaga's antics and ideas differ than mine, I can still respect that she is an uber talented songwriter and performer. She's on the top of her game every night.  I really had a fun time singing and dancing at the concert as well as chatting with my new friend Gaga. It's definitely a moment of my life I will never forget and think about often.  However if I don't remember, it will all come back if I Just Dance...

Black and Gold, Sam Sparro

So lately it seems that my life has been filled with concerts...I was able to see and meet the Ting Tings... Their music screams summer driving with friends.


I went to No Doubt, and I have to say it was a really good concert. There was no need to worry about Gwen singing live, or what to expect. No Doubt really are back, and provided good *dance* music. At one moment Gwen called out to this little girl who was dressed really cute and had her come on stage... It was fun to see.



*Towards the end I think I should issue an apology to the little one next to me.I think it was his first concert. I was really feeling it, and dancing pretty wildly, and he might have thought I was drunk... Don't worry I wasn't just full of nebula.


Taylor Swift....

Wow! I have to say she put on a dang good show. My cousin, and our mutual friend decided last minute to go and it was worth it. There was an opening band, Gloriana, who had a lot of trouble vocally. Perhaps it was because the brunette girl was jealous that the blond had an MTV reality show 4 years ago...

Then Kellie Pickler was supposed to open but was sick... BIG DOWNER because I really enjoy Kellie's songs.

Taylor opened with being a band member, and then had this video segment where Hoda (Today Show) interviewed her. Then Hoda magically appeared!


Then Taylor took two glorious hours that were filled with backup dancers, funny videos, sneaked into the audience for an acoustic set (all the while hugging her fans, signing things, and shaking hands), filled the audience with optimism, banged on drums (theatrically), played a Justin Timberlake cover and FINALLY DANCED IN THE RAIN WHILE SINGING. Simply amazing, and one of the top 5 concerts I have been to.




My favorite parts:
At one point after a song the crowd went crazy for a minute without Ms. Swift saying anything. It was evident that she stood facing the crowd with tears down her cheeks. The crowd then roared with our love for her, and with a hand to her mouth, she stood stunned and simply replied, "Salt Lake I promise you, I will never forget that the rest of my life!"

"If you break my heart," Swift said after playing 'Picture to Burn,' "or of you hurt my feelings, or of you mess with my friends in Salt Lake City, then I'm going to have to write a song about you." I laughed and pretended she was my new friend.

During the song change she showed various photographs that show hardships people endure (high school, loss of job, disability, Iraq War, funerals etc...), and then shared her message that, "There are a lot of hardships in life, and I promise you that someone is there to support you and things do change!" She then carried on her chorus of singing Hallelujah several times with everyone reaching out their hands in the air. It filled me with hope in regards to my life, and reminded me that things do change!

And of course singing and dancing in the rain:

Lights, Camera, Action, New Kids On the Block

This weekend was very exciting and very unique. Some friends and I had decided to venture out to the New Kids On the Block Reunion tour, with Natasha Bedingfield and Lady Gaga opening. I have to say it was quite the event....

1) Lady Gaga was the opener for the opener... and you might have realized my love for her here or here.... One thing bothered me though, No one really understood or seemed to like Lady Gaga, but I thought she was perhaps the greatest performer there, since she sang live, dance, and pretended that she died... but was brought back to life by us screaming. (weird I know... ) She believes in Pop Art, which is a combination of Pop Music, Video Displays with Videos, Singing, and Acting. I thought it was hilarious and really innovative. I would have loved to see a full concert by her, but the 15 minutes were still memorable!

2) I love Natasha Bedingfield's music, and was hoping to hear more of the better songs on her albums, because the singles released thus far are not the greatest... Anywho Natasha Bedingfield is a good singer, but her songs are too slow to dance to. Also she needs backup dancers because the backup singers were trying to do both, and it was ridiculous!

2) NKOTB: They have quite the energy! They sang (some of the time) and danced the whole night. The concert consisted of, what I determined, several acts:

I: The Boys are Back
II: We Like To Think That We Can Make New Music
II: Remember These Slow Songs:
III: Let's Run Into the Audience and Perform on A Hidden Stage
IIII: Some of us had Solo Careers, so We Better Show Off
IIIII: Thanks for Being a FAN FOREVER
IIIIII: SCREAMS FOR AN ENCORE

One thing I liked about NKOTB is that they were able to entertain for someone who knew almost zero of their old material. Also it was fun to see all the women scream... It was like being at the Miley Cyrus Concert times 10... all with the energy supplied with 30 year old women.

Overall I had fun being with my friends as we laughed, danced, and perhaps some of us cried.

Everything Reminds Me of You, Jewell

This past season has been the biggest music summer I have ever had! It was amazing, and gave quite the memories!

It all started with celebrating God:

1. Superchick
2. Britt Nicole
   
3. KJ-52

Then the music started calm and changed into a pop-venture

1. Vanessa Carlton
2. Jordin Sparks (1st Time)
3. Justin Nozuka
4. Kanye West
5. 4real
6. Rihanna
7. Lupe Fiasco
8. N.E.R.D.
9. Mathew Santos
10. Jesse Mccartney
11. Prima J
12. Jordin Sparks (2nd Time)
13. Kellie Pickler
14. Colbie Caillat
15. John Mayer

Of all the shows I saw, I have to say that Rihanna was definitely the favorite (minus the Lip-syncing), but John Mayer provided the most memories, that helped me celebrate life, and the friendships I have.

Split Screen Sadness, John Mayer

A little bit ago, I attended a concert with the headliner known as John Mayer. While I am a listener of his music, I do not consider myself a fan. I pretty much went to just experience his music, and to listen to Colbie Cailliat, who I love!

We started at the concert and by the end we were a ruckus Chaos that people enjoyed!
Some friends and I invited our moms, because we thought they would be fun. We also invited our other friends ( but they are more family!), Nebula choreographer, And the impeccable Sandy Amphitheatre assistants!

All in all we had fun, and maybe a little too much. We danced and shouted and rejoiced of each others company. If these pictures do not show it, you have issues!

Virginia is For Lovers, Jordin Sparks

Last night was a night to remember because Jordin Sparks came to Orem ( The City I would like to call,, "Or, Um... What else could we do that is in not in Utah County?"). I just don't get it! It's like stepping into a ravenous area filled with Bucky Covingtons.

So back to Jordin's story,

The evening started by putting our sneakers on, and driving to Sizzler. Good times occurred as our waitress filled our baskets with cheese toast.


Once at the venue, the Scare-A, we sat down next to some folks, and some were more lucky than others. My friend even made a friend who was eating Macaroni and Cheese filled crackers... Which made my friend feel like this:





The Concert started with Create the group.... eh... "4-Real." You might recognize them from the "hit" reality show on KJZZ. Let's just say, putting a group with a 13 year old, 14 year old, 17 year old, and an 18 year old is not going to cut it in the real world....Maybe in an LDS market. (As a former member of a pop group, I think I can criticize). Also Interestingly some of the original group members left, and sadly they were the ones that could stay on key, and showed the most dedication... God Bless the two of them, wherever they are....

Next up was Jordin Sparks who was amazing, and talented at entertaining a crowd without any back-up dancers, lights, smoke, or mirrors. He powerhouse vocals covered "Fallin'" (Alicia Keys) and Heartbreaker (Pat Benatar). She also sang her hits which "tattoo"-ed my heart so outrageously, that I was left with "No Air."


Overall it was a fun night to remember with friends, chairs, and a couple catholics.

PS There were some SSS's (Summer Senior Sister) ahead of us and once the music started the tissues came out and stuffed into their ears. It made us laugh and think about how soon will we be doing that!