So on Night 2 (Saturday night) we hit up the Britney show one final time (for now), this time with my friends John and DanielKorn (DK!) who also happened to be in town from NYC and who also happen to be giants.
We showed up at the venue an hour and a half early to make sure we got the best possible standing position right up in front, pissing off lots and lots of little people.
We were so close that the stage lights would often shine directly into our faces, blinding us. #frontrowproblems
From here we could see EVERYTHING unobstructed. You could see all the little looks and smiles and stuff the dancers gave each other while they're going through the show. And they could see us, Britney literally looked RIGHT at us several times, four giant heads popping out the front row are pretty hard to miss!
DK was suuuuper excited. It was his first time.
And of course we got to see lots of WillieGomez, the superstar dancer who steals every number he's a part of.
During the show, one of the dancers saw the group of us and I think fell in love, and during one of the last numbers, while he was hidden behind a set piece, but still in view of our little front section, he pointed at us and screamed "Piranha! PIRANNNHA!!!!" lol
I text Willie (pictured above) since we're FB friends and he confirmed that all the dancers were headed to Piranha after the show.
So we piled into a cab to headed to Piranha.
This is what it looks like when you stick three giants in the back of a cabbie. Not comfortable.
But we found Piranha to be packed with people and other fellow giants and we made lots of new tallfriends. And the dancers showed up later too. Yay! I love Vegas.
Disclaimer: This post is my longest ever and is all about Lady Gaga. If you have no interest, in this, or in Lady Gaga in general, you can go ahead and close this page, turn off your computer, and do a swan-dive out the nearest window.
I'm so sick of people saying things "Can someone please explain to me who the f*ck Lady Gaga is?" or "We'll see if she's still 'relevant' this time next year..." or "She is all hype and shock value."
Lady Gaga has rocketed to iconic superstardom in the past 18 months because she is a unique visionary with the talent to back it up.
She has worked hard to get where she is, she understands "The Climb" better than Miley Cyrus** ever will, and she is here to stay. ** - "What the hell does Miley Cyrus know about 'The Climb'??? She's been alive for like a millisecond!" -Connie
And it surrounded the front of the stage and the long catwalk.
I was told by several people that the end of the catwalk was the ideal vantage point because you get a full view of the massive stage (it's four times larger than when she toured at the beginning of the year at Radio City) and you get to see her up close when she dances to the end of the catwalk, which she does frequently.
This is what the view would have looked like from the front-front though.
My friend Alex, sitting up in the nosebleeds, took a picture where you can just barely make me out, a head above the crowd in my green unicorn shirt.
The Little Monster section had a private bar. Yay.
And a big steel barrier to keep away all the peasants. Double-yay.
There were some great costumes. And hair-bows.
This new setup was massive.
For the concert I did my eyes big.
Like Gaga did in "Bad Romance"...
And even though I came solo, I quickly made new friends that I watched the whole concert with: Taylor, Ashley, and Michelle.
(I actually don't remember if those are the correct names. I only remember Taylor because I heart that name.)
Madison Square Garden is the third busiest arena in the WORLD and can hold 22,000 people at concert capacity.
Gaga sold out all three nights.
I had a better view than all of these people...
Plus the people standing around me who were shorter than me.
When she opened the show with "Dance in the Dark" the arena went bonkers.
She sings most of the first song as a silhouette...
And then the curtain lifts and reveals the set.
And the set is SICK.
And every time she walked down the catwalk my little heart would skip a beat.
People compare Gaga to Madonna.
But Gaga has accomplished in 18 months what Madonna spent years working toward.
Part of this, of course, is due to the rapid-release structure of the entertainment business these days.
But nonetheless, in two albums she has released more than a dozen incredible single-worthy tracks and body of music video work that most artists NEVER achieve.
In fact, many of her greatest tracks may remain unknown to the average passive Gaga fan because she produces amazing tracks faster than her record label can release them.
Or "MONSTER", which is hands paws-down her best song in my opinion.
The Monster Ball is incredible and worth every penny.
At a certain point, she called a random audience member on their cellphone.
They had a conversation, in the middle of which she gets interrupted by a call from Beyonce.
Which leads us to Telephone.
If you didn't see the video I posted, here it is again.
Being a New York City girl, and having busted her chops putting on shows for tiny rooms of people in the Lower East Side, Gaga spoke about how performing at MSG for the first time meant a lot to her in her young career.
In fact, this is what she twittered the other day:
"Today is what dreams are made of. 3 Sold out nights at MSG in my home town. I used to go watch Madonna, Cher, + the Stones and would cry..."
"I would stare into the brightlights and imagine I could do anything. Be anything. And I would tell myself it would be me up there one day."
"Endless thank yous to my little monsters, my family, and my friends who've stood by me. And thank you New York City, for sticking by me too."
We ate it up.
I mean, as a fan, how can you not...when the person you adore and worship sincerely appreciates you just as much?
Seriously. This show is not to be missed. Even if you are tiniest bit a Gaga fan.
Oh and then there's the LED light tornado.
Which engulfs her.
And allows her to reemerge...
...as a swan of sorts...
Every song came with a new stage setup.
"Alejandro"...
"Paparazzi"...complete with a fame monster...
And then the encore...
"Bad Romance"...
Her overall message is not about just providing shock value for attention's sake, but it's about embracing your inner freak and exposing it for the world to see instead of censoring yourself and hiding it away and blending in with what is acceptable.
Because we are all freaks. Unique and beautiful just the way we are.
(Though I'm sure even Gaga will admit that Photoshop can always help make us even more unique and beautiful.)
Like Fun Fat Asian Man in Pretty Blue Wig!
Thank you Gaga for one of the greatest nights of my life!!!!
