I got back from my trip around 2:30am yesterday. Whew! What a week...I have a feeling it's going to take me a few days to recover.
We went to the beach, Disneyland, California Adventure, and Hollywood, all of which were first time experiences for me. I will, however, spare you most of that. We did make a few little stops that might be of interest to my fellow gleeks, though...
Here we are at Madame Tussauds in Hollywood. It was simultaneously cool and creepy. And look who we met!
I had hoped to swing by the Gap at The Grove, but I decided I'd probably be too self-conscious to actually take pictures inside a store, so instead we detoured to Eagle Hills mall, which you'll recognize as the shooting location for both flash mob scenes. I was surprised at how ghetto the mall was! It's very small, and the escalators empty out right at the entrance of a seafood market, so the whole place smells like fish.
So, the main event was Friday. We actually bought Ultimate VIP tickets this year, which was an upgrade from last time when we had regular VIP tickets. We saved up all year and opted to drive rather than fly and rent a car so we could roll all our available funds into awesome seats. And they were awesome seats! But I'll get to that in a bit.
I had two primary wishes for this show: One was to make direct contact with cast members. The other was to deliver a birthday gift to Chris, since we'd be there on his big day. I'll be honest--when I bought this ticket, I planned for this to be my Glee swan song, so to speak. In the beginning, the show made me feel so good that I let it become a much bigger part of my life than was probably wise. Then this season happened, and I found that the show made me feel frustrated, sad, and even defensive far more often than it made me feel happy. The thing is, I still love the cast, and can't imagine ever NOT loving them. So I decided to go ahead and share this last hoorah with my sisters.
Naturally, being me, projects ensued. I made Chris a Scrabble scrapbook. He likes crafts and he likes Scrabble, so it seemed like the perfect combination. I've made Scrabble tile jewelry before, and initially I thought I'd make a keychain or something. But I found it impossible to choose just one moment to highlight, you know? So instead I assembled a tribute to his "yes" moments--those times when he was invited, or included, or celebrated, or validated: those moments that give hope to struggling kids everywhere (mine included), regardless of orientation, that things can get better. I also included some pictures of him being silly, because I think he does a great service to his fans by allowing them to see that he's just a regular guy who has accomplished extraordinary things not because he's perfect but because he utilized his unique talents, set goals, worked hard, and refused to give up. I don't know if he fully realizes the impression he makes on people simply by being honest about his fallibility and inherent goofiness, or how empowering that candor is for his audience. but I sincerely hope he knows that while Kurt is amazing, his positive influence extends far beyond that character.
It turned out to be quite an undertaking. But I think it turned out cool! It's a complete set of tiles, and they still lie flat when in use. I made the little bag also...I thought the Kermit print was apropos. :)
I also made these banners. I painted them on fabric using flat fabric paint, because I wanted to be able to fold them up and cram them in my purse and still have them look nice. I confess, I have a soft spot for the Warblers.
So, we were to meet our group at 5:00. We got checked in, and they sent us to the merchandise area to wait for the meet and greet. I exhibited remarkable control and did not buy anything, even though some of the stuff was pretty cute.
Me waiting anxiously for something to happen...
They told us that we couldn't take pictures or carry anything in to the meet and greet. Bummer. However, they did tell us that they would collect any gifts for cast members and give them to the production crew, who would then distribute them. So I handed over Chris' gift, and hopefully he got it. I won't ever know for sure, but I'm choosing to believe that he did!
Finally, they started taking us in to the meet and greet. We knew there would be two cast members there, but they didn't tell us who. It felt like Christmas! We finally got to the door and saw that it was Kevin and Darren, who I have to tell you are adorable in person. They hugged us and everything! I told Kevin we came from Idaho to see them and he acted so flattered and thanked us for coming so far and said he hoped it was worth our while. Darren threw me off a little because he opened with "Hi, I'm Darren". I was like, "I know who you are!" and he said, "Oh, I never assume people know who I am." I think I told him something like "I think you're safe in assuming that here", but the camera person was rushing us into position for the picture, so that was the extent of the small talk. I'm the lucky one because I got to be in the middle. They're touching me! And I'm touching them! Aaaaaaaahh! I wish the photographer had snapped candids of the hugging part, because honestly, the whole thing is a blur.
My favorite part (weirdly) is that Kevin's stripey underpants are visible. Heehee! Also, Darren is wearing man capris, which makes me love him even more than I did before. Awww, such cute boys! After the picture, we wished them luck, they told us to have fun, and we said goodbye.
We were then delivered to the pre-show party, where they had snacks and such. My sister, Megan, participated in a sing-off, which was fun. She's way more outgoing than I am, not to mention a much better singer. We also got our goody bags, which were pretty decent. I like the backpack better than the tote from last year, and it was nice to actually get a program, since that was the only item I had planned on buying. Maybe I'll use the binder and insulated tumbler when I go back to school in the Fall. We were also supposed to get Warbler ties, but those are apparently delayed and will be sent to our homes. I'm actually pretty excited to have a fun package to look forward to!
After awhile, the hosts rounded us up again and escorted us to our seats. I'm not good at interpreting seat locations from ticket stubs, especially in an unfamiliar venue, so I was pleasantly surprised once we figured out where they were. Actually, that might be a mild understatement.
As it turned out, we were surrounded by stage on three sides, and my seat was right at the edge of the walkway between the main stage and the pop-out stage.
I'm sure by now, those of you who are interested already know about the set list and have seen bits of the show and whatever, so I'll try to stick to the highlights here...
As the show started, I got my birthday banner out and ready. At the end of DSB, Chris was at the edge of the stage directly in front of me. He looked down, saw the banner, smiled his winning Chris smile, looked right at me and mouthed "Thank you", at which point I required CPR. Direct eye contact achieved! A few minutes later he was on the walkway right next to me and he looked down and smiled at me AGAIN. The girl in front of me turned around and said, "That was awesome". Yes, it was!
They were RIGHT THERE! No zoom necessary!
The only disadvantage of where we were was that some of the action took place on a separate stage in the center of the venue. Unfortunately, that's where the Get Happy/Happy Days duet, Single Ladies, Amber's big solo, and Teenage Dream were performed. Also, during "stationary" numbers (like Friday, where the boys were on stools), their backs were toward us the whole time. Well, you can't win 'em all, right?
So the show went on and we screamed a LOT. I'm pretty sure the cast was told not to engage the crazies in the pit on the way in to and out of the magic portal, because most of the time they sort of acted like we weren't there, moving briskly and very purposefully from point A to point B. I imagine this was for their own safety as well as in the interest of moving the show along, and I in no way fault them or feel slighted. They were so close to us so many times, and if there had been much actual interaction, chaos might very well have erupted. Not because of us specifically (promise!), but we all know that overstimulated fans can get scary and grabby. Cory did give us high-fives once and smiled very genially (as he does), Darren high-fived my sister, and at the end of the show, Mark and Amber smiled and slapped hands with us on the way down the stairs (different cast members used that exit at different times and those two, along with Chord, happened to go out that way at the end).
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
