Advice Regarding My Upcoming Trip- Page 3

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 10/4/19 at 8:09am

Revised for better chronological coherence:

A friend a few years ago told me that one day I would meet Madonna and I thought he was of full of ****. It seemed too lofty a dream, foolish. I was wrong.  My skepticism proved me a fool for that is exactly what happened to me tonight.  

I’ll try to recap what happened tonight but I’m still in a bit of shock and some of the details are slowly coming back to me so I may have to go back and edit this post more than once. 

So on this tour Madonna selects at least one person from the audience during one interlude and sits next to them to hold a conversation. This is something she has never done on any other tour partially because it’s hard to do something like this in an arena tour. However, on this tour she is doing smaller theater dates which are much more intimate and are cell phone free.  

Since I knew I had a first row seat for Thursday night’s concert, I knew there was a shot that I would get to talk to her but nothing certain. One of the Madonna fans from Ireland that I befriended on Instagram messaged me Thursday morning to ask where I was sitting. I told him and he said OMG - That’s the seat she comes down and sits by and talks to the audience. Now I had already been thinking about what I would say if I ever got to meet her for years and have been refining it some since I knew my chances were better for Thursday night and now I knew the chances were very very good so I really began refining in my head what I would need to say.  I also knew that if she started talking to me and I wasn’t engaging back she would move on to someone else so I had to stay out of my head and stay engaged with her.  

I was told that if she was going to talk to me someone would tap me on the shoulder and talk to me while she’s performing Medellin. Partway into this song I was worried that maybe it wasn’t going to happen because I hadn’t had a tap on my shoulder and then the magic tap on my shoulder occurred. I turned to see him. He asked if I had been to this show before and I told him I had been here Tuesday night. So he said you know what’s getting ready to happen. And I replied, yes. Then he told me something which was hard to hear over the music but basically he said that she will come down and sit in the chair next to me which they had produced and they would tell me when to sit down and then I will have about two minutes to talk with her which would mostly be me answering the questions she asked. They also handed me a beer bottle to hand her when she asked for it. 

So the number ended with her dancing with her son David and after some repartee between the two of them she looked over at me and asked David if he thought I was safe for her to sit next to. He replied that I had plenty of the merchandise from the tour so I should be OK. She said something to the effect of “merchandise, huh?”.  She then approached the chair that was empty next to me and asked if it was free. I manage to say something like, yes it’s free.

Now I can’t be certain of the chronology of what happened next and some details are coming back to me as I retell the next few moments of my life.  I may have to come back and edit this a few times. 

Madonna: What’s your name?

Me: Kevin

M: Where are you from?

Me: Oklahoma

M: Do you live on a ranch?

Me: No (I realize at this point I’ve only responded with one word answers which is not very engaging)

M: I don’t know why I think everyone in Oklahoma lives on a ranch. 

Me: I can see why you’d think that. 

M: It’s a big state.

Me: yes (is it though?)

M: I’m not sure what to make of your answers. 

Me: (panicking a bit) I know they’re short.

M: No that’s not it. They’re mystifying. Are you a secret agent? (I’m not sure whether she said all that or if I invented some of that) 

Me: I’m Monsieur X

M: Oh do you speak French?

Me: Oui (She seems to like that answer. And although I have only been peripherally aware of audience reaction to our exchange that seems to get a big reaction from the audience as well)

At this point the chronology of what happens next is a bit fuzzy. 

M: what do you do for a living?

Me: I work in criminal justice reform.

M: Criminal Justice Reform? (She seems to like this answer) I have some friends you should meet. 

Me: I’d like that. 

I do recall that I tried to silently offer her the beer bottle before she was ready for it. Also, later when she has the bottle in her hand she puts her hand down (with the bottle in it) between us and I think she’s trying to hand it back to me so I grab it, but she doesn’t let go so I release it. 

I also remembered she asked me fairly early on if I was at the concert alone and I said yes. Then she asked if always came to her concerts alone. I said yes again. Again another two questions I answered with one word answers. It’s good I finally opened up.

At some point around this time I believe is when she asks if she can have a drink of my beer. I say yes. (It is the prop handed to me earlier by the man) She asks if there’s any backwash in it. I say no. She says she doesn’t believe me, that she sees something frothy floating at the top of the beer. She takes a drink anyway. 

M: What do you think of the show?

Me: I love it. I danced so much I broke my crucifix. (This is true - I had the crucifix dangling from my belt loop and when I had looked down earlier, the bottom part had broken off)

M: let me see it. (I show her). It sure has. Jesus is going to be cross with you. (this spontaneous bit of humor cracks me up as well as the audience)

Me: I also tell her that I think the world would be a better place if it was more like a Madonna concert.  

(She reminds me this isn’t a Madonna concert but a Madame X concert. I reply that she is right.)

M: She asks how the world would be better?

Me: it takes me a second to realize this relates to the last thing I said to her and I wasn’t prepared for her to ask this question but I’m able to stammer something about her show representing Freedom and that seems to satisfy her. 

M: But these tickets aren’t free.

Me: yes, I know. 

M: All of this (motions to the stage) isn’t free. I’ve got to pay for it somehow. 

M: Have you ever Cha-Cha’d?

Me: Yes, with you. 

M: Where? In front of the television?

Me: No, just now (during Medellin)

She seems to be winding down our conversation now to get back to the stage. I ask her if I can say one more thing. She says yes. 

Me: On behalf of all my friends who didn’t survive the plague, I want to thank you for your artistry and advocacy. 

She seems to both appreciate my heartfelt and personal message and also shaken by it. I’m also not sure what the audience reaction was, but she tells them this isn’t funny. I imagine she’s also thinking about all the friend she lost to AIDS. She pauses. A solemn look crosses her face. She doesn’t seem to know what to say. She still has the microphone, but I tell her I love her. 

M: (solemnly) All your friends...

She certainly said something else, but I must’ve blacked out for a moment because I can’t recall it.

Someone that was there last night remembered the piece that I blacked out for:

“She told you. To all your friends. “this one’s for you” and she drank from the bottle again. Beautiful moment. Surreal. glad to have been there. Thank you too.”

She really seems to be winding up our conversation now, but I have one more thing I want to tell her. 

Me: Can I tell you one more thing?

Madonna initially says no, but then says okay.

Me: On behalf of my younger suicidal self...

M: wait, please repeat that. 

Me: On behalf of my younger suicidal self, thank you. There were times that the only thing that kept me alive was knowing there would be another album in a year or two (this is true; I do manage to hear the audience applaud this)

She initiates a hug and holds me for what seems like a nice long time. I hug her back. She is so tiny, but it’s somehow the best hug I’ve ever received. She whispers something in my ear that I can’t quite hear. I imagine it to be “I love you” or “Thank you” or “Take Care of Yourself”.  I whisper “I Love You” into her ear. She gets up and as she takes steps back up to the stage, she looks back at me and tells me, “Thank you for staying alive.”

And then the concert resumed.

Updated On: 10/8/19 at 08:09 AM

[seriously13]

Posted: 10/4/19 at 9:13am

I mostly lurk here, but thank you for sharing this ... and thank you for staying alive.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 10/4/19 at 9:40am

Thank you so much for sharing your stories. Wonderful to read this morning and you always capture your experiences so vividly.

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 10/4/19 at 10:05am

Wow! What a great moment. Way to go, Miles.

[AllThatJazz2]

Posted: 10/4/19 at 10:47am

Miles, I always look forward to your posts - I'm glad you had such a wonderful and meaningful interaction last night. Thank you for sharing. 

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 10/4/19 at 11:08am

Thanks for all the kind replies. I got two hours sleep and realized that there’s no way I’m making my lunch reservation so moved it to dinner and canceled original dinner reservation. Don’t want to be falling asleep during Tootsie tonight Lol. Still pinching myself. Did that really happen? Feels surreal.

[boylikethat]

Posted: 10/4/19 at 12:42pm

What a beautiful moment. Thank you for sharing your experience. You are always a positive light with your posts. 

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 10/4/19 at 3:16pm

Thank you for sharing the story here. I'm glad you're here. What an incredible night for you.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 10/4/19 at 10:55pm

Someone that was there last night remembered the piece that I blacked out for.

She told you. To all your friends. “this one’s for you” and she drank from the bottle again. Beautiful moment. Surreal. glad to have been there. Thank you too.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 10/4/19 at 11:05pm

Double post

Updated On: 10/4/19 at 11:05 PM

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 10/5/19 at 1:45am

Friday was the final night of my tripl and I saw Tootsie. What I great show to cap 8 days of shows and concerts. The audience was eating it up. People were talking about how much better it was than expected as they were walking out the door. I don’t think I’ve laughed that much at a musical since BoM. I’m actually looking forward to going back and listening to the cast recording again. I’m not sure I understand why people feel like the cast recording is so weak. I do agree that the book is really funny. Also it seems that I can recall people saying that Michael doesn’t have any emotional growth throughout the show and I would disagree with that. I’m really, really glad I saw thiis. A feel good musical if there ever was one

Only replacement in the cast was John Arthur Greene as Max Van Horn. He was excellent as was the rest of the cast, including Fontana.

I bought a magnet, program and the Friends of Dorothy mug.

As far as stage door goes, it appeared a lot of people were going backstage through the stage door so only John Arthur Greene, Lilli Cooper ahh Sarah Stiles came out and all were lovely. I guess this is JAG’s first week in the role and he was impressive. Is Stiles in a comic book? Two young ladies waited only for her to hand her things and then have her sign some printed out graphics of a cartoon character and it’ sounded like they had seen her at comicon earlier in the day.

I’m still operating on two hours sleep so I think I’m gonna call it a night. I should be packing but I’m too tired and my town car doesn’t come in until 2 PM.

Updated On: 10/5/19 at 01:45 AM

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 10/5/19 at 3:34am

What a GREAT week!!! THANK YOU so very much for sharing your journey with us. It’s been amazing living vicariously through your posts. Looking forward to my own next trip to NYC (sometime in 2020). Have a safe trip home and ENJOY all of those wonderful souvenirs and memories!

[bear88]

Posted: 10/5/19 at 3:48am

Miles2Go2,

It's been fun reading about your trip, and thoughts about the shows you've seen. I think it's safe to say you'll remember your encounter with Madonna for the rest of your life.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 10/5/19 at 2:38pm

In town car on way to JFK accompanied by my mountain of luggage. I was surprised I didn’t break down into tears when I got to express very personal things directly to Madonna Thursday night. Things I’ve been dying to say for a very long time. But now it’s hitting me. Intermittent tears as the week especially Thursday night washes over me. If I could tell that sad young man who sometimes contemplated ending it all every time a love affair went bust anything, I’d tell him it gets better, the best moments of his life are ahead of him, that he’ll one day get to meet his idol and tell her what she means to him and it will be meaningful to not only him, but also to her. Lastly, I’d tell him I’m very proud of him and I’d thank him for persevering through unimaginable pain so I can experience such moments of bliss.

Updated On: 10/5/19 at 02:38 PM

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 10/5/19 at 3:47pm

Wow what a wonderful memory with Madonna! Congrats on your great trip!

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 12:54am

Thanks for all the positive feedback. You certainly know how to make a boy feel special. I usually trying to rank the shows from each trip in order of how much I loved/liked them. This time it’s a little difficult because while I’m not including concerts (Madonna, Ben Platt) in the mix, nothing is going to come close to my experience Thursday night at BAM. Also, as you’ll see the show that made my endorphins go crazy may not be the one that is technically the best constructed. But still, here we go. I don’t regret seeing anything. Also, while it’s sort of ridiculous to rank art against other art, my brain does it anyway.

1. Moulin Rouge! (M) - just ticked all the boxes for me. Totally exceeded all my expectations. I don’t know if I’d go again though as I don’t know if a second viewing could possibly surpass my first.
2. Hadestown (M) - I can acknowledge that this is technically a better show than MR in many ways. Interestingly, of the shows I saw this trip, this is the one I’d most like to revisit. That’s mostly because I had purposefully avoided studying the plot (wasn’t familiar with the myth) and only listened to OBCR once so I’d be surprised. I think I’d like to see the show again now that I’m more familiar with the plot/music. I still had a great time.
3. To Kill a Mockingbird (P) - great production. Great acting. But just as in the book and the movie (as I recall), it remains a story about racism that focuses almost entirely on the white characters.
4. Little Shop of Horrors (M) - just so so much fun! Groff and Blanchard (controversial I know) gave wonderful layered performances while Borle proved a worthy comedic foil in multiple roles, but especially the dentist. Also, bonus points to the most awesome stagedoor experience with Groff at stagedoor, including a hug, second only to that hug from Madonna. (The irony of this isn’t lost on me. Groff had unkind (and valid) things to say (uncharacteristic for him) about M after she reportedly looked at her iPad throughout the performance of Hamilton she attended. Also, ironic because of her ban of all digital devices on her Madame X tour).
5. Tootsie (M) - so so exceeded my expectations. I haven’t laughed this hard at a musical since Book of Mormon. Both Fontana and Stiles broke (started laughing) during scenes and we laughed right along with them. Audience demographic definitely leans in the direction of the geriatric and they seemed to be eating it up. I guess I’m joining their ranks. The fact that I enjoyed this that much after only 2 hours sleep (after Thursday’s Madonna concert, stagedoor at BAM, after party and adrenaline rush) really says something. 
6. Betrayal (P) - superb acting. I have to say after the Madonna concert on Tuesday night, I was only functioning on about 3 hours sleep and that most likely adversely affected my appreciation of the shows I saw on Wednesday. This was my Wednesday matinee. I thought the individual scenes were great, but I feel that other than the backward chronology, it really didn’t add up to much, but I’m willing to allow that my sleep-deprived foggy brain missed some stuff. I was also getting a little sad that my trip was coming to an end and so seeing that sad play (albeit with liberal doses of humor) probably didn’t help that.
7. Oklahoma! (M) - I was really tired by the time I got to my Wednesday evening show and actually nodded off for a split second a couple of times or more during Act 1. And that plus seeing a rather depressing take on this American classic probably wasn’t my best pick for Wednesday evening performance when I waa already feeling a bit down and exhausted. Interestingly, I’d be interested in seeing this again when I’m less tired and my mood is different. I don’t get that chance on Broadway before it closes but it is starting the national tour in my city so I’ll most likely see it again then. I think that audiences here will not know what to make of it. If I was ranking the show itself and not my enjoyment of it, I’d rank this much, much higher. i’m still not sure if all the changes worked (although once I understood the context of the dream ballet, I totally loved it), but there was SO MUCH that it was sorta hard to take in on one viewing.
8. Sea Wall/A Life (P) - the first one act is underwritten. The second, while not perfect, was better written. Both men gave stunning performances. Jake’s brought me to tears more than once. This ranks lower solely because of the material they were working with although the production choices were spot-on and it was a treat to finally see Gyllenhaal live on stage.

So there you have it. Not a turkey in the bunch. I’ve also noticed that sometimes with shows later in my trips that they tend to get rated a little lower because I’m comparing them to shows I saw earlier in the trip. And shows that I see earlier on my trip tend to get rated higher perhaps because of the thrill of sitting in a New York City theater again bumps up my appreciation of whatever I’m seeing. Plus my sadness over my trip soon ending may lower my appreciation of shows toward the end of my trip. Doesn’t always work out that way. On one trip my next to last show was Come From Away which I was disappointed in and then my last show was Waitress which I loved. I also think it helps with Tootsie that it was an energetic, feel good musical which is exactly what I needed for my last night in New York City.

Updated On: 10/7/19 at 12:54 AM

[JPeterman]

Posted: 10/7/19 at 1:30am

Miles, you are so pleasant and without affectation ... thanks for your frequent and open hearted posts. Our online BWW community appreciates you!

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 10/14/19 at 1:52am

JPeterman said: "Miles, you are so pleasant and without affectation ... thanks for your frequent and open hearted posts. Our online BWW community appreciates you!"



Thanks  I just re-read every post on this thread, from my initial plans to solicitation of advice to receiving advice to revising my plans to my actual daily posts during my trip to receiving positive feedback on those posts. I’m currently trying to figure out how I can see Madonna at least one more  time on the U.S. leg of her tour this year in addition to getting back to NYC early next year to see a bunch of newly opened or opening shows that I’m excited about.   

 

[inception]

Posted: 10/14/19 at 9:59am

Vegas baby!
Though it won't be as intimate as BAM, since the Colosseum seats over a thousand more people.
But, since M doesn't do Friday night, you could even see Gaga's show that night as well on the same trip.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 10/14/19 at 11:29am

Will probably be Philly or the last show in Miami (although I’m not a fan of Miami). Probably won’t be able to purchase tickets until mid-November then work obligations interfere until some dates in December.

The Met (Philadelphia) has 3,500 seats which is definitely bigger than BAM, but I’ll try for front orchestra anyway so won’t make much difference.

I wouldn’t have been opposed to Vegas if dates had worked although I’ve never been to Vegas because it doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t gamble and I feel like it’s just a bigger cheesier version of Times Square plus gambling. I’d rather go to NYC and experience great theater plus great food and shopping. I know Vegas also has great food and shopping, but it’s still not NYC. But to see Madonna again,I would’ve been willing, but the dates don’t work for me. As far as Gaga, I saw her in concert before Born This Way came out. It was a good concert, but I don’t feel the need to ever see her again.

[inception]

Posted: 10/14/19 at 3:56pm

Actually I passed on seeing Gaga, opting instead for one of Donny & Marie's last shows since I've never seen them.
I don't gamble. What I like about Vegas is that it is a short flight on the West Coast vs 6ish hours direct to NY, & in spring it is already pool season there while we're still chilly up north. Also, for the price of a room at the YMCA in Ny you can stay at a 3-4 star resort.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 10/14/19 at 4:06pm

All valid reasons. As I fly Delta and live in Oklahoma, I’d likely have two flights to Vegas just like I do to NYC. Also, I use Hilton points so my vacation lodging is free wherever I go. And I haven’t let anyone see me shirtless outside of a house or hotel room or my doctor’s office in a long time so pools are not an incentive. Lol. Also, I’m asthmatic and I have this (probably) irrational idea that all public places in Vegas reek of cigarette smoke.