1.
Finding out Cher is in Concert and Purchasing
tickets
Cher is awesome.
It’s a known and proven fact.
So you can imagine my excitement when I found
out that she was going to be on tour for her latest album. I looked up tour dates and saw she was going
to be in a venue close to me; Washington D.C. That was a sure sign that I was
going to be in attendance. So a couple weeks later I brought the situation up to
my dad and the conversation went something along the lines of this:
Me: “Dad, Cher is coming D.C. I
need to be there and see her.
Dad: “When did you become such a
big fan of Cher? I never knew you liked her.”
Me: “Dad, it’s Cher. How does
someone not like her?”
After more
discussion, my wonderful Dad offered to pay for my ticket (and eventually his
own ticket). In January, our tickets were bought and it was go time.
2. Pat Benatar/Cyndi Lauper
A few weeks later I found out that Pat Benatar was going to open for Cher during the first half of the tour (the part I was attending) and Cyndi Lauper would open for her on the second half of the tour. I am a huge fan of Cyndi Lauper, so I was slightly disappointed we weren't going to see her; but I like Pat Benatar so I basically came to the conclusion that this concert was going to be better than Christmas morning for a six year old.
A few weeks later I found out that Pat Benatar was going to open for Cher during the first half of the tour (the part I was attending) and Cyndi Lauper would open for her on the second half of the tour. I am a huge fan of Cyndi Lauper, so I was slightly disappointed we weren't going to see her; but I like Pat Benatar so I basically came to the conclusion that this concert was going to be better than Christmas morning for a six year old.
3.
One Month Before the Concert
This is the time period where it really starts to set in that you are seeing Cher in concert. So for this whole month all you do is sing you little heart out to every song Cher has ever sung, even if it is Happy Birthday. You also, start recalling some Pat Benatar songs so you can be prepared for all aspects of the concert.
This is the time period where it really starts to set in that you are seeing Cher in concert. So for this whole month all you do is sing you little heart out to every song Cher has ever sung, even if it is Happy Birthday. You also, start recalling some Pat Benatar songs so you can be prepared for all aspects of the concert.
4.
One Week Before the Concert
“What
are you doing this weekend?” “Oh, nothing much. Cher and I are just gonna get
together and sing some of her songs.” During this week, everyday I tried on a
different outfit to make sure I looked as fierce as possible. This is Cher
after all; therefore I need to look my best. I know what you are thinking right
now, “That’s a bit much, Chels.” But no; no, it’s not.
It
is time to buckle down and get serious. Friday is quickly approaching and I
need to make sure my hair, makeup, and outfit is as fabulous as Cher is (and
just in case you're wondering, I rocked it).
5.
Friday, The Day of the Concert
I awaken early, do a little dance, and immediately start playing my Cher music.
I awaken early, do a little dance, and immediately start playing my Cher music.
I have a whole day to waste until 8:00pm and
it was not going by fast enough. But alas,
we arrive to the venue around 6:30 and go ahead and line up to get inside
(because my dad is 80 and needed to sit down after I dragged him all around
D.C.). Standing in line I noticed the
gathering crowd and saw the diversity of people that
were attending. Never in my life had I
seen such a diverse crowd; there were all ages (from teens to people who got to
leave the nursing home for the day), all races, and all sexualities. It was amazing
and I loved every minute of it. Finally, the gates open and we are in and ready
to rock out to Pat and Cher.
6.
Pat Benatar
I have had my fair share of belting out singing sessions in the mirror to “Love is a Battlefield” and “We Belong” and I used to kill “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” on Guitar Hero. But nothing could have prepared me for pure awesomeness that is Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. First of all, Pat Benatar’s voice is the voice of an angel . . . if that angel was a rebellious, kick-ass woman. It’s distinctive and amazing and does things that no one in current music can do. I take my hat off to you Pat Benatar.
I have had my fair share of belting out singing sessions in the mirror to “Love is a Battlefield” and “We Belong” and I used to kill “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” on Guitar Hero. But nothing could have prepared me for pure awesomeness that is Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. First of all, Pat Benatar’s voice is the voice of an angel . . . if that angel was a rebellious, kick-ass woman. It’s distinctive and amazing and does things that no one in current music can do. I take my hat off to you Pat Benatar.
Secondly,
Neil Giraldo can play the guitar like nobody’s business. It amazing and you can feel the rhythmic vibrations come off the guitar as he effortlessly plays.
Third, there is no romance in music like the marriage of Pat and Neil. They
have been in the music business for 35 years and married for 32 years. To watch
them interact with each other on stage was a gift. They each sit back and admire each other’s
talent. It was beautiful and made me think “Woah. I want a marriage like that.”
But then I quickly remembered that I can't sing and I probably won't marry a
guitarist and we probably won't tour the world gifting the audience with our
amazing lives. Key word being “probably,” I'm not going to rule anything out.
7.
CHER!!!
Before you read this part, just know that everything I say is basically an understatement of how truly awesome this show was. So, we are all sitting there awaiting the goddess that is Cher and then we hear a voice. “Hey,” says Cher from backstage, catching everyone’s attention as if the voice of God had just spoken. “I’m gonna be out there in two shakes so get ready. Y'all better be good. Or I’ll be like what my mother used to say ‘Cher, don’t make me get off this couch.’” If I wasn't hooked before, just her voice telling the audience to be awesome was when I knew I was in heaven. The lights go out, music starts and a video with photos of Cher starts to play. The curtain drops and bam! There is Cher standing on top of a 25 foot pillar belting out what will one day be the theme song to my presidential campaign, “Woman’s World.”
Before you read this part, just know that everything I say is basically an understatement of how truly awesome this show was. So, we are all sitting there awaiting the goddess that is Cher and then we hear a voice. “Hey,” says Cher from backstage, catching everyone’s attention as if the voice of God had just spoken. “I’m gonna be out there in two shakes so get ready. Y'all better be good. Or I’ll be like what my mother used to say ‘Cher, don’t make me get off this couch.’” If I wasn't hooked before, just her voice telling the audience to be awesome was when I knew I was in heaven. The lights go out, music starts and a video with photos of Cher starts to play. The curtain drops and bam! There is Cher standing on top of a 25 foot pillar belting out what will one day be the theme song to my presidential campaign, “Woman’s World.”
My face isn't big enough for the smile I was
wearing. There was Cher. I was in the same building as Cher. After another song
she had an opening monologue that was delightfully down to earth with only a
touch of diva and absolutely hilarious. Then, the show continued and as Cher
went to go make costume and wig changes, there would be dancers doing all
different assortments of things.
It was like being at the circus or cirque de
soleil. She would then come and grace us with her amazingly powerful voice that
left you wishing that you had at least a quarter of the talent that she has.
There were videos of Sonny and Cher followed by Cher singing “I Got You Babe” to a
video of Sonny.
There were clips from all the
movies that she has been in shown before she came out and sang her songs from
Burlesque.
At
one point, Cher pulled a Trojan horse and she popped out of a huge gold horse.
Can you imagine when they were planning the concert and someone said “Hey, how
about we put her in a horse and then she gracefully comes out?”
After each song
and after every little anecdote she gave I fell even more in love with this
legendary figure. Let’s not forget the
fact that at 67, Cher has a better body than I do. This was hands down the best
concert I have ever been to and I’m still on cloud nine because I was fortunate
enough to go.
8. Whatever You Want to Call Life After Cher
Now, this could have gone two
ways; either incredibly happy that you just witnessed the amazingness that is
Cher or incredibly depressed because you are no longer in the presence of Cher.
Obviously, I followed the latter option. Maybe it was because she kept saying
this was her “farewell, farewell tour”(wink,wink) or the fact that to me the
show just ended so abruptly, but as my dad and I walked back to the metro, I was
so close to crying that if you lightly touched my head I bet tears would start
to stream down my face.
This could not be possible. I was
not walking away from Cher. There was no way this concert was over. “Chels, you
knew this couldn't last forever,” my father says unwisely. I gave my father
some serious side-eye to warn him that silence is his best option and then said
“Umm…yes it could.”
There
was never a moment that the song “If I Could Turn Back Time” would have been perfectly used more than that moment. I was terribly depressed the whole way
home as I continued to listen to the Cher CD for three more hours. When we got home we both went to bed, but I
stayed up to watch some of the videos I had taken and wished that I had actually
taken more. I wished that I could go
back to the concert, so I started to look up more of her tour locations. When I woke up I went to talk to my mom about
the concert and it appeared that my dad and I went to bed last night with the
same idea.Which leads me to my final stage. . .
. 9. Round Two
The only obvious answer to the withdrawal I was going through and the need my father had for seeing Cher up close was to get more tickets to another show near us. Nothing makes me happier than Cher, so naturally it is only logical that I should attend another concert before this living legend leaves the stage for good. Another trip to heaven, I shall receive.
The only obvious answer to the withdrawal I was going through and the need my father had for seeing Cher up close was to get more tickets to another show near us. Nothing makes me happier than Cher, so naturally it is only logical that I should attend another concert before this living legend leaves the stage for good. Another trip to heaven, I shall receive.
No comments:
Post a Comment