So....this is a story about myself traveling, during an event which happened a little over two years ago. Â Lady GaGa, who is for lack of a better word, a great idol in my life, announced the release of her ARTPOP album, she also released a teaser stating that she would be having a concert, which she called an ARTRave, which would be free, and that she would be having this concert later, just after the launch of her full album. Â Needless to say, having seen her about 7 times live up to that point, I NEEDED to get to that concert, and ingrained that immediately in my mind.
Months passed, we got the full glorious album, not well received by the public, but just another era in her life and creative process for a diehard fan like me, and new news came! Â That week, at the end of the week, there would be said concert, the first ARTRave, and by her standards the most spectacular. Â It was to be in NY City somewhere...but that was the kicker, she said: "The location is secret, if you make it to the venue, you may be able to get in free." Â I immediately booked a ticket to NY and a hotel in Brooklyn (where I always stay in NY) and was off by the end of the week to find a single venue somewhere in NY.
I arrived in NY around 9-10 am, got to my room, threw on my favorite leather studded jacket, fishnet top over a longsleeve, tightest black jeans, and favorite black leather boots (of course full make up, hair done, and my favorite pair of Spitfire shades with the circle lenses), grabbed my fully charged phone, my moneh, and a snack, and headed out. Â Normally I like to walk around the area, I tend to stay in the Jewish district, which is for whatever reason, a very peaceful and lovely little part of Brooklyn, but this time I raced out, and headed into the city. Â Probably left my room around 11 miraculously.
Like any good NYer at heart, I walked, I took the train, I took the bus, aaaaaall over that damn city, Uptown, Midtown, Downtown, East Side, West Side, I did all the areas up for around 6 hours of random searching, having compiled a list of possible venues based on GaGa's haunts and the number of people said to be able to enter the venue. Â I found nothing, I decided to head back to my room, ahng out for a bit, threw my phone on the bed, and relaxed in a morbid mood about my lack of luck, until my phone beeped.
"Go back to Wall Street, hit the pier, I hear you can find something there, who knows?"
The above was a message from one of my NY monster contacts, someone I frequently saw when I was in the city for GaGa, and I trusted it, so I grabbed my phone, grabbed my jacket and grabbed a cab this time. Â Back to Wall Street (the pier this time, I had been on actual Wall Street at random earlier that day), searching about, finally stopping to ask the pier workers if they had any clues for me. Â While doing so, two gentlemen noticed my outrageous garb, and were dressed similarly, and looking lost similarly, and they joined me in talking to the workers still around the pier, it was around 6pm at this point.
Yes, indeed, they had seen other dressed similarly take a boat further down the way, but that it would be faster and easier to grab a cab, which we all did so, sharing the fare. Â We arrived to find probably 200 monsters hanging out at the dock there, apparently, the venue could only be reached by boat from this place. Â So I waited....and waited....aaaaand waited. Â For about 5 more hours, around 11 was just before the concert was supposed to start. Â We had seen VIPs of all sorts with tickets and such, and many began to get discouraged as it was cold and the wind off the water was quite chilling, many gave up, many many. Â From around 200, probably 50 had tickets to get on a boat, our numbers dwindled down to 20, then to 18, the guards stationed around telling us that we should give up, we were -never- getting in. Â I didn't give up after all that, no freaking way after bus, train, walking, cabs, clues, secret location mapping, covering the whole of NY, was I giving up. Â
Finally, around Midnight, one of the staff came over and said, well...GaGa just called over, she said if anybody else was waiting this long, they must be crazy, and we need to let them on the last boat over. Â I very nearly cried at that moment, and gladly took a place on the boat with the few remaining people, refreshed by free drinks and service staff on the way over, we all gathered outside to look up at the enormous venue, a Glass-walled factory setting, with lazer lights coming out of the top, we all threw back the last of our drinks, and ran off the boat, going through the VIP paparazzi area, having our coats taken off by the valets waiting outside the glass doors.
GaGa with Visa, has spared no expense on this free concert, that was totally clear upon entering. Â Statues created by Jeff Koons were erected sky high, the DJ booth housed Madeon who was DJing the night, the bars were all free, wine and liquor overflowing, best food trucks in NY parked out back serving free food all night, fashion, and design from her artist friends housed in various rooms, all around a giant tiered white stage. Â I partied with Alexander Wang, who was such a sweetheart to us, her crazy fans actually dancing insanely, I had literally a bottle of red wine in my hand I was swigging out of, I got to meet GaGa's mother, her sister, her father, and her dancers and their parents, all of which who were making rounds, the concert itself was pure magic, of which I loved every second, and which you can watch on youtube if interested. Â I MET TONY BENNETTE FOR GODS SAKES! Â He was also so sweet to us. Â An outrageously free good time was had by all I can tell you. Â A time I could never forget as long as I live.
Just when you entered the venue was the biggest art spectacle outside of GaGa herself, a truly massive Lady GaGa sculpture produced by Jeff Koons specifically for the event, and I am not much of a photo taker, preferring to utterly experience things without a lens in my face, but I knew I had to take a picture for my friends who couldn't make it. Â So I went over, gave my phone to someone who was partying with me all night, she lined up the shot, then her face fell.....
I HAD FORGOTTEN TO CHARGE THE FUCKING BATTERY ON MY PHONE WHEN I WENT BACK TO MY ROOM....
Naturally three people took pictures of me and promised to send them, I never received a single one I should tell you, I had nothing to return home with besides one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and a wild story that could very well be nonsense. Â As I said, I will never forget it, but you know, that means I will also never forget that time I had that amazing once in a lifetime concert experience and forgot to charge my damn battery to take a single picture for proof...I was this close to punching myself in the face, and at times I still want to kick myself when I think about it.
Months passed, we got the full glorious album, not well received by the public, but just another era in her life and creative process for a diehard fan like me, and new news came! Â That week, at the end of the week, there would be said concert, the first ARTRave, and by her standards the most spectacular. Â It was to be in NY City somewhere...but that was the kicker, she said: "The location is secret, if you make it to the venue, you may be able to get in free." Â I immediately booked a ticket to NY and a hotel in Brooklyn (where I always stay in NY) and was off by the end of the week to find a single venue somewhere in NY.
I arrived in NY around 9-10 am, got to my room, threw on my favorite leather studded jacket, fishnet top over a longsleeve, tightest black jeans, and favorite black leather boots (of course full make up, hair done, and my favorite pair of Spitfire shades with the circle lenses), grabbed my fully charged phone, my moneh, and a snack, and headed out. Â Normally I like to walk around the area, I tend to stay in the Jewish district, which is for whatever reason, a very peaceful and lovely little part of Brooklyn, but this time I raced out, and headed into the city. Â Probably left my room around 11 miraculously.
Like any good NYer at heart, I walked, I took the train, I took the bus, aaaaaall over that damn city, Uptown, Midtown, Downtown, East Side, West Side, I did all the areas up for around 6 hours of random searching, having compiled a list of possible venues based on GaGa's haunts and the number of people said to be able to enter the venue. Â I found nothing, I decided to head back to my room, ahng out for a bit, threw my phone on the bed, and relaxed in a morbid mood about my lack of luck, until my phone beeped.
"Go back to Wall Street, hit the pier, I hear you can find something there, who knows?"
The above was a message from one of my NY monster contacts, someone I frequently saw when I was in the city for GaGa, and I trusted it, so I grabbed my phone, grabbed my jacket and grabbed a cab this time. Â Back to Wall Street (the pier this time, I had been on actual Wall Street at random earlier that day), searching about, finally stopping to ask the pier workers if they had any clues for me. Â While doing so, two gentlemen noticed my outrageous garb, and were dressed similarly, and looking lost similarly, and they joined me in talking to the workers still around the pier, it was around 6pm at this point.
Yes, indeed, they had seen other dressed similarly take a boat further down the way, but that it would be faster and easier to grab a cab, which we all did so, sharing the fare. Â We arrived to find probably 200 monsters hanging out at the dock there, apparently, the venue could only be reached by boat from this place. Â So I waited....and waited....aaaaand waited. Â For about 5 more hours, around 11 was just before the concert was supposed to start. Â We had seen VIPs of all sorts with tickets and such, and many began to get discouraged as it was cold and the wind off the water was quite chilling, many gave up, many many. Â From around 200, probably 50 had tickets to get on a boat, our numbers dwindled down to 20, then to 18, the guards stationed around telling us that we should give up, we were -never- getting in. Â I didn't give up after all that, no freaking way after bus, train, walking, cabs, clues, secret location mapping, covering the whole of NY, was I giving up. Â
Finally, around Midnight, one of the staff came over and said, well...GaGa just called over, she said if anybody else was waiting this long, they must be crazy, and we need to let them on the last boat over. Â I very nearly cried at that moment, and gladly took a place on the boat with the few remaining people, refreshed by free drinks and service staff on the way over, we all gathered outside to look up at the enormous venue, a Glass-walled factory setting, with lazer lights coming out of the top, we all threw back the last of our drinks, and ran off the boat, going through the VIP paparazzi area, having our coats taken off by the valets waiting outside the glass doors.
GaGa with Visa, has spared no expense on this free concert, that was totally clear upon entering. Â Statues created by Jeff Koons were erected sky high, the DJ booth housed Madeon who was DJing the night, the bars were all free, wine and liquor overflowing, best food trucks in NY parked out back serving free food all night, fashion, and design from her artist friends housed in various rooms, all around a giant tiered white stage. Â I partied with Alexander Wang, who was such a sweetheart to us, her crazy fans actually dancing insanely, I had literally a bottle of red wine in my hand I was swigging out of, I got to meet GaGa's mother, her sister, her father, and her dancers and their parents, all of which who were making rounds, the concert itself was pure magic, of which I loved every second, and which you can watch on youtube if interested. Â I MET TONY BENNETTE FOR GODS SAKES! Â He was also so sweet to us. Â An outrageously free good time was had by all I can tell you. Â A time I could never forget as long as I live.
Just when you entered the venue was the biggest art spectacle outside of GaGa herself, a truly massive Lady GaGa sculpture produced by Jeff Koons specifically for the event, and I am not much of a photo taker, preferring to utterly experience things without a lens in my face, but I knew I had to take a picture for my friends who couldn't make it. Â So I went over, gave my phone to someone who was partying with me all night, she lined up the shot, then her face fell.....
I HAD FORGOTTEN TO CHARGE THE FUCKING BATTERY ON MY PHONE WHEN I WENT BACK TO MY ROOM....
Naturally three people took pictures of me and promised to send them, I never received a single one I should tell you, I had nothing to return home with besides one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and a wild story that could very well be nonsense. Â As I said, I will never forget it, but you know, that means I will also never forget that time I had that amazing once in a lifetime concert experience and forgot to charge my damn battery to take a single picture for proof...I was this close to punching myself in the face, and at times I still want to kick myself when I think about it.