“Drama! Passion! Excitement! You’re gonna LOVE the arts in Philadelphia.”
That was the phrase I tweeted to win a pair of tickets to the Selena Gomez and the Scene concert at The Mann Music Center for Friday, August 20th. The Bee is a fan of Selena via Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” and when we heard that she was going to be performing The Bee asked if we could go. Selena’s tickets were up to 89 bucks a pop which is a bit out of my budget. I had planned to buy lawn tickets but a was the lucky winner of a twitter contest held by The Arts in Philly.
Leading up to the day of the concert The Bee would call from The Dad’s house excitedly asking if I were sure that I had the tickets, what time we were to leave for the concert and we had powwows about what she should wear. The day of the concert when The Dad dropped her off, The Bee stated she was so excited that she was about to EXPLODE! She then rushed me home from work so that we could change into a concert worthy outfits and get to the concert on time. Now, it has been torrential rains in the Philadelphia area the last few weeks but the day of the concert started out picture book perfect. As we drove to the concert clouds rolled in, the skies grew dark and fat rain drops pelted us as we ran across Parkside Avenue. Just as The Bee and I made our way to hand over our tickets and enter, the rain poured over us, thunder clapped and there were screams as the wind whipped water everywhere.
Once inside I treated The Bee to a Selena Gomez sweatshirt. Yes, I’m still walking funny as I think of the price. Effin’ concert swag. Anywho after making our way through the sea of people trying to stay dry, we made our way to our seats and we settled in. Orchestra box seats. Like the next level from the stage. Yes!
Since we had arrived so early (6:55; the concert started at 7:30) we were entertained by picks from Selena and her band, The Scene, via a huge screen. (The words were provided on a jumbo screen for old farts like me.) Each time Selena’s face would show the audience went wild, screaming and shouting. The Bee bounced up and down in her seat asking me for the time every two minutes and guessing at what sings Selena would sing for the concert.
Finally, the lights were dimmed and the people who had seats on the lawn were asked to go out and find their seats. Let me say that I am so grateful to have won those tickets and to have had such great seats. I had planned to buy lawn tickets for us to enjoy the show but luckily my tweet was seen at the right time. (Thanks again The Arts in Philly!) For those not in the area, The Mann is a semi outdoor venue. Most of the seating is under cover but there are no walls, and a huge lawn area that allows, on nicer nights, music under the stars, We were under the covered area but there were a sea of people that had purchased tickets on the lawn and had to sit and get drenched. These were the seats that The Bee and I WERE going to get! Gulp!
First up was Christina Grimmie who is a start and You Tube sensation. The Bee and I had never heard of her but there were several fans of hers in attendance. Christina sang a few of the songs she covers as well as some original songs from her new album. She was pretty good.
Christina exited the stage was cleared and there were more picks by Selena and her band. More screaming. More excitement. Suddenly the lights dimmed and a lone drummer clicked his sticks together. The Bee gripped my arm and screamed, “It’s ALL STAR WEEKEND!” And the winners of Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing burst onto stage. The Bee knew their songs and sang and danced. The audience went wild again and almost lost it when the lead singer went into the audience. AllStar Weekend sang, danced, shimmied and they have a new album too.
ASW exited the stage and the there was a tangible level of excitement. The jumbo screen flashed more songs and the audience sang, screamed the words as we waited for the main attraction. The lights dimmed, pictures of Selena Gomez flashed on the screen. As the pictures changed from her as a child to more recent pictures the audience roared. The Bee grabbed my arm and gripped it. A video of Selena walking towards a stage came on and The Bee screamed. When Selena rose to the stage singing the song, “A Year Without Rain” The Bee gasped, jumped out of her seat, gripped my arm tighter and started singing and dancing. Everyone in the audience started to sing and dance. It was wild!
For the rest of the show The Bee danced, sang and her face was lit up with such a deliriously happy expression that I almost teary eyed. I knew she was having a good time when she grabbed me and publicly gave me a full hug.
Selena Gomez and the Scene put on such a great show. The back up dancers were full of energy, the musicians were wonderful and Selena is gorgeous in public. Selena thanked the audience for seeing her perform, buying her records and for supporting her in her television and movies.
Effin Guy and I went to a classical music concert a while back and heard Beethoven. That plus Selena = we are so back).
Aside: The staff at The Mann deserve some kudos. They had to deal with dripping wet, cold chilled people trying to steal seats, trying to move closer to the stage and just trying to wheel and deal their way to better seats. Before the concert start I wondered about becoming a volunteer, thinking that would be a cool way to see the shows. After an usher, whom I nicknamed Otis, told a group to move for the fifth time I changed my mind. I’ll just keep winning contests (kidding! I’ll but my ticket).
The Bee has been singing Selena Gomez for the rest of the weekend and yes, I am a fan too. Her first concert was a success and I got to enjoy and experience it with her! I am excited for the next thing we can do together. Hopefully its another cool concert by someone we can both enjoy and boogie too.
Going Round and Round,
-r
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