antivietnam

really wish she sang Old Money :~( 
 
and @ Kitten i was suuuuuper depressed the day after, it was nuts lol

I said I'd swoop back in post-concert so I'd just like to gush a little. Not necessarily about the venue, mind you. I was told no camping or early arrivals but @@buster as your prophecy foretold, people arrived hella early and it was a-okay. My boyfriend and I parked a little over a mile away and walked all the way there just to get in line before parking opened. I wanna say we got there around 3pm, and we didn't get into the pit until like 7 since they took for-fucking-ever getting VIP in and opening our alleged ~fast lane~ gates. Waited for about an hour in the pit 'till the opener came on and in the meantime, I began feeling sick as hell and had to sit down for most of my wait. I'd been guzzling water the entire time, and snacked on a little something, but looking back on it now I probably didn't eat enough.
 
But enough of that, onward with my story....
 
After the initial wait was over and we actually got to hear some sick beats, it was, in one word, spectacular. As I'm sure y'all already know, Grimes opened for my date. She was joined on-stage by her two gorgeous dancers and another singer, Hana, who was doing backup vocals. I don't know what to say other than I was in awe and smiling like an idiot the entire time. Claire (Grimes' real name) had an overwhelming positive energy while putting on her portion of the show and it was downright charming. She's beyond awesome at dancing too. Couldn't take my eyes off her for a moment! As much as my poor little gay heart was looking forward to Lana, a big part of me was kinda bummed when she finished because she was just that uplifting.
 
It's crazy how quickly people did Lana's stage-set up, and as they revealed the cityscape and the "DEL REY" I could FEEL the stranglehold of my own excitement, haha. Everybody was so excited when she came out. As for me, I cried a little because I'm a big baby and it was my first time seeing her in person. I don't wanna say it solidified my love for her 'cause I already knew I adored her but.. something like that. It's just a special moment seeing your idol on-stage. I've only ever been able to witness videos and pictures, but this was totally different. Intimate.
 
Everybody was so enthusiastic. I believe it was after her first song, but she told us that we had a lot of energy. So meaningful to have her comment on that. All of us die-hards in the pit did our best to make her feel welcome and loved. Her entire performance, she gave us her absolute all. I have to say, she's better live than anywhere else, and I'm sure anyone can vouch for that statement. Footage or albums or what-have-you, they cannot compare to hearing her sing in person. The amount of talent is mind-blowing. From her first to her last song, I was like, in a trance.
 
I thought I'd be sad if I didn't meet her, and to an extent I am. I had a letter I REALLY wanted to get to her if nothing else. However - and I may be dreaming big on this - at one point while I was waving my envelope around like a maniac, she was on our side of the stage and I swear she made eye contact with me in a sad "I can't reach you sweetie" way, and mouthed something. "I love you," maybe? Idk. I'm a hopeful person and that's what I thought I saw. I believe that the day will come when I meet her, too.
 
Regardless, I'm so grateful to have been as close as I was in the first place. Not barricade, I'm pretty sure that was almost exclusively VIP people. BUT I fluctuated between 3rd and 4th row, which wasn't bad for my very first Lana experience. Especially when I wasn't forceful with anyone or anything. I had my boyfriend behind me as a buffer too, protecting me from shovers.
 
Unfortunately, all the strength that her graceful, godly self had shined down upon me left me as soon as she left the stage. I felt like I was going to die. We were lucky enough to get a ride back to our car from some newly-made friends so that we wouldn't have to walk. Lucky for us, seeing as I wouldn't have been able to truck through it. Not even exaggerating, I probably would've passed out. My legs were already yelling at me for my first brush with standing in a pit for several hours and dancing. My head hurt and I was suffering from extreme nausea and desire to fall into bed.
 
But after food, a good night's rest at our hotel, food, a safe check-out and trip back from Charlotte, and yes, more food, I'm feeling much better. Definitely able to look back on things with more fondness than before. Not that I wasn't already, just.. I WAS ILL. Anyways...
 
Now that the droning on and on is over, time for the goodies. I didn't get TOO much because for the most part I was enjoying myself rather than worrying with my phone, but I have some photos and videos on my Twitter. My personal favorite capture would have to be the beginning of UV, which can be seen here, and I even got a dedicated Lana account to RT it. Mostly because I thought it was pretty great audio considering my place in the pit. Video was admittedly a little shaky, but it was hard to hold my phone way up high and steady it at the same time.
 
Just thought I'd share the deets with anyone who might be interested. I tried not to embellish my story with any more rambling than necessary, but it's still probably really long. If you read all of it, you are a superhero and I love you.