North Texas Daily

It was pitch black outside, very few cars were on the freeway and no shops were open. The only thing visible was the bright projection coming off the Jumbotron on the south side of American Airlines Center. Four fans were lined up, not including myself and my friend Jenny Cardenas, waiting for Lady Gaga’s show on Dec. 8.

The first two fans, twin sisters Sonia and Celia Leslie, arrived a little before 4 a.m., and I arrived shortly after that. The showtime printed on the ticket wasn’t until 7:30 p.m., but that didn’t mean anything. For Lady Gaga, fans are known to camp out days — even weeks — to get a chance of a front row spot near the main stage. Lady Gaga is not an ordinary artist and neither are the fans, known as “Little Monsters.”

Even though it is 26 degrees outside and I’m literally freezing my butt off, it’s all worth it if I get to be front row for my favorite artist/performer. Not even 10 minutes into waiting outside, my feet went numb, my cheeks were as red as cherries and my arms could not stop shivering. I had 13 more hours to go until doors were going to be opened for  “Come to Mama” VIP package holders.

Eventually — despite being frozen and not able to move my fingers — we were finally let into AAC at 5 p.m. We were slowly escorted down thirty minutes later to the general admission floor, and I got what I wanted — a front row spot at the center of the main stage.

Tickets for this show went on sale mid-February right after her historic Pepsi Sugar Zero Super Bowl LI Halftime performance. Since then I had been planning this very night. This sold-out show is just one tour date on her “Joanne World Tour” and was her sixth time performing in Dallas at the AAC (I’m proud to say I’ve been to all six shows).

I have been a fan of Gaga since 2008, after her Miss Universe Performance on July 14, 2008. Tonight’s show was not only my opportunity to see my idol perform nine feet in front of me but to get the chance to meet her. Every night right after her song “Bad Romance,” fans throw their letters on stage. She then reads one to the audience and jumps off stage to hug the fan who wrote the letter. This was my dream.

Back at the show, the countdown starts, and Gaga is actually early for once. She opens up with “Diamond Heart,” the first song off her latest album, titled “Joanne,” and the audience went crazy. Everyone was on their feet — dancing and singing along.

I was having the time of my life. Hit song after hit song was being performed, and I felt so alive. I was in a room with roughly 14,000 other strangers, but they didn’t feel like strangers. Gaga has a way of uniting people and connecting us through her Grammy-award winning music.

The show was coming to a close as my heart began to beat super fast. My hands shook and I had to cover my mouth because I felt like I was about to puke. I had built up this moment in my head so much that my adrenaline got the best of me.

I had multiple items in my bag with my letter attached to them — all items I have had for years and brought to previous shows. I had a fake white rose, a black rose with painted gold metallic tips, two miniature unicorns, a tiny teddy bear, hand-made shirt and a portfolio folder with my letter and a 75-page letter I started making back in 2010.

Yes, I said 75-page letter. I had a lot to say to her.

I gave the people to the left and right of me each an item to throw up on stage right after “Bad Romance” was done. Pyro flames emerged, and the stage became fluttered with items from each direction, seven items being mine — looks like I wasn’t the only one who had this idea.

I start to tremble and it starts to happen again. I was so worked up I was about pass out. She hadn’t even chosen a letter yet, but I was so anxious.

I wanted this so bad. It’s all I dreamt about.

Gaga points down to a letter. It was the black flower I had my Twitter friend Joe Micheal Briones throw up for me. I immediately lost it. I was the definition of what an “ugly cry” looked like — but worse. I was so loud, but I didn’t care. My idol of nine years was going to read the letter I wrote.

She reads:

“Dear Mother Monster, You changed my life…I have two goals in life: to meet you and make it as a journalist, both are goals I have not stopped striving for since I was a kid. I’m studying to be a journalist at the University of North Texas and my dream interview is to be with you, my hero…”

After she finishes off reading my letter, she walks over to the edge of the stage and says, “Wait a second, you said you want to be a journalist, you said your dream is to interview me right? You got a question for me?”

I froze.

Oh my gosh. Lady Gaga — the Lady Gaga — is talking to me and wants me to ask her a question. 

For once in my life, I was not prepared. I thought of the first thing that popped into my head and when she held her white microphone in front of me I asked, “What gets you through each day?”

“I put God, and friends and family before anything,” Gaga said.

I was on cloud nine.

I lucky enough to have her choose my letter, read it, have her come down and hug me twice and allow me to ask her a question. This was unbelievable, and I could have not imagined a better moment than the one I had.

“That’s one special girl right there,” Gaga said back on the stage. “A Texas girl real strong. You got your interview, what are you going to do now? You need a new dream.”