I was lucky enough to attend this year’s Jingle Ball hosted at Madison Square Garden on December 13. My aunt bought me a ticket the day before the show, when she found out that I did not have work on the day of the concert. When I got off the bus that Friday after noon, I was filled with emotions. Ever since I was about 7 years old, I’ve wanted to see Miley Cyrus in concert. Miley Cyrus was in the lineup for this year’s Jingle Ball.
When my aunt, brother, and I arrived at MSG, there were crowds of fans lined up outside to get into the concert. With the smell of dirty water dogs in the air, and fans screaming and jumping filled with excitement, I had butterflies in my stomach as I walked to our seats. Our tickets seats were originally behind the stage, which meant that I could hear the artists such as Selena Gomez, Jason Derulo, and Fifth Harmony, but the only way I could see them is if I looked up at the giant screen behind the stage. After Gomez’s performance, my aunt decided that we should try to move to different seats, closer to the stage, and closer to where my brother and my other aunt were sitting.
When we arrived to section 109, the usher noticed that we were not in the right section according to our tickets, but noticed that we were trying to find my aunt and brother. My aunt, cousin and I got lucky and the usher let us go. I could not believe how close I was to the stage. The first act I got to see up close and personal was Ariana Grande, the 20 year old pop singer who also stars in the Nickelodeon TV show “Sam and Cat.” I am a huge fan of Ariana and her music. I videoed Grande’s performance and met her best friend Lexie. I gave Lexie my phone, and she took pictures of Grande from behind the stage.
As the night went on, I moved closer and closer to the stage recording and singing along to each performance. Sooner or later, the security guards noticed that we were not in our original seats and were clogging the isles. We had to move back up to a higher spot in our section for the rest of the concert. At about 11:30 at night, we knew the show was coming to a close, but Cyrus did not come on stage yet. Tons of screaming fans in the arena knew that Cyrus will close the show very soon. Before I could get my thoughts together and realize that in a few moments I would be face to face with my idol, Lindsay Lohan got up on stage. “This next artist we’ve watched grow up on screen and on stage, and in the last year, we’ve seen a whole new side of her, which I can relate to.” The former Merrick resident said. “This is a girl who’s not afraid to be herself.”
My heart raced and I turned to look at my brother and cried. A big screen appeared playing a scene of Charlie Brown’s Christmas. A midget arrived on stage along with a huge woman dressed up as a Christmas tree and a few reindeer dancers. Smoke was in the air and before I could catch my breath, out walked Cyrus hand in hand with a “drunk” version of Santa Claus. I screamed and shook and sang along to Cyrus’s first song, “Party in the USA.” I looked down and saw a bunch of girls crowded around the end of the side of the stage and jumped over the fans in my isle, stomped on their feet unapologetically, and ran down to the end of the side stage. I started to record Cyrus’s performance. At the beginning of her new single “Adore You,” Cyrus looked in my direction and started walking toward me. I became numb. I couldn’t process in my mind the fact that Cyrus was one foot in front of me. After years of following her music, and the rest of her career, I can finally say that she actually knows I exist. It is an amazing feeling to be inches away from your childhood role model. It is such a weird feeling to be in arms reach of a huge celebrity. I would come home from school and watch her hit show on Disney Channel every day.
I have watched every one of her movies and have supported her growth in this industry no matter how much discrimination and hate she gets from critics and fans around the world. Miley Cyrus was inches away from my hand and sang her song while she watched my face light up in awe as I started to cry when she smiled at me. I recorded the whole performance on tape so that I could relive that moment whenever I wanted to. I don’t really know how to explain how I felt during that precious moment in my life, but I do know that it was a dream come true.
Anything is possible and all you have to do is believe that your dreams can come true and they will. When Cyrus took her last bow, and walked away from me, the sound of fans around the arena screaming her name gave me the chills. Cyrus thanked the audience and walked off the stage. I walked back up to our original seats and just sat there. I was numb. I couldn’t believe what I just witnessed and I couldn’t process that that precious moment in my life was over. I will never forget that night. And I will always remember the feeling I had as I filmed Cyrus perform at Jingle Ball this year.