#81 Meet A Celebrity--ACHIEVED

Last Friday, I unexpectedly achieved #81 on my list. It all started when I first heard that the band Cobra Starship was coming to town. They were playing a show at 3 different malls around Manila. This mall tour was sponsored by Ayala Malls which I am actually a member of. So when I heard about it, I inquired about getting tickets. Usually when you're an Ayala Mall card holder, you're entitled to 2 free tickets. But the catch is that ticket requests are first come first serve. This time, to get tickets, you had to be one of the first 25 callers at 11am on March 22, 2010. Unfortunately, the lines were busy the whole time I was calling. I was on the phone for 1 hour pushing the redial button like a crazy person and by the time I got through, they were all out of tickets. So I had to proceed to Plan B. This included getting in line early on Friday morning and be one of the 100 lucky fans to get a free ticket. That was the plan and I didn't think it would fail because I didn't expect that many people to be at the mall so early.

Boy, was I wrong! I got to the mall at 1030am (doors open at 11am) and there were already more than 100 people waiting anxiously in line. But I didn't want to lose hope. I kept thinking that maybe they would give more tickets. So stayed in line. All by myself while everyone else was in groups. I didn't mind. I'm a fan, too. It wasn't looking too good since the people standing near me in line kept saying we were already passed the 100 mark. This is when I started to worry that my time there would be a waste. So I asked the kid in front of me to hold my spot in line while I check out the scene. That was the best idea ever because I ended up getting in line for tickets to the autograph signing. This was even better because I would get the opportunity to meet the band in person. When I got a ticket for the autograph signing, I was all kinds of excited so I went back in the show line to try my luck some more. Two hours later, I was shit out of luck and didn't get tickets so I decided to reserve tables at a restaurant with a view of the stage so that I'd still be able to enjoy the show. This wasn't my idea though. One of the moms that was in front of me suggested I do that because there was no other option. And I have to say, I'm thankful she gave me that idea because it was the next best thing to do if I really wanted to watch the show. So that's exactly what I did. I went home with my head up because even though I didn't get tickets to the show, I'd still be able to watch it, and even better, I would be able to meet them and get an autograph.

The photo above is the actual view from where we were eating dinner. It's pretty far (I guess), but it beats having to be in the crowd downstairs. It was a good view, except for those palm trees. They really got in the way at times. It rained that morning, so they set up tents which also got in the way a little bit. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the show from afar. The show was awesome! They played most of their songs on their latest album Hot Mess and a couple of songs from their previous album Viva la Cobra!.

Anyway, after the show, I had to quickly stuff my face with food because I missed dinner since I was watching the show the whole time. While I was eating, they announced on the loud speakers that those with tickets to the autograph signing should proceed to the line. That was my cue. I'm not going to lie. I was nervous. I have no idea why. I guess it's because I'm a fan of their music and I couldn't believe that I was about to meet them. So there I was, in line with a bunch of high school kids. I've never felt so out of place in my life. But I didn't care. I really wanted to meet them.

Anyway, before I get into meeting them, let me first say that I wore one of my favorite shirts because I knew it would get attention. And I kind of knew they would say something about it. I follow all of them on Twitter and they're very vulgar so I kind of guessed that they would take notice of my shirt. Call me an attention whore, because I kind of am, so I wore this shirt:

I wore this shirt. And I'm glad I did because it got them to notice me. Because when it was my turn to get my CD booklet signed, it was the topic of discussion. The CD signing was supposed to be quick. Most of their fans were just saying "Hi" and shaking their hands. But I wanted to really meet them and actually converse with them. So when it was my turn, I had to play it cool and pretend I wasn't totally excited. They were all lined up on the table signing CD booklets; Nate (drums), Alex (bass), Gabriel (vocals), Victoria (keytar), and Ryland (guitar).

And this is pretty much how the conversation went:
Nate: Thanks for coming out to the show.
Me: Dude, the show was awesome. You guys were great.
Nate: That's a nice shirt.
Me: Thanks. It's on of my faves.
Alex: Sweet shirt, dude.
Me: Thanks.
Gabe: Hey, nice to meet you. I'm Gabe. (followed by hand shake)
Me: Nice to meet you. I'm Arjay.
Gabe: I really like your shirt. Who is that?
Me: I have no idea. I think it's Britney Spears.
Gabe: No, that can't be Britney. What brand is it?
Me: I have no idea. I got it from a night market in Singapore.
Ryland: That's not Britney. I think that's Sienna Miller. I can tell by her side boob.
Me: I love that you can tell by the side boob.
Ryland: Yeah, I know my side boobs.
Gabe: Let me have that shirt.
Me: You could but I don't think it will fit you.
*Laughs all around

By that time, I was holding up the line. There was no one in front of me anymore. So the handlers signaled me to proceed off the stage. So I shook Gabe's, Victoria's, and Ryland's hands one last time and praised them for putting on a good show. And then I was on my way. Completely star struck, excited, and a little flustered that I actually got to chat with them. I'm still a little upset that we weren't allowed to take photos, since now I don't have anything to remember that moment by except through memory. Which is why I'm blogging about it now. I don't want to forget it because it was honestly one of the most exciting things I've done in a while. I know they're not really huge celebrities, but I'm a huge fan of them and their music and so I consider them to be major.

But that's not where this story ends. After I met them, I actually tweeted them a photo of my shirt just to see if they'd actually remember. Anyhow, here's the tweet:

Gabriel Saporta, the lead singer, actually replied to my tweet!! How awesome is that? I say it's quite awesome. To be completely honest, I'm still overwhelmed. Major Cobra Starship hangover. I have to say, everything worked out and I got what I wanted. I got to meet the band and at the same time cross off an item on my list-- #81 Meet A Celebrity.

Thank you Cobra Starship!!!