Four years ago, I had one of the best days of my life. One of the greatest days of 2016 was when I watched Lady Gaga perform a four-song set in a small Nashville bar. Although that was incredible, the moment she insisted I interview her was cry-worthy (you know, in a good way). This is the true story behind my Lady Gaga interview.
It all started when one of my favorite gal pals scored two tickets to Mother Monster’s Dive Bar Tour in Nashville. I was over the moon when she asked me to be her date. I’d been (unsuccessfully) trying to get an interview (wishful thinking, I know) or a ticket to the hush-hush show for a few days to no avail. If it wasn’t for my friend Kristen, I’d have missed the opportunity of a lifetime.
We got to East Nashville a couple of hours early (one of the few times we’d ever been early to a show) and reluctantly left our phones in my car. Although we’re both completely addicted to Twitter and documenting our every move, our invites specifically stated we were not allowed to bring our cell phones into the venue. And they meant business.
We checked in and we waited… and waited… and waited. It took hours for them to line us up like cattle and herd us into The 5 Spot. A crowd had surrounded the bar behind a barricade just hoping for a glimpse of the pop icon. When we were finally allowed in, everyone rushed to the tiny stage to get as close as possible. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening.
Bud Light was there and instructed us to smile and pose with our beers for the cameras (they were everywhere and hey, I love Bud Light). They passed out some free aluminum cans so when Gaga came in to part the crowd we would all have our beers front and center of the Facebook Live Stream. After product placement instructions were over, it was time. We chanted “GAGA! GAGA!” and the tears welled up in my eyes as I caught a glimpse of her in all her fabulousness. It was even better than my dreams.
Although the performance was outstanding, it somehow got better. We were able to preorder Joanne and, if we did, we could MEET THE QUEEN. I was kind of dying at this news but I managed to get my iPhone from my car to preorder the album on iTunes, change my shoes (so Gaga would approve — the spiked heels were SO Gaga) and get in line.
When I walked up to her I was immediately taken aback by her beauty. I mean I knew she was pretty but, damn, the girl is flawless. She’s also kind of a badass. She was signing Joanne photos for each of us but as I walked up her Sharpie stopped working. So she chugged a glass of whiskey and tried to lick the ink back. Like a boss. I told her I was impressed with her chugging skills and she politely told me I hadn’t seen anything yet.
I knew I only had seconds with her before they would rush me away so I wanted to make my time count. I stopped gawking at her and got real.
“Artists like you are the reason I became a music journalist. You’re my dream interview,” I said honestly.
I still can’t believe what happened next. “Do you want to ask me a question now? Just ask me one question. Go on,” she said. In my head, I was like “Oh F***. WTF does one ask Lady Gaga when they only have one question?” but I pulled myself together. She let security know that I was a journalist and they weren’t supposed to rush me. (Could she be any nicer?)
I grabbed my iPhone and I hit record. I asked her a pretty simple question about the tour — even though I had a million questions I wanted to ask, I knew I needed one substantial quote for my article. And I got it.
She held my hand and we posed for a photo after. I left in tears but I waited until I left the building (I’m a professional, after all). I was in disbelief that a worldwide superstar was kind enough to take a few extra moments to make my dream come true. While I still hope for a sit-down interview one day, this was an incredible, incredible moment.
Thank you for being warm, kind, generous and a total badass, Lady Gaga. You are a queen.
Love,
Your Forever Little Monster
Check out my Lady Gaga interview and full coverage of the Nashville Dive Bar show over on Pop Crush.
