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This is the map of the Broome County Arena in Binghamton. The arrow shows where I was dancing my ass off. This place only seats 6,800 people when it is completely full, so in a concert end-stage set up, my guess is that there are only 5,000 seats. That's nothing compared to Madison Square Garden with 17,000! I swear this place could have fit in the gym. The side seats were bleachers. No joke. So Bethanne and I were in Section 103 on the floor, Row 4, Seats 13 and 14, to our surprise, aisle seats!! I was jumping the whole time in the aisles, and I had a blast.
7:29PM
This was from our seats to the back of the arena. I didn't use a flash because I didn't want to get in trouble so early in the game!!
8:01PM
The lights dimmed and Tommy Drake, a comedian who didn't even make it on "Last Comic Standing" performed, but he was really funny. "So I wanted to see what a $100 glass of vodka tasted like since I had no luck at the tables in the casino. It tasted like, 'i'm a loser.'" Bethanne i'm sure will add more of his quotes, but that was the best for me. This was without zoom. You can see the 3 rows in front of us. I was so happy!
9:09PM
After Tommy Drake and before Cher went on, they always have the "Let's Dance" session, where there is a 30-minute intermission for girls with bad bladders. haha. This was the part I was waiting for the whole time, because it's one of the most nerve-wracking experiences you'll ever have. They turned up the lights and start playing some music. They played 3 Cher songs, "Alive Again," "Rain Rain" and "Body to Body, Heart to Heart." I of course was dancing, and chugged a whole can of Red Bull, and gave Bethanne two sips. I was getting all pumped for the cameramen to start putting the audience on screen. So I got my signs ready, and stood in the aisle with Bethanne, serenading "Play That Funky Music White Boy," "Car Wash," "You Sexy Thing," and "Get Down Tonight." I was getting worried because they played a few songs and they still didn't put the audience on the Jumbotron. Finally, they did, and it said "LET'S DANCE" and panned the audience. Now I remember Cher saying that she watches these monitors in her quick-change room, so I kept that in mind. These two ladies saw my sign that said, "CHER FOR PRESIDENT", and they told me to hold it up so the cameraman would see me. I knew all of this, it was my 10th show, so I did. The one in front of our section had a guy standing up so he really couldn't see me. However, there was a cameraman centerstage who saw me apparently. So I put on my sailor hat, tilted diagonally, and held up my sign and started dancing to him because he was looking right at me, and I checked the screens to see if I was on. There were these group of girls who were shaking their ass to the camera and everybody screamed, so I thought, "Vinny, you should do something that people will remember too." So finally, after those girls got off, I saw myself with my blue Cher shirt, my sailor hat and my sign I had worked on for two weeks, and I knew it was time!! So I looked to the guy, and with my free left hand, I grabbed my shirt and pulled it up to show the left side of my ripped abs.. HAHAHAH. Suddenly, I heard an applause, screaming and some laughs because it was so utterly ridiculous, but I did anyway. Everybody around my section who had a close view to what happened were laughing too at my craziness. It felt so good to get on that screen in front of thousands of people and to have everybody cheer for me! it was great. So I got my next sign, that said "VINNY <3 CHER" and had a picture of Cher and me on it. I raised it up, and concentrated at my cameraman. I made that sign so at least people will know my name, especially Cher. So I got on the screen again, and I don't really remember which song it was, but I was singing to the cameraman, and kept giving the "I Love You" sign with my hand. Not as good as the first one, but at least I got on twice!! We got on before my exhibitionism, but we were really small, so I really didn't talk about that one, but it does count!! So finally they stopped filming the audience, and the monitors went back to the Cher Farewell Tour Logo. The lights dimmed, and it was time. They started playing the Introduction, and when the beginning of "Dark Lady" started and showed the 1962 clip of Cher, I grabbed Bethanne's arm just to make sure I wouldn't collapse or get too excited! I didn't cry this time, so when it pepped up, I was jumping my ass off. This security guard who couldn't sit or stand for 5 minutes straight told Bethanne and I to get out of the aisles and to go in our seats. I moved in a little, but NO, I DIDN'T SIT DOWN! IT WAS AGAINST MY WILL AND SHIRT!
9:10PM
Cher came down in the chandelier in her new outfit which I couldn't manage to get a good picture of because I was too bouncy! all of the pictures in the beginning sucked, but they got really good. So when I first saw the glimpse of the 40-pound coat and her coming down on the chandelier, I started screaming so loud that I had already dried my mouth out by the chorus! and it wasn't like I was singing nicely or anything, it was like i was dying. i can tell the expressions on my face would not appear on the cover of Vogue, now. haha. I was trying to absorb all that I could of her, and trying to get all my Cher-ness out to her. It was great. She came to our side, and no joke, I could actually see the pink eye-shadow and the rhinestones on her face perfectly.
9:11PM
I apologize for these pictures. digital zoom does not work very well, and i didn't have the LCD screen on. They will get progressively better, I promise.
9:11PM
I forgot to mention to those of you who are unfamiliar with this show, she sang "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," while coming down from the sky. Here's a picture from the back of her.
9:12PM
You can see just a smidgen of her on the left. you see her sparklies coming in. hahah.
9:12PM
there she is again.
Oh yeah, and I took this one too. mmmm hmm.. yep. haha no, i lied, if you couldn't tell. this was taken on 5/28/04 in europe. This is what the outfit REALLY looks like if i haven't shown you yet. This was also the picture I used on the Cher for President sign. She was in front of an American flag. heheh.
9:13PM
She went straight from "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" to the Ringmaster Monologue, and I was upset she didn't do "Song for the Lonely." :( That's okay, because she talked for 6 minutes and 15 seconds. I videotaped the whole monologue, and stood up the whole time. I have a transcript of it, but I'll put it in the next post, because this one is taking FOREVER to do. haha. but worth it. she didn't have her hat because it wouldn't fit her wig. hahah.
9:23PM
I stood up during the "Gayatri Mantra," a chant the singers do and dancers dance to while Cher is changing after the monologue. I sang the song in Sanskrit, which is strange because i have no idea what country that language comes from, but i did it anyway. Bethanne can probably back me up, because there I was singing things over and over again in another language, words that I didn't know the meaning to. This is the part with the infamous mechanical elephant, yes.
9:23PM
Another elephant, that looks just like the one in the above picture. hahah it's the same one!! haha i'm in a weird state right now, so excuse me. i think i'm in utah. HAHAH. oh geeze. that elephant looks like it's gonna tip over. haha. but an elephant never forgets.
9:24PM
Again, for those who don't know the set list, she sang "All or Nothing" next, and I had a great time in the aisle, I gotta say. Everyday during the summer when I would take a shower, I would dance to the live version in the bathroom before I went in, practicing my vivacious moves! I knew the whole arrangement of the song and when the drums came in, so I was rockin, i can tell. tee hee!!
9:25PM
You can see a man with a sailor outfit on on the bottom of the screen near the middle. There's another one there, and they are like groupies and follow her everywhere. And you thought I was obsessive and crazy for all of the shows! Cher said hi to them when she talked.
9:25PM
This is a close up of the above picture.
9:25PM
I was doing all the moves in the aisle, and it was so funny. After the show, bethanne was like, "He knew all the moves! Some of the stuff I saw Vinny do is the stuff they did on stage! I thought he was just being stupid this whole time!" haha.
9:26PM
I have to say, she did sound a bit tired that night, she wasn't as sassy as I've seen her before in this song, but it was awesome nonetheless.
That's all for today, I'll spare you, but they'll be more for tomorrow!! We're only up to 9:26, and need to go to 10:30. mwhhahahah.