Now that I’ve finally had some time to process my thoughts, I thought it was about time I made a post about Lady Gaga’s concert on Friday in Chicago. But actually, for me, it really wasn’t just a concert. It was a total experience - “The Ultimate ARTPOP experience” as Gaga herself told us towards the beginning of the set. I’ve been a fan of hers for so long, and I was supposed to go to her Born This Way Ball show in Chicago last February, but she had to cancel it and it devastated me (for those of you that remember, I made that huge fb post about it that night). So finally getting to see her meant the entire world to me. She saved my life 4 years ago when I felt like absolute shit; when my entire life felt like a waste and I was tempted to throw it all away. THAT’s why this wasn’t just a concert for me; It was an experience that I’ve waited to have for 6 years. As soon as I got out of my car and saw the words LADY GAGA in huge lights outside the United Center, I immediately began to tear up. And then as I entered the arena and found my seat as her first opening act, Crayon Pop, was performing their set, I realized just how close I was to the runway emerging from the stage. At this point, I sat down and just took in everything that was happening and a few tears legitimately started forming in my eyes. After Crayon Pop finished, Lady Starlight came on and her set got everyone in the mood to party. Her set was a little long and repetitive, but everyone around me was having a blast and so was I. Around this point, I started talking with the other fans that were sitting around me. And this became one of my favorite parts of the night, and the concert hadn’t even started yet! The reason this was one of my favorite parts, is because it made me realize that all 16,000 people in the arena were there for the same reason – to see Lady Gaga. Now, that may seem obvious, but bear with me a second. I don’t really have any close friends that love Gaga as much as I do, so being in a room with all these people that were exactly like me, singing every word to every song…it really made me feel at home. And that’s why talking with the other fans around me was so special to me. I made SO MANY new friends that night, and we even have a little FB chat going that includes everyone we met that night  About 30 mins after Lady Starlight left the stage, the entire arena went dark and it’s as if time stopped for a brief second. Then, all of a sudden a voice in the dark over the speaker says “Welcome, to the artRAVE!” and all hell broke loose. Flashing lights, pounding rhythms, and screams everywhere. The concert had begun. And as Lady Gaga herself rose from the stage, donning a gold sparkling leotard and orange wings, she was literally a phoenix rising from the ashes, and her opening song ‘ARTPOP’ began. Another thing that makes a Lady Gaga concert so special is her interaction with the fans throughout the entire night. Anyone can obviously tell her and her friends share a connection that is deeper than just “the artist” and “the fans”. She profusely apologized to us for having to cancel the Chicago stop on her last tour, and promised this night would make up for it. She then said, “I know there are a lot of people out there criticizing ARTPOP. Well if you don’t like ARTPOP, I don’t know what you’re doing here, but we suggest you get the fuck out now!” About halfway through the night, she even brought a fan on stage to sit with her at the piano while she sang Born This Way. This was the second time during the night that I cried. Hearing EVERY SINGLE PERSON sing Born This Way was so surreal. It connected EVERYONE in the room. Then, a little later, she read a heartfelt letter that a fan had thrown on stage. And, after reading the letter, she invited that fan and his friends backstage after the show! It just shows how much she really cares about her fans and she’s repeatedly said how much she wishes she could meet every one of us. Then, shortly after, she came to the part of the runway that was just 20 feet away from me, and LOOKED ME IN THE EYE. I literally died. Basically, the entire night was like spending four hours in a dance club. The lights and pounding music was everything I could have ever dreamed of. And, about halfway through the show, the cute boy sitting next to me and I started dancing together and we danced for the rest of the concert. It was JUST like being at a club! LOL Unfortunately I never got his number, but I got his name, and I’m still on the hunt to find him haha! I sang and danced the entire night, and when she sang her song ‘Swine’ she told us to let go of everything that was holding us back. “All of your pain, all of your rage; You’ve been saving it for this one moment. It’s time to RAVE!” I went completely PSYCHO and let go of everything shitty that’s ever happened in my life. I felt completely liberated after the song was finished. Then, as an encore, she came out one last time to sing my favorite song on the album, ‘Gypsy’. It was completely beautiful, and this was the third time I cried. So, needless to say, it was the absolute best night of my entire life, and I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing experience. The only two downsides were that she cut my second favorite song, ‘Mary Jane Holland’ out of the setlist just two days before she performed in Chicago, and she shortened ‘Aura’ (my third favorite song on the album) to just one verse and one chorus. But everything else was completely perfect. The whole experience reminded me why I am such a huge fan of hers. And I know at times I may sound completely insane (you’re actually probably thinking I’m insane as you’re reading this, tbh), but she literally saved my life and this was something I’ve been waiting for 6 years. I can’t wait until the next tour!! (If you’d like to see the concert from my perspective, I made a YouTube playlist of all my videos! Not so great visual quality, but the audio is great) youtube.com/... #TheARTPOPBall #Chicago @gaga #ladygaga #artRAVEExprience #gaga #artpop