A few weeks ago I had the AMAZING opportunity to see Lady Gaga in concert here in Miami as part of her Joanne World Tour. But wait, there’s more. I not only got to see her in concert, but thanks to Verizon, I had the whole backstage experience which included meeting her backstage!When I was contacted by Verizon to invite me to this incredible experience, I literally screamed and obviously said yes! I was so excited for this experience which lasted almost the whole day, but since no cameras or cell phones were allowed during our backstage experience (I know, I was bummed, too!), I decided to write this post with you to share my experience (and a few pics I could take) with you.

It all started the day of the concert where I had to arrive at the AmericanAirlines Arena around 3:30 pm. Once there, I entered through a special entrance where I was handed my ticket, my VIP pass and my Lady Gaga backpack!

Once everyone had arrived, we were escorted to the area where we would be catered lunch. After our lunch, about 30 minutes later, we were escorted to the inside of the venue where the concert would take place to listen to the sound check (Lady Gaga was not present, just her band and dancers). We watched them during the sound check for about 30-45 minutes, and then we were given a tour of the backstage area which included a view of underneath the stage to see what Gaga sees prior to hitting the stage. We also saw the small dressing room next to the stage where the dancers change in between songs, and we also saw the area where the people that are in charge of the visuals of the concert work while the concert is taking place. We then chatted a while with the staff that was in charge of us and they told us to ask any questions as they would be happy to answer. They also told us about this tour and how it is to transport all the equipment from one city to another and then how they set it all up. I also asked how it all gets transported overseas and if it gets complicated to do so since her tour will continue through Europe next year. They said that if they have time to do so, everything gets shipped in large containers by ships. If there isn’t enough time to wait for that, planes are used to fly the equipment and then they are moved in trucks from city to city once there just like in the USA.

They also shared with us how the concert stages would be and that’s when we found out she would be performing on a total of 5 stages! Three of them were already positioned on the floor (plus the two on both ends of the venue) and the bridges which would connect each stage would be “falling” from the ceiling as she made her way through. We were so excited to see that!

Once that chat ended, we were then escorted to a private suite with a bar and a merchandise store to wait until the venue opened to the public so we could make our way down to our seats. The Meet & Greet would take place after the concert so we were to stay put after it ended as they would come and get us since we would all be sitting together.

Once in the suite, we were treated to a complimentary drink and light snacks. Here are a few pics from the suite where we were finally allowed to use our cell phones.

After a while and after taking pics and getting to know people, it was time to head downstairs to our seats.

After the concert ended, we were then escorted back to the backstage area, specifically to a room where we would leave all of our belongings to enter another room where we would wait for Lady Gaga. Once we did that, we were then separated into groups of 6 since that is how we would be taking our photos with her. Once we were separated into groups, we were taken into a room where we sat down in neat rows of 6 to wait for Lady Gaga. Part of her team that was in charge of us explained what would come next. Her personal head of security later entered the room and gave us some basic instructions of what we could and couldn’t do, but always showing us the fans the utmost respect. We waited for about 30-40 min and then Lady Gaga arrived. I think it’s safe to say we were all in awe. We couldn’t believe it was actually her and she was standing so close to us. She said hi to us and then sat down on a stool and proceeded to chat with us. First she asked us how we liked the concert and what our favorite parts were. She also asked if we had noticed some mistakes such as part of the stage falling apart (which none of us noticed). She then asked us if we had any questions. I asked her what her favorite part of the show is; what parts she enjoys performing the most. She said when she performs John Wayne, Dancin’ in Circles and Born This Way.

Some of the other questions she was asked was if she preferred writing songs using her piano or the guitar. She said her piano since she is still perfectioning and getting used to the guitar. She was also asked how she does it to push everyone’s opinions of her out of her head; how she does it to not care what people think. She said that it’s still something she struggles with on a daily basis but she makes the decision to block those thoughts out of her head. She said sometimes she’ll catch herself thinking, “what will people say” or “what will they think of this”. She says that when that happens, she makes a decision to block that out of her head and remind herself it doesn’t matter what people say or think because she will continue to be herself, but said it was hard but not impossible to do. Many other fans just took the time one by one to thank her for helping them through her lyrics get through some rough times in their lives. They told her they loved her and that she was their hero and inspiration to continue in life and to be who they are. Someone also asked her if she had come up with the concept of the concert. She said she did and once the show was built, she had her whole band and dancers run the whole show by her while she watched with one of her dancers impersonating her. She said she did this because she wanted to see what we would see when we saw her concert. She said that once she saw it a few times, she would tweak a few things here and there until she got the whole show the exact way she wanted it to be and that is what we had seen that day. After about 30 minutes of chatting with her, the Q&A session ended and we were then let in to the other room 1 group at a time for our picture with her. I was the last one in my group to enter the room so I walked to the back and stood behind the guys but you couldn’t really see me and the photographer said he couldn’t see me, then Lady Gaga said to jump on the box next to her so I was like, “ok!” and kneeled on top of the box, put my hand around her back and this was the result.

We were then free to go and collect our belongings in the next room. By now it was about 12:30 am and I was exhausted but so happy to have experienced this! I can honestly say Lady Gage LOVES her fans and makes sure you feel welcomed, appreciated, and loved, and she also makes sure her staff does the same. The attention they pay to you, how important they make you feel, and how special they make you feel is nothing I have ever seen or experienced before in the 12 years I’ve worked in the Latin Music Industry. The Latin artists have a lot to learn when it comes to treating their fans with respect and love because if Lady Gaga can treat her fans that way, there’s no reason why someone so unimportant compared to her can’t. Artists tend to forget who put them where they are and that if wasn’t for them, they wouldn’t be there. I’m glad Lady Gaga hasn’t forgotten that.

THANK YOU, VERIZON, FOR THIS ONCE-IN-A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY!

I was invited by Verizon to have this backstage experience as part of their Verizon UP Rewards program. When you enroll in their rewards program (if you’re a customer of theirs), you’ll earn 1 credit with every $300 you spend on your Verizon Wireless monthly bill, and 1 credit = 1 awesome reward. From once-in-a-lifetime experiences like front row tickets to offers on brands like Apple Music, Uber, JetBlue, and more – it’s all integrated into the My Verizon app, right at your fingertips. 

Here is my video recap of that day. Hope you enjoy it!

Click the widget below for pics from the concert.