My ENIGMA and Jazz & Piano Experience + Photos!

[xoxoJohnnyGaga 284]

Hey everyone!

It's been a year since I was in Las Vegas for ENIGMA and Jazz & Piano and I've recently seen that some other fans have shared their experiences here so I thought I would also share my experience with you all and I really hope you enjoy it! This post is going to cover my entire trip. This was truly one of the most incredible, unreal and overwhelming experiences of my life and such a dream come true in so many ways. I got to meet so many amazing people and made some new friends. So firstly I’m from Sydney, Australia. When I finally arrived in Las Vegas, my luggage did not show up. Luckily I had all my expensive electronic devices in my carry on baggage, but still, all my clothes were in my luggage and I needed everything in there but I didn’t lose hope! I was told at the airport that they’d have my luggage delivered to my hotel once it shows up and I’ll be notified by email once it has been delivered so I went straight to my hotel and luckily they allowed me to check in straight away and the staff at the airport were kind enough to give me toiletries. My phone was dying because I couldn’t charge it so I decided to take a trip to Walmart to buy a charger, which is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go. Luckily I had just enough battery to organize an Uber to Walmart and back and on the way back, I received the email that my luggage was delivered so I was really happy and relieved as you can imagine. The next day was the day before my first ENIGMA show and the day I would also be meeting Gaga so I used that day to do some site seeing/explore Las Vegas, pick up my tickets for the show and buy some merch. I visited the “welcome to fabulous Las Vegas” sign which was amazing to see in person and then I was off to Park MGM to pick up my tickets and buy some merch, ready for the show! I went to the box office and eventually got my tickets (I was paranoid that there was an issue with my meet and greet ticket due to the the staff looking concerned about something while organizing my tickets) but they kindly assured me that everything was fine and then eventually handed me my tickets in a beautiful blue Park Theater ticket pouch. And of course I confirmed again that my meet and greet ticket was in there just to have peace of mind. After that I went off to buy some merch! At the time the store was actually closed but had a sign with a number to call and they’ll come and open it which was very kind of the staff and so I called the phone number (which is ironic considering everyone who knows me very well, knows that I have very high anxiety when it comes to anything to do with taking/making phone calls) but for Gaga, it’s more than worth it of course! I was able to buy the incredible merch I wanted and then went off to explore Park MGM/Park Theater where I saw the screens outside with the incredible ENIGMA and Jazz & Piano billboards! While exploring, I just so happened to run into the incredible Brian Newman, who was so kind to me! I asked him if we could take a photo and he asked me what my name was and introduced me to his friend James I believe! He then asked me if I was going to Jazz & Piano (which was the very first show) and I told him I was and he told me I was in for a treat and he was right! I was in complete disbelief that that happened and I had only been in Las Vegas for roughly 24 hours at that point! After that I went back to my hotel and rested because the next day would be huge! The day was finally here! My first ENIGMA show and the night I would be meeting Gaga! I used this day to rest before my big night! The nerves started kicking in, although I had met Gaga before this so I’m not sure why I was nervous, I guess it’s just normal to me as due to having anxiety, I’m normally nervous about most things even if there is no reason to be but I was more excited than anything of course and it didn’t take long for the excitement to take over completely! I had to be at the Park Theater at 6pm to check in for my meet and greet and I was handed my 3D meet and greet lanyard and was in complete disbelief that this was actually happening! While waiting where I was told to wait before being taken into the backstage tour, I got to meet Gaga’s guitarist Tim Stewart and Gaga’s drummer Chris Johnson who were both very kind to me and then I met Jonny Goood and I’ve always wanted to tell him that we have the same name and I did and then he kindly introduced me to the rest of the incredible band, Gaga’s guitarist Ricky Tillo (who I had also met a couple of times years ago in Australia during the artRAVE) and Gaga’s keyboard player Brockett Parsons who all shook my hand and were all so kind! I couldn’t believe that that actually happened! Also while waiting in line I got to meet Gaga’s incredible dancers Montana and Sloan! I also got to meet Maya from BTWF who is so very kind! It wasn’t long until the staff let us in and we went through security, and entered through a door that took us backstage where we were briefed on everything to do with the backstage tour, pre-show party and of course, the meet and greet after the show! We taken right onto the stage and I was completely blown away as it has always been a dream of mine to stand on one of Gaga’s stages and it was such an incredible and unbelievable feeling! They told us interesting facts about the show and I remember they asked if anyone knew the names of Gaga’s band which I was the one to very excitedly answer and name everyone and normally I’m an extremely introverted/anxious person but a Gaga show and me being so excited is one of the only ways to get me out of my shell! Next we went through a backstage hallway where they showed us a wall signed by different artists that had performed at the Park Theater. At the time Gaga hadn’t yet signed but they told us that she would so now that it’s a whole year later, I guess it’s possible that she has signed the wall but I’m not sure. Then we were taken to the other side of the stage where I could see the setlist for the show and they showed us Gaga’s keytar from the show, the guitar Gaga used during the Joanne World Tour for “A-YO” and also Gaga’s disco stick which isn’t currently being used in the show but it is there rather to show fans during the backstage tour which is cool! After the backstage tour, we were escorted to the VIP pre-show party where there is food, cocktails and more but I barely ever feel like eating when I’m seeing Gaga, especially when I know I’m going to meet her! There was a really cool photo booth were you could take a photo in front of a green screen and it’s instantly emailed to you. You have the option to use props which I wish I did but I still love the photo and all the memories within it! Eventually a security guard escorted everyone which GA tickets to a section at the barricade reserved for VIP ticket holders! I got to meet to many kind monsters in the pit and I’m so grateful I got to enjoy the show with them! Where I was standing, Christian Carino was also standing near me in front of the barricade for most of the show I believe! The show was beyond incredible! My show was the first ENIGMA show where Gaga brought a fan on stage and I’m so happy for the fan who was lucky enough to be chosen! After the show, I had to go to a specific level of the Park Theater for the meet and greet but it was so busy as the show had just finished and everyone was trying to leave but luckily at this point I ended up at the BTWF booth and got to talk with Maya and was introduced to Alex and Shadille and they all knew me by my Instagram username “xoxoJohnnyGaga” which I couldn’t believe and that made me so happy! I told Maya I had lots of toiletries to donate as they were putting together care packages and I told her I would bring them to the next show and I did! Next I was finally able to go up the escalator to get to the level where the meet and greet would be held. I desperately needed water at this point and thankfully, they had water (and it was Fiji water too)! I was there chatting to the amazing new people I had met, listening to their stories and sharing Gaga experiences! There are truly no words for how excited I was! During this time, Gaga was having a bath and getting ready for the meet and greet. The wait didn’t feel long at all! Not long before Gaga arrived, I went to the bathroom to make sure I was happy with how I looked for the photo and not long after I came out, I heard a security guard say that she was on her way so then we were lined up and were given the rules of the meet and greet and then Gaga was right there! I was in complete disbelief! She’s so cute and small! I could see everyone meeting her and then it was almost my turn and a security guard was asking everyone how many people would be in the photo and I said “just me, I already had a group photo last time” or something similar to that (as I had the meet and greet on the Joanne World Tour) and I think I made him laugh. I remember when it was almost my turn, I said “my heart” because I was in complete disbelief that this was actually about to happen and then it was my turn, she had her arm out for me as soon as she saw me! I said “Hi Gaga” and she replied “Hi, how are you?”. I said “I’m good, how are you?” And she said that she was good too. I introduced myself and told her my name is Johnny and she said “It’s nice to meet you Johnny”. She wanted me to stand on the other side of her so she very gently moved me to her other side which was so motherly and cute of her! She asked me if I enjoyed the show and I said “yes, you were so amazing”! Then after we took the photo I thanked her for always inspiring me and told her that I love her so much! I remember she was so touched when I told her that and she told me that she loves me to! I also remember her having her arm around me the entire time we spoke! She is so soft spoken, kind, genuine and treated me like a friend! I remember walking away being over the moon to the point where I even said to a security guard, “oh my god” or something similar to that, while being overwhelmed and in complete disbelief and the security guard smiled. Then I remember one of the lovely staff told me if I waited, I would be given my swag bag and she also said “not like you need any convincing to stay”, because Gaga was still right there continuing the meet and greet! I also remember seeing Gaga’s mother Cynthia and manager Bobby at the meet and greet! I have no idea what time I even slept that night because I was so overwhelmed and full of adrenaline from this incredible night! I couldn’t wait to get my photo and when I asked how long it would take to be uploaded, the staff had told me it could be within the next couple of days as they need to be approved by Gaga’s management first (I can’t remember the exact time frame they had said but I do know that for every meet and greet, the time frame is different). They also handed us a card with a website and a code so that we would be able to access the folder once the photos had been uploaded. Of course I was hoping I would get the photo by the next day and I spent the whole day checking the website to see if the photo's had been uploaded yet and eventually accepted that I might not get it that day and decided it was time to go to sleep and maybe I’d get it the next day but I decided I would check again one more time before sleeping and to my surprise, they had been uploaded! My excitement level peaked at that point so any chance of me sleeping any time soon after that was very unlikely but I did eventually fall asleep. The next day was my second ENIGMA show so the excitement continued! First thing I did when I entered the Park Theater was donate the toiletries I promised Maya I would donate! For this show I had seats and they were incredible! They were right in the center of the stage and right behind where the VIP’s were seated! At this show I believe there were quite a lot of people there, Sarah Jessica Parker, Angela Bassett, Tony Bennett and Jesse Tyler Ferguson! This show was beyond incredible once again! At one point during the interlude before Scheisse, the sound had cut out and all we could hear were drums but the band didn’t stop playing and kept going until the sound came back on! I got to meet Lacee after the show who told us the power had cut out due to a hockey game or some sort of event happening at the arena across the road and because so many event’s were happening at once, the power overloaded! I also told her how I met her years ago in New York, and she was so sweet and told me that she remembers me! I remember it was really cold so I went back to my hotel after that. The next day was the very first Jazz & Piano show so I was in for a complete surprise! The Jazz & piano show was beyond incredible! I was so surprised when she performed Paparazzi because it’s one of my favorite songs and it was such a dream for it to be performed at the Jazz & Piano show and I fell in love with the Jazz version instantly! I also saw Gaga’s mother Cynthia at the show and Tony Bennett even made a surprise appearance and performed some songs with Gaga and him and his wife Susan walked very close past my section to go to their seats! Where I was sitting, Gaga’s dancers and band were also sitting not too far in front of me and I also saw Nicola Formichetti! To end my trip, I visited Madame Tussaud's which I remember I had so much trouble finding because I'm horrible with directions and it was really cold and I felt nauseous for some reason but I still really enjoyed it and they had both Gaga, Bradley and Tony! I had so much fun re-living this incredible experience and I really hope you enjoyed reading about it!

Here are some photos:

 

[Franch Toast 26,066]

Thanks for sharing, and all of your photos are awesome! 

I'd forgotten about some aspects of the experience as it was overwhelming. Yes, the wall that everyone had signed – I'd forgotten about that! I remember now I was excited to see that Ali Wong had performed there because I love her comedy. I was so excited about Ali that I can't remember if Gaga had signed the wall yet, but she must have.  

That's wonderful that you got to meet so many people! I saw a lot of the Haus and some of her band members but didn't dare approach them. I didn't see the BTWF booth though or I would've stopped there. Not sure how I missed it – I guess because there really is so much to take in. 

And I'm so glad you got your luggage back. How stressful! 

 

[xoxoJohnnyGaga 284]

2 hours ago, Franch Toast said:

Thanks for sharing, and all of your photos are awesome! 

I'd forgotten about some aspects of the experience as it was overwhelming. Yes, the wall that everyone had signed – I'd forgotten about that! I remember now I was excited to see that Ali Wong had performed there because I love her comedy. I was so excited about Ali that I can't remember if Gaga had signed the wall yet, but she must have.  

That's wonderful that you got to meet so many people! I saw a lot of the Haus and some of her band members but didn't dare approach them. I didn't see the BTWF booth though or I would've stopped there. Not sure how I missed it – I guess because there really is so much to take in. 

And I'm so glad you got your luggage back. How stressful! 

 

Thank you so much! Yeah it was such an overwhelming experience that as I was writing this, I had to really think to make sure I remembered everything as I wanted to talk about everything in detail but I don't think I left anything out