Dressing Room VIP

Terminal 5, September 9th, 2015. As I was getting one of the worst manicures of my life, a Twitter notification from Nick Jonas popped up on my phone that sent me into a tizzy: "VIP experiences available now for my "Live in Concert" tour." Since I had clearly been neglected at the nail salon after soaking off my color gel for much longer than necessary, I threw all the tinfoil off my left hand so I could get to my credit card. The manicurist that I had finally been given looked at me like I was crazy but I was beyond not caring.

I purchased the meet and greet so fast I didn't even read the options, I just went for the lowest package that would get me a picture. I was elated to get a confirmation, until I discovered what the higher package offered. I had paid only to get a picture, but there was a maxed out option that included (for you and a guest) a professional picture, an acoustic song in Nick's dressing room, a Polaroid picture, and a post show toast that let you drink with Nick and get an item of your choice autographed. This was more than I had ever spent on a meet & greet, but I mean come on, look what they're giving you! I had an inner battle with my finances until I emailed HOST VIP and asked if I could exchange my meet & greet for the upgrade. Of course it was no problem at all, they're in business to make money. And being brand new to the meet & greet market, this was perfect for them that someone would even want to upgrade.

I was all set for my Dressing Room VIP experience, now I just needed to decide who to take. Though my boyfriend does enjoy himself some Nick Jonas, he wasn't sure he wanted to be serenaded by him. Of course he'd come if he had to, but he'd rather let one of the girls enjoy it. My cousin and best friend were both recovering from surgeries, and if I had to pay for two people, I was sure as hell bringing someone to enjoy this with me. My best friend's little sister is a fellow fangirl, formerly of the Jonas Brothers now of Justin Bieber, but she's always down for any celebrity related activity just like me.

When we checked in with HOST VIP at Terminal 5, I met Lacey who funnily enough now seems to be my concierge at every HOST event I attend. When Lacey checked my ID and found me on her list she said, "Oh, you're doing Dressing Room VIP? We're gonna have a lot of fun today!" First up were our professional pictures where I insisted on being on Nick's left side (that's my good side) because they had us walk in from the right. HOST had given us a speech about how we shouldn't hug or kiss Nick because it's the beginning of the tour and he can't afford to get sick, so I was pleasantly surprised when he went in for the hug, and likewise he was surprised when I trotted away so quickly without saying a word (not knowing he would be hanging out with me after the photo op).

Lacey set us up in Nick's dressing room with snacks as we awaited his presence. He got there a lot quicker than expected because we were talking about the tour when he popped his head and said, "You guys ready for me?" We were all caught off guard and didn't know how to react, which led him to say, "Do you guys speak?" I knew I had to take the reigns on this one. Kristen was there for me, and there was only one other girl who seemed to be shy (and I certainly am not). Awestruck by Nick Jonas, yes, but I can work my way through that. Nick played an acoustic version of "Chains" for us, and then starting talking about the show that night. He asked if we knew his opening act, Bebe Rexha, and I knew this conversation was about to be solid. As fate would have it, I worked with Bebe Rexha's mother's good friend, so I knew exactly who she was aside from the one or two songs I knew of hers from the radio. It was so relaxed just having a normal conversation with Nick Jonas not at all related to my love for him. It was like we were friends just palling around for a few minutes.

He sent us off to enjoy the show while security took us right to his mic stand so we could be front and center. My original intentions were to stand in the back since I was having the best Nick experience that night anyway, and the older I get I can surely do without the pushing and rowdiness of GA. But when you're literally handed the opportunity to be in the front (without having to wait 3 days 😉), you take it. We were so close to Nick he almost hit us in the head with his mic stand when he swung it for dramatic effect. The house lights were so bright and the speakers were so loud that even though we were up close and personal with him, who knows if he can even really see us?

At the post show toast when he asked us if we enjoyed the show and we got into how amazing it was, he said, "I know, you guys were right in the front, you sang every song." When he asked what he could sign for us, I held up a pair of white and black Calvin Klein boxers (I.E. his remake of the infamous Marky Mark photoshoot) and said, "My Calvin's?" I was proud that he found it as funny as I hoped he would, because I put a lot of thought and effort into what I wanted him to sign, because I didn't want to be basic like everyone else who just made him sign the poster or lanyard they gave us at the meet & greet. The post show toast was wrapped up with a group photo of Nick and the gang, and I can truly say this experience was worth every penny. This was my first of many HOST VIP experiences, and every tour I am excited to see the insane meet & greet concepts they come up with next (like playing ping pong with Nick on the Future Now Tour)!