My Week With Nick
Gramercy Theatre, NYC, November 4th, 2014. After the end of the Jonas Brothers era, Nick was back and ready to take the music scene by storm. After a year of nothing from a Jonas, this was a godsend. It was weird to know it was indefinitely over for the three of them, but it was also exciting to see what they would individually come up with. Truthfully, Nick's first single "Chains" off his self-titled album didn't knock me off my feet, but I think we all know that "Jealous" did. Nick was starting from the ground up playing standing room only shows to audiences of hundreds instead of thousands. Though he had an advantage of not being a brand new artist, he still had to prove himself again to retain his former glory.
I was finally going to get my first professional picture with Nick during his Nick Jonas Live tour...until professional picture was changed to selfie; hello fangirl life in 2014. At first I was angry that I wasn't getting what I paid for, until I realized Nick Jonas touching my phone was worth more than gold. Aside from the fact that I of course wanted Nick to take the selfie as opposed to me doing it, I needed him to so that it wouldn't be blurry from my shaking hands. The next day I was able to score tickets to see Nick on BET's 106 & Park. With an intimate audience of maybe 30 people, I can safely say he sang to me. I was still on a high in the days that followed the show, wishing there would be another chance at seeing him again. I incessantly checked his social media once his album dropped on the 11th, hoping for something, anything. As I sat at my desk bored scrolling through Twitter, there it was. Nick was doing a spontaneous meet and greet at Lucky Strike bowling alley in an hour, all you had to do was buy his album on his website and show the receipt (this was my second copy of the album). For once in my life I was thrilled to be on the closing shift because had I opened, I would have already been on the train heading home with not enough time to turn around and make it.
I made a plan. At 7pm I would run to H&M nine blocks away and buy anything that would be suitable (I couldn't go in my work clothes, duh). A plaid dress made the cut and I hailed a cab to Lucky Strike. Man, was it cold out! Wearing a dress by the water in November probably wasn't the best idea, but fashion hurts (I lived). I was sweating from adrenaline, and that held me just good enough until we were allowed to go inside (note to meet and greet sponsors: do not make people wait outside in extreme temperatures!) I know I just met Nick a week before, but it totally took me by surprise when he said, "Nice to see you again!" Is he for real RN?! Is he just saying that to be nice?!
Well, he really meant it because he said it again when I met him the next day at FYE at the Smith Haven Mall in Long Island. My retail life was blessed enough to have off that weekend and follow him again when he tweeted for a meet and greet in less than 12 hours. A 1+ hour drive out to Long Island for a meet and greet at 12pm? I knew we had to get there when the mall opened at 10am, and even that was cutting it close. There were PLENTY of people already waiting, and FYE wasn't sure if he would stay to meet everyone...let's just say I got to meet him twice (all I had to do was buy another CD, now I own four). My week with Nick was topped off when my friend DM'd me a picture on Instagram of me in Star Magazine from Nick's performance on 106 & Park. I guess my week with Nick turned me into a low key celebrity 😉
