Afflicted by Fiction

Here’s my little recap of the Smoke + Mirrors concert film at Huntington Beach with Wayne:

My sister and I got to the theater at around 7:15 and sat in the back row. You could feel the excitement in the room as everyone anticipated the arrival of Wayne. Every time someone came in, everyone looked over to see if it was him. When he finally entered the theater at around 7:28 we all stared clapping. He looked a little nervous but was very gracious and humble. He took a quick picture with someone and then took his seat. ( video )

When the lights dimmed, the theater erupted in applause. It felt like it was a real concert! The audience clapped and sang along for the most part. Toward the end, my sister and I just didn’t give a damn anymore and started singing word for word at the top of lungs. During Wayne’s solos, we all just went nuts. The audience was cheering, whistling and clapping. It was awesome.

We all showed love to everyone during the part where Dan was introducing everyone but of course, we were extra loud for Wayne. 😉

When the show ended and the lights when on and the applause had settled, there was just a quick second of “what happens now?” My sister stared chanting, “Speech! Speech! Speech!” and others joined in. He stood up and thanked us. I don’t remember word for word because by this time my nerves started kicking in.

Then people started swarming him for pictures. At one point an employee asked if anyone needed help exiting the theater or if we were all waiting for a picture with him. Of course, no one left. 😂

After a while we were nicely kicked out of the theater because the employees had to clean up and get the room ready for the next showing. He took more photos with people in the hallway and someone was FaceTime-ing a friend and he talked to them for a bit. We were blocking the hall so an employee told Wayne, “To the gentleman who is taking pictures with everyone, please move to the lobby.” So he did and we followed.

I finally got my picture with him and he signed my Smoke + Mirrors and Night Visions album booklets. ( video )

I loved how he took his time to talk to everyone. There were a lot of us and he didn’t seem rushed at all. It never ceases to amaze me how humble and down to Earth they all are. I know it sounds cheesy but when he talks to you, it’s like you’re the only one in the room. The appreciation of their fans is real and I love them for that! For now, I’m just waiting until June so I can buy the show on Blu-ray! ☺