#enlightenment

Sarah Perry, Enlightenment

Donna Summer - My Fairy Godmother

On February 16 year 2008 I had the opportunity to see and sing with Donna Summer at the Sinatra Theater at the Bank Atlantic Center of Sunrise near Miami. 

The story starts like this: On the previous year I got the recommendation from a dear friend of mine to read the book "The Law of Attraction" -The teachings of Abraham by Esther Hicks- and as soon as I finished it I remember that I said to myself: If I want to find a lovely relationship I would like it to attract it with the feelings that the music of Donna Summer evoques in heart, so I charged on my I-Pod Shuffle the full album of Donna Summer music and started to listen to it while I kept my eyes closed after my morning meditation, on sunset meditation and also before going to sleep.

One day as I was surfing the web I realized that Donna Summer was going to perform at The Sinatra Theater near Miami. I immediately bought two tickets, so I could see and hear her performing.

Months went by and I remember that I kept listening to her music and enjoying the feelings that her voice evoked in me.

I decided to invite the friend who had recommended the book The Law of Attraction, but few days before the concert was about to take place she canceled, so now I had to decide whether I would go with someone else or just by myself to the concert.

Though I had another friend who lived at Miami by the time and I could have invited her to go with me, my gut feelings told me not to do so and I decided to go by my self.

I remember that one night I came to my home and made a spread of Alister Crowley TOTH Tarot deck with a spread about relationships that a teacher of mine from Denmark had taught me.

1st card meant the questioner - Myself- (and the Magician appeared), 2nd card the other person -Donna Summer (and the card 3 of Cups -Abundance appeared), 3rd card The relationship (and the card of The Universe appeared) and 4rd card The advice (and The Lovers card appeared) and I thought to myself (mainly because of the Universe card in the relationship) that I could not miss an opportunity like this and I had to go and see Donna Summer by myself.

My assistant asked me wether I wanted to book for two plane tickets and also questioned who was going to be the other person who was going to fly with me and I told her: No body, I'll go just by Myself. She booked me a flight leaving from Mexico City on February 16 in the early morning and I would be arriving to Miami Airport around lunch time.

The day before I had to travel I started packaging my luggage and I sudenly was undecided to take with me a white coat that I had bought Taylor made and never used before because when I bought it, I had boughted it with the intention to use it when the time would be ripe for me to give a concert. After giving it many thoughts I decided that I was gonna take it with me. The day I traveled I arrived to a small hotel and after leaving the luggage in my room I realized that I needed a haircut. I found a hair salon very close to the hotel where I was staying, I went there and got a shirt sharp hair cut, I remember I combed and glued it with gel, went back to my hotel and fell asleep, waking up just 45 minutes before the concert.

I asked the front desk to help me calling a cab to take me to the Sinatra Theater, the man in the front desk picked up the telephone and called one which arrived within 5 minutes. I got myself on the car and asked the Taxi driver to take me to the Sinatra Theater, he told me it was not that close and that some streets were being repaired so I had to be patient.

As we arrived I jumped out of the cab and went directly to the entrance and a tall man dressed in black suit stopped me and asked me for my ticket, I opened the envelope on which the tickets had arrived and showed him both and as he saw those he widen his eyes and told me with a tone of urgency: -Come with me! He got the tickets on his hands and turned on a big black hand lamp and got me inside the venue.

As we entered the venue I realized two very important things: -One, that the concert had already started and two: -That the color theme of the show was white, the grand piano was white color, the drums and percussion sets were in white color, the curtains around the scenario were in white color, parts of the scenario were in white color and over all Donna Summer was dressed in a stunning white color dress and she was already performing...

The gentleman took me down the stairs and lead me to the first row and then walked me to the center of the seats, I took my seat, the seat besides me was left empty, he asked me about it and I told him it would stay empty, no one else was coming... he nodded his head and left. I not only realized that I had decided correctly to use the white color coat as I was sitting but also that Donna Summer had realized my presence there because she looked at me and smiled to me. She was already singing She works hard for the money and I was embellished to see her and listen to her beautiful voice live.

She continued singing her repertorie which included Mc Arthur Park, This time I know is for real, Could it be Magic and then she stopped and said: -Next song I would like someone to join and sing it with me, and the crowd went crazy! Girls screaming and Yelling Me! Me Donna! while pushing themselves one over the others... Donna Summer chose pointing with her finger and saying You to one blonde girl totally dressed in black, the crowd went crazy and started screaming and yelling, Donna Summer chose another girl, brunette hair, also totally black dressed and then she walked towards me, I just had lifted my right hand resting my elbow in my left fist smiling to her and saying mentally joyfully: I'm here! She looked at me and said in a dubious way: -You?... no, not You... and walked away... I kept my hand exactly as I had raised it and kept looking at her while she was leaving... then she turned herself back and said to me pointing me with her finger: -You! Come up here!

-I realized she had a very sympathetic sense of humor.

My heart started bumping very strongly as I got up from my seat and a security guard escorted me to the scenario, while I was climbing the stairs I thought to myself, so, this is the Universe Tarot TOTH card.

Donna Sumer asked each one of the two girls one by one what was her name and where did they came from, each of the girls provided their names and place where they came from and greeted Donna Summer with a cheek kiss. As It was my turn I only extended my hand to greet her while she asked me my name and where I came from, I said to Donna with my Bass voice: My name is Marco and I come all the way form Mexico City. -She widened her eyes and turned her head to the public opening her mouth while making a gesture of surprise!.

She asked the technicians to put a pedestal microphone on us, I realized that the pedestal microphone was not connected but the show was on: Then Donna added: -Next song I'm sure You know it, You wouldn't be here otherwise right? Then she added: -The lyrics will appear on the screen and I will tell You when you are going to sing your part. Then the song On the Radio started to be played while the Lyrics appeared on the Telepromter screen. The two girls stood each one by my left and right side and Donna started singing and performing, I immediately felt the power of the drums and percussions behind me and stared at the 5000 people in the public which was the capacity of the venue, when it was our turn to sing the chorus Donna put her microphone towards us but mainly towards me, because I was taller and at the center of the improvised chorus. I was so happy playing my role -but mainly because I had always considered myself a singer and a performer too- and this was a dream come true, "Singing with Donna Summer herself in front of 5000 people".

I sung and dance ecstatic to the song On the Radio, the whole crowd went crazy with the song and I remember that I could not avoid singing not only the chorus part of ours which accounted for the part that says:

On the radio whoa-oh-oh-oh

On the radio whoa-oh-oh-oh

On the radio whoa-oh-oh -oh

On the radio whoa - oh-oh oh

but also the parts that were not in the chorus part. Finally the song finished and both of the girls went directly to Donna to give her a cheek kiss and say good bye. I was the last to say: -Thank You Donna while shaking hands with her, she looked at me with those big black brilliant eyes, a very big smile and a hand that I felt like liquid, - I thought two things at that moment, one being:- She is enlightened and second, she is a Queen of Cups like in the Tarot cards deck, I meant she was made of water meaning fluid feelings. As I was about to leave, I returned and gave her another time a hand shake and this time I meant more deeply the words that came from my mouth: -Thank You!

I came back to my seat and listened to the rest of her songs which included No more tears (Enough is Enough), Dim All the Lights, Bad Girls and finally Last Dace.

Before she left she turned to myself and smiled to me and nodded her head like saying Good Bye, and then the show finished.

I got up from my seat and as I was going to leave the venue form an elevator, a lot of people, mainly girls started to scream my name; -Marco! -Marco! and asked me to sing their program, some others asked me wether I worked with Donna as part of the show because of my white coat, my voice and my movements at the scenario and I denied it saying: -Oh no! I'm a guest too... Though I had to sign some programs mainly because people wanted to have something from someone who that night was close to Donna. On those times cameras were not allowed and cell phones were starting to have a small camera for photos and short videos.

I remember that a group of Puerto Rican girls asked me if I had gone by myself and I answered them: -Yes! and they added:-No one is going to believe You that You sung with Donna Summer tonight!. Those nice and kind Puerto Rican girls had taken photos of the moment I was greeting Donna at the scenario and a small video of the performance of us. I asked them to send it to my e-mail. (On those times You needed to download the photos or videos to the computer and then You can send those to an electronic address). I provided them with my data and then their boy friends pulled a car and screamed them to climb to the car that they were about to leave. -I never got the e-mail with the photos nor the video-.

I remember that two beautiful girls came to me and the most stunning of these girls asked me if it was real the voice I had spoken on the microphone and I said: Oh Yes! -She asked me if I could say something: I said: Well, what do you want me to tell you? and she screamed and said: -Yes! it's real! They told me they were from Miami and that they loved Donna Summer music, told me their names, then left.

I remember that I said to myself: -Donna must have seen that I came all the way and alone to her concert and that I had been canceled by whosever was coming with me but with her magic of Fairy Godmother she put me in the spotlight and therefore in the eye of a lot of women, thus I became a Cinderella man.

I decided to return to my Hotel and called a Cab to a number I had of the business card that the previous driver had given me and after some minutes the cab arrived and I left the venue to go to my Hotel.