#hohio

My friend @ali-kat211 was amazing enough to brave the cold and hang out with my outside the venue all day from like 12:30 until we finally went inside.  Just so I could be the first person to meet Amber.  Thank you for hanging out with me and making this so much fun <3

We were joined by the street team after a while and they called us the real MVPs since we technically even beat them as well as most of the artists.

We sat down and were just chatting and making friends in line when LB (Amber’s support drummer) came out the door and we were sitting in front of and made us all scramble and scream.  This happened so many times, and I think LB was doing it on purpose after the 3rd or 4th time he came out.

We were across the street from the Ohio State Student Union building (I didn’t actually know American universities would have those. I thought that was something the UK made up lol) and would wander over there whenever we needed to use the bathroom or to warm up for a few minutes.  The first time we went over, though, WE RAN INTO JUSTIN.  I saw him walking toward us and I did a double take and then said “Hi, Justin” while all of the folks I was with just thought I was saying hi to someone I knew at first before they also did a double take and recognized us.  He chatted with us for a few seconds and told us to stay warm before he walked inside the back entrance to the venue to eat his lunch.

We got back in line and screamed about it to everyone else but most of us were here for Amber, not Justin or Meg&Dia, so it wasn’t super exciting second-hand.

Time continues to pass and then we get let in for the Meet and Greet maybe like 15 minutes late so around 5:30.  Two of my friends I was with didn’t have M&G so I told them that if they gave me cash, I would get some merch signed by Amber for them so I bought my merch and then stood there trying not to puke before meeting Amber.

We got let into the main area where they were gonna do the event and Justin was just wandering around and we all were just casually chatting with him.  I told him about the group chat we have him added to from the Gone Rogue tour as well as after the NYC stop of this tour and he was really happy to know that we had a good friend group based off of our experiences at his shows.

Amber comes out and walks past us with Leo and, before I even say hi to Amber, I start chatting with Leo.  (Leo is one of the amazingly talented dancers on this tour along with Dom) I told him that me and my friends from the NYC show wanted to know if we could adopt him.  He agreed so everyone stay away from my son Leo, if you hurt him you will die.

And then.  It was time to meet Amber.  I thought they were gonna set up the table and figure things out and I would have to watch them for a few minutes but nope! She called me down right away and was like “come on down, give me a hug!  We’re gonna take a minute to set this up but come and chat” kinda vibes and I almost tripped over my own two feet when she came to collect me from the stairs I was waiting on.  I told her I was from the NYC show and that I made the nickname CuddlePuddle and she was soo happy to hear that.  Her smile kind of blinded me.  She then looked kinda confused about why I was here in Ohio so I explained I came from New Jersey but came all the way to Ohio because this show, on the 13th, was on my birthday and it was my wish to see her and to meet her on my birthday.  I was then the only person she sang happy birthday to out of the whole M&G and it made me feel really special.  She signed the stuff I bought and then we took some pictures and I am never posting one of them because I was too busy laughing (but also worrying about Amber falling over) and feel like I look a lil silly but the other pictures came out awesome.

I walked shakily off to the other side of the theater and just. Collapsed.  Because this was already amazing and I couldn’t imagine things getting much better from here.

We all just stood around waiting for the rest of the M&G to end and were packed in like sardines (with no one wanting to move back but then completely fucking up the line order because folks were just stopping at the front of the crowd that were at the back of the line and I wasn’t having it and I got a lil snappy with folks in order to protect my spot).  Justin was still just wandering around and chatting. He came over and gave me a handshake because I asked him for one as my birthday gift.  He then told us to go and buy some of his merch and then we can attend his M&G after the show so we went running off to buy that since we still had time before the show was gonna start.

Meet and Greet finally ends and Amber waves good bye to us and then we all go running off to get our spots.  I MANAGE TO BE FRONT AND CENTER ON THE BARRICADE.  Literally dead center as marked on the stage.  We all settle in and everyone else gets let in. This is prolly around 7 by now I think.

LB comes out and sits down on the edge of the stage and starts chatting with us.  I told him I came from New Jersey and was actually at the birthday show.  I told him he is birthday twins-ish with my friend and that he gave her his drum stick after that concert since the NYC concert on 2/7 was actually her birthday.  He said he remembered her and that he needed to think of something to do for me.  My friends next to me and I were all hungry too and he was sitting there and pulled out food.  So LB legit gives me and one other person the first 2 bites of his food before he starts eating it himself.  He learns that we have been there since 12:30 and haven’t really eaten much of anything so he decides he’s gonna go off to the back of the venue to the pizza stand and BUYS US A WHOLE FUCKING PEPPERONI PIZZA that we share with the whole crowd, ripping pieces in half and passing them around.  It was actually some of the best pizza I have had in a really long time.  We all decide that he has adopted us and is now a father of five.  Ben comes out and is like “Yo, Justin is waiting for you to move so he can get his set started” so LB scrambles away and like 2 seconds later, the concert starts.

Justin is usual sexy fuckboi self.  I know I should but I can’t help loving that man.  He grabbed my hand and serenaded me and I have never been a more heterosexual human being in my life than those 3 seconds.  I also handed him the second half of my pizza and I think he actually took it off stage and may have eaten it after and I love him.

Meg&Dia come out and they are sooo cute.  Grant is a wonderful drummer and Carlo is super handsome.  I’m sad they didn’t do the acoustic version of Koala like they did in NYC because that was almost hauntingly good but that’s the only thing I think I would have changed about this whole day.

Then it is time.  The moment of truth (pt2).  Amber. I am right in front of her.  The stage is less than an arm’s width away from me and Amber comes pretty close to the edge of it a few times.  I actually got scared at one point when Amber, Leo, and Dom stormed the edge of the stage and kicked out that I was gonna get kicked in the face and flinched and Amber saw and laughed at me a little bit.

I helped remind Amber to drink water and stay hydrated throughout.

When introducing the whole naming of the crowds thing she went through the recent nicknames and THEN POINTED TO ME AND SAID “This girl is the person who came up with the nickname for NYC, she made Cuddle Puddle” AND I TURNED AROUND AND WAVED AT EVERYONE AND GOT APPLAUSE.

I nagged Amber again for eating CDs and she apologized lol

DJ is just super chill and funny.  One point he was clapping along with one of the songs and I copied him and he saw me and pointed at me with a smile.  I think that’s what earned me something that happened later.

After the third song, Get Myself, Amber grabbed my hand and sang to me.  I, feeling a little overwhelmed, looked at my hand and screamed a little bit.  Justin, the lil shit, was sitting in front of the barricade and watching it and so Amber went over to him and did the same hand hold to him.  Justin, I kid you not, looked at me and then FUCKING COPIED ME IN A VERY EXAGGERATED MANNER and I died laughing. After that song, I took literally the best picture I have ever taken in my LIFE

A lot of people started crying during Numb and Amber gave a person behind me her towel because we couldn’t find any tissues. That song almost got me but it was the next song, Borders, that had me literally dry sobbing because I didn’t have the hydration levels to be able to produce tears.

Amber, apparently, learned about LB adopting us and mentioned it and we all waved and said “hi, Dad” and LB waved back at us and I have not felt more proud of a father figure in my life.

Main set ends and everyone goes off stage for a few minutes and some people seemed to think it was legit over and were really happy to learn that there was still some more.

Frozen happens and it is terrifying chaos BUT DAMN CAN AMBER SING.  I feel like she sings that song better than most people who try to do covers of it.

And then POKEMON TIME.  It is the most impossible chaos for them to not be crashing into each other the whole time.

Carlo came out dressed as the Snorlax and just flops down on the stage and looked legit terrified someone was gonna run over him at a couple of moments but there were no accidents.

And then it was over.  We took a picture all together.  The instrumental for Other People was playing while we got situated for that and Amber looked really sappily happy but also kinda embarrassed that we were singing her song to her.

LB gives me his drum stick and wished me a happy birthday again before leaving the stage

DJ comes up with a sheet of paper that we all know is the setlist and people’s hands come flying up and I get crushed against the barricade since everyone behind me pushes up to get it.  He folds it lightly and bats their hands away with it to make sure he GIVES IT TO ME.

We all make our way to the bar and get some water because we are all dying from screaming and singing for 2 hours before we make our way to the line for Justin’s Meet and Greet.  The man is just chatting with folks and taking his time and the venue staff is like “c’mon man, we gotta go” and hurrying him along.  And I think they had a flight to catch so they couldn’t linger, either, since they had a concert in Atlanta the next day.  DJ comes running through the line to take a video and literally trips coming up the stairs.  He showed us after because we were at the end of the line and he needed to show it to someone to laugh off the embarrassment lol.  He edited it out before uploading it to Justin’s Instagram, poor soul.

Justin takes a picture with me eventually and I told him “thanks for making it worth coming all the way from Jersey” and he said something to the effect of you’re welcome and I’ll try to come back soon or whatever and then it is time for the trip back outside to the cold.

So this was the most amazingly wonderful concert experience I think I have ever had. In. My. Life.  And definitely one of the most memorable birthday experiences I think I have ever had. In. my. Life.  Thank you to everyone who was part of it.  I’m writing this 2 days later while I sit in the airport, waiting to fly home and wake up from this wonderful dream.  I’m gonna get home and just cry because the post-concert depression still hasn’t set in because I’m still not sure any of it was even real.  Being back home is going to make it all settle in, I think.