I had been abroad never touching foot on U.S. soil from August 2003 until February 2011. And from 2006 until 2011, I was in Vietnam and Africa, so concerts weren’t common occurrences. Except for Paul Oakenfold in Tokyo and Coldplay in Hong Kong, I hadn’t really seen anything live. And Gaga wasn’t that big in Vietnam, but as I was leaving, Just Dance, Paparazzi, Bad Romance, and Alejandro were just starting to play a lot in bars and clubs. I wasn’t much of a fan at all, but I did like Alejandro. A lot. So, off to Africa for 4 months and then finally, I returned to the States in February. I was working in Manhattan and just in awe of Big City Life again. And it hit me that there’s probably a concert there every night. And naively I walked up the steps to Madison Square Garden and saw posters and posters of everyone famous in the world it seemed, and they were all going to be there that month! Then I saw Gaga. And I was like, ‘No way.’ Again, still not really a fan at that point, but committed to having all kinds of experiences… I walked up to the window and asked for two tickets to her show in mid-February. The man stifled a chuckle, but humored me by, I think, pretending to touch the keys on his computer keyboard. He then looked up and said, “No. Sorry. It’s sold out. Let me try looking for just one.” And smiled again. And back to his ‘air tapping’ of a keyboard. “Nope. All sold out.” I wasn’t dejected, though, I was just like, Ok, I’m going to have to bolt over straight from work and scalp away. Longer story shorter…that Monday night of her show, I got a ticket in…but mostly saw her ass for most of the show. Not that I’m complaining, but the show was so fantastic…phenomenal, that I knew halfway through, that I’d have to come back the next night. And I did. And this time I knew the layout of the Garden better, so I got a great ticket, just two rows behind Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine. And this picture above was from that second night’s seat. All I can say, is that you don’t have to be a Gaga fan at all to appreciate her talent, her passion, and to embrace the feeling that you couldn’t escape even if you wanted to: the feeling of freedom and letting go and just believing that it is 100% ok to be exactly who you are. Madison Square Garden. NYC. FEB2011. (Canon 550D, Canon EF Lens 70-300mm)