A Night to Remember - Part Two

Once we finally arrived at the Pepsi Center, we decided against valeting the car - $30? Psh! - and found a perfect spot that was well-lit, it cost all of $12.  With the anxiety of getting downtown during rush hour dying down, I felt a rush of excitement surge through me as Jay and I crossed the street with other "Beliebers" and their Moms. This was gonna be good!

Of course a basketball arena doesn't have the best food, so we found something decent that would tide us over during the concert. I was reminded that I don't go to many concerts when I found myself getting impatient waiting for the show to start.  We got there early so we could have time for any issues that might arise, but it seemed 7:00 would never come.  And when it did, Carly Rae Jepsen took the stage.

There were a few people who fully enjoyed her performance, but it was quite clear most of us were there simply to see Justin Bieber. The sooner Carly Rae got off the stage, for those of us who weren't really fans, the better.  But after forty minutes of performing, she announced that Justin Bieber would be on next. So we waited. We could have gone to get more food and drinks, gone to the restroom, gone to the car - parked it somewhere else if we saw fit, and still made it back to our seats in time for the show.  It wasn't until 8:35, nearly an HOUR later, that Justin Bieber finally appeared on stage.

Jay.went.wild.  She was SO happy when Bieber 'flew' in with white wings behind him.  I must say I enjoy his latest CD, "Believe", so I knew the first song he performed, "All Around the World".  It was so cool to see how excited the little girl in front of us got, but the 11-year-old girl next to me was screaming, singing, jumping when instructed to do so, and dancing.  My oh-so-mature middle schooler exhibited every tween girl behavior she should when one of her favorite artists is LIVE on stage. And I loved every screaming-girl minute of it.

The concert was well-done, the kid definitely knows how to entertain. He even asked the crowd how we live at this altitude - 5,280 feet above sea level - and whether we got used to the thin air or not.  As we moved through the songs it seemed all the fans knew, Bieber let them know that anyone can achieve any goal they want - if they only believe in themselves and never give up. To hear that from a teenage boy who has done more than most of us will in a lifetime, had to inspire those who were open to it.

When he announced that he would be singing his last song I knew Jay was sad this huge moment was coming to an end. I'm not a fan of leaving an arena with a horde of people, so we left at the end and bought Jay a t-shirt with Justin Bieber on front and his tour dates on back. I knew he would perform an encore, but it wasn't a song Jay loved so I figured we would get out of dodge with the other people who left.

In the hallway our ears were still ringing from all of the loud music - music loud enough to drown out the screaming girls! - and I looked at Jay to ask her how she liked it.

"I can't believe it's over!" She said with tears in her eyes.  Mission accomplished.  She wanted to experience this so badly and we were able to make it happen for her.  It's something she likely won't ever forget, nor will I.  I'm not the one who has Justin Bieber pictures and posters plastered on my bedroom walls, rather I'm the Mom who wants to scream, sing, jump and dance when her kids get to do things that they truly, truly enjoy.  This was a Mommy moment I will never forget. Babe came through for his baby girl and let me be there to see her become the Jay-Baby we know, love and adore.  It truly was a night to remember, one I will forever cherish as her Mother.