By Jen
A Britney fan's dream come true
Posted under Blog, Photos, Videos on March 22, 2009
Christopher Leo got to live every Britney fan's ultimate fantasy- being
pulled from the audience to be onstage with Britney during 'Breathe on
Me.' Chris shared his experience with BritneySpears.com- including all
the details about how he was chosen, what is was like to be on stage
with his idol and what it looks like under the Circus tour stage.
On being asked to join Britney onstage:
They asked me if I would like to be part of the show and go onstage and do some circus acts. Of course I said yes! I replied "So I'll be onstage before the show," and the security guard said "No, during the show." At that point my jaw dropped, and if any Britney fan is reading this you would freak-out and not know what to do with yourself. Brad told me to keep this on the DL and that they would come get me in the VIP section when the time was right. I think I sent a mass text message to about 400 people in my phone telling them. Although most didn't believe me... yet, the rest knew that this couldn't have meant more to me.
On his second time up close with Britney:
First I was amazed about how close I was to Britney. I met her once before after waiting 27 hours in line at Virgin Mega Store NY for the 'In the Zone' release day signing but this was way better! She looked great, in-shape and was the Britney I always loved to watch. Most importantly she looked like she was having a blast.
On interacting with Britney during 'Breathe on Me':
She walked towards me and before I could comprehend what was happening she was dancing in front of me, touching my knees and nose. I COULD NOT BELIEVE that the one person I had been admiring since I was 13 (now 23) was standing in front of me, on her stage in front of thousands of people. Everything was so surreal. Honestly, I don't think I have ever experienced anything even close to that feeling....As corny as this sounds, her smirk/smile at me was worth every living moment of my life.
Chris's full interview:
Pre-show Party and Backstage:
Words can not even describe what happened to me at Britney's concert on March 11 at Nassau Coliseum. I bought two VIP tickets for my best friend and me. Britney is the one thing I will go nuts over, so I went all out! We arrived at the venue around 3.45pm and by 4.30pm we were given our passes to go downstairs to the pre-show party. The room was spacious and filled with circus posters, even vintage circus outfits from the original Big Apple Circus shows. The pre-show party was a lot of fun. There was circus food and dinner food, a full bar, and what was really cool: they had the circus performers that travel with Brit come in and entertain us. Clowns were juggling, doing card tricks even standing on stilts! It was awesome to see. I started speaking to this one clown named Brad who was a Big Apple Circus Performer. After a few awesome magic tricks, I spoke to him about how cool I thought it was that he got to travel around with Britney and be part of her show. To me, being able to do that is a once in a lifetime experience that hopefully, one day, I would be able to do.... my dream is to dance for Britney.
After dinner, we were split into groups. My group, "Red," was called and our tour guide was none other then Brad (the clown). Going backstage was almost just as exciting as seeing the concert. We really got the chance to see everything most people didn't get to see. As soon as we went backstage, with my feet firmly planted in front, we saw tons of crew members having dinner and getting ready for tonight's show. There were trucks parked everywhere, hundreds, if not thousands, of equipment boxes spread around, and sets all ready to go on stage. We then walked toward the dressing rooms. We were lucky enough to walk threw the Men's dressing room and see all the costumes and what the life of a Britney Spears dancer really looks like. Not to mention meeting quite a few of them!
Next, we walked through Britney's costume section. Everything was so meticulously separated with labels like 'Womanizer' or 'Circus' written on racks. I was tempted to touch something, but, I couldn't do it. The 'Boys' green outfit was HOT! As we walked back to the pre-show party the weirdest thing happened.... I didn't want to leave backstage. I almost felt like I belonged there. Hopefully that day will come when I could have my costumes in that dressing room.
After about 20 minutes, Brad the Clown came up to me and said "Hey, follow me." We walked out into the lower lobby and there were two security guards standing there. They looked important because they had ear pieces. They asked me if I would like to be part of the show and go onstage and do some circus acts. Of course I said yes! As a fan, having seen and read everything about the tour as it was happening I knew that circus acts were done right before Britney came on. I replied "So, I'll be onstage before the show," and the security guard said "No, during the show." At that point my jaw dropped, and if any Britney fan is reading this, you would freak-out and not know what to do with yourself. Brad told me to keep this on the DL and that they would come get me in the VIP section when the time was right. I think I sent a mass text message to about 400 people in my phone telling them. Although most didn't believe me... yet, the rest knew that this couldn't have meant more to me.
Being Onstage:
The show starts: First I was amazed about how close I was to Britney. I met her once before after waiting 27 hours in line at Virgin Mega Store NY for the "In the Zone" release day signing but this was way better! She looked great, in-shape, and was the Britney I always loved to watch. Most importantly she looked like she was having a blast. There she was, smiling and soaking in every moment like it was her first time in front of a crowd. Midway through the show, during 'Freakshow,' a man with a mic around his head tapped me on the shoulder and said, "You ready?" Well at this point, I've been ready for 10 years. He took me to the other side of the VIP section where I was awaiting the end of 'Get Naked.' When the lights went down a Britney Tour shirt was thrown over my head and I went to a set of steps right next to the main stage with Brad behind me and another clown in front. We walked up the steps and onto the stage, quickly dodging a huge screen coming down and making our way to the west B stage. In high school I was in the drama club, but this was way cooler! I couldn't believe where I was standing. It was extraordinarily amazing. One clown had a phone in his hand and over the sound system a phone was ringing. A scene was set up where the clowns didn't want to answer the phone so I had to.... gladly! I picked up and through the arena it was Britney talking to me. I couldn't hear what she was saying (due to thousands of screaming fans) but it sounded HOT! The song I would be part of would explain why. I was then lifted by two clowns and carried around the entire main stage (with a mask on and a boa) waving to everyone. Now, I would imagine most people would have stage fright... not I. I was enjoying every moment of this. Once we circled the stage the center curtain lifted and I saw a couch-like chair. Found my spot, lol. I was placed on the chair, tied down, and maybe now I was freaking..... a little. :) Clowns then started juggling around me, putting hats on me, even dancing in my face. It was fun. THEN, the eight beats of 'Breathe on Me' started. Now this is a sexy song and perhaps the sexiest song I have ever heard!
As I'm sitting there wondering what's going to happen I see Britney arising from the bottom of the stage dressed in a skin colored nude body suit. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. My heart was pounding so fast I can't even describe it. She walked to a mirror frame and was lifted into the air. Now here I am spinning in a slow circle and as soon as she was lowered back to the stage there I was again facing her. As she walked out of the mirror frame, she was making this sexy face (because of the song), but here I am smiling and laughing with joy. It was then she started to smirk right at me, she couldn't keep a straight face. I'm pretty sure no one was able to see it. As corny as this sounds, her smirk/smile at me was worth every living moment of my life. It was something so unreal...a connection that her and I only had. That was the greatest feeling. She walked towards me and before I could comprehend what was happening she was dancing in front of me, touching my knees and nose. I COULD NOT BELIEVE that the one person I had been admiring since I was 13 (now 23) was standing in front of me, on her stage, in front of thousands of people. Everything was so surreal. Honestly, I don't think I have ever experienced anything even close to that feeling. I think SHOCKED is the closest word to describe it, but not close enough. As the song ended and 'Touch of My Hand' started I was untied and lifted out of the seat. While walking away from her, my eyes were glued on her. Like going backstage beforehand, I didn't want to leave.
Backstage and Afterglow:
Now for something cool: My exit off the stage wasn't down steps. I mechanically was lowered to the bottom/underneath of the stage. This was my special, quick walk through the backstage of the tour! I was under the stage quickly looking around. It was cool to see everything and just how much planning goes into a spectacle like Britney's. Everything was neatly placed and organized. As I walked toward the exit I passed by 6 dancers, sitting, awaiting their next song. I turned to them and said "Great job guys. I aspire to do what you do." That was amazing. I shook the hand of one of them and exited underneath... then I became an audience member again. I felt like I had just woken up from the best dream ever. Talk about 15 minutes of fame! People were waving at me and taking pictures. I didn't even care I had a huge feather boa (which I got to keep) around my neck! For once, I was the guy everyone was jealous over. That was my time.... my moment.... my Britney moment!
I watched the rest of the show in disbelief. Pinching myself... thinking "did that really just happen." Here's a girl, Britney, who you see on TV, hear her songs on the radio, watch and read articles about her online, and I just spent 5 minutes with her onstage, on her tour. It was very, very surreal. I remember thinking, this one girl is the most popular and sought-after figure worldwide and there she was touching me. No matter how star struck I was, she is a simple girl like you and me and I am so beyond proud of her for all of her achievements. She has inspired and continues to inspire millions of people, like myself, every minute and I wish her nothing but the best. People go through hard times everyday, but it's coming out of those hardships that you really see how strong and determined they are. To Britney: you deserve the world and nothing can stop you! I'll cya on tour one day, dancing by your side!
That was my Britney moment, the greatest moment of my life. Thank you Britney and BritneySpears.com for listening to my story. To all my fellow fans, as corny as this sounds, follow your dreams. Life is about being happy, no excuses. Find that something that makes you happy and "DO IT!" Nothing is unreachable.
Sincerely,
Christopher Leo
On being asked to join Britney onstage:
They asked me if I would like to be part of the show and go onstage and do some circus acts. Of course I said yes! I replied "So I'll be onstage before the show," and the security guard said "No, during the show." At that point my jaw dropped, and if any Britney fan is reading this you would freak-out and not know what to do with yourself. Brad told me to keep this on the DL and that they would come get me in the VIP section when the time was right. I think I sent a mass text message to about 400 people in my phone telling them. Although most didn't believe me... yet, the rest knew that this couldn't have meant more to me.
On his second time up close with Britney:
First I was amazed about how close I was to Britney. I met her once before after waiting 27 hours in line at Virgin Mega Store NY for the 'In the Zone' release day signing but this was way better! She looked great, in-shape and was the Britney I always loved to watch. Most importantly she looked like she was having a blast.
On interacting with Britney during 'Breathe on Me':
She walked towards me and before I could comprehend what was happening she was dancing in front of me, touching my knees and nose. I COULD NOT BELIEVE that the one person I had been admiring since I was 13 (now 23) was standing in front of me, on her stage in front of thousands of people. Everything was so surreal. Honestly, I don't think I have ever experienced anything even close to that feeling....As corny as this sounds, her smirk/smile at me was worth every living moment of my life.
Chris's full interview:
Pre-show Party and Backstage:
Words can not even describe what happened to me at Britney's concert on March 11 at Nassau Coliseum. I bought two VIP tickets for my best friend and me. Britney is the one thing I will go nuts over, so I went all out! We arrived at the venue around 3.45pm and by 4.30pm we were given our passes to go downstairs to the pre-show party. The room was spacious and filled with circus posters, even vintage circus outfits from the original Big Apple Circus shows. The pre-show party was a lot of fun. There was circus food and dinner food, a full bar, and what was really cool: they had the circus performers that travel with Brit come in and entertain us. Clowns were juggling, doing card tricks even standing on stilts! It was awesome to see. I started speaking to this one clown named Brad who was a Big Apple Circus Performer. After a few awesome magic tricks, I spoke to him about how cool I thought it was that he got to travel around with Britney and be part of her show. To me, being able to do that is a once in a lifetime experience that hopefully, one day, I would be able to do.... my dream is to dance for Britney.
After dinner, we were split into groups. My group, "Red," was called and our tour guide was none other then Brad (the clown). Going backstage was almost just as exciting as seeing the concert. We really got the chance to see everything most people didn't get to see. As soon as we went backstage, with my feet firmly planted in front, we saw tons of crew members having dinner and getting ready for tonight's show. There were trucks parked everywhere, hundreds, if not thousands, of equipment boxes spread around, and sets all ready to go on stage. We then walked toward the dressing rooms. We were lucky enough to walk threw the Men's dressing room and see all the costumes and what the life of a Britney Spears dancer really looks like. Not to mention meeting quite a few of them!
Next, we walked through Britney's costume section. Everything was so meticulously separated with labels like 'Womanizer' or 'Circus' written on racks. I was tempted to touch something, but, I couldn't do it. The 'Boys' green outfit was HOT! As we walked back to the pre-show party the weirdest thing happened.... I didn't want to leave backstage. I almost felt like I belonged there. Hopefully that day will come when I could have my costumes in that dressing room.
After about 20 minutes, Brad the Clown came up to me and said "Hey, follow me." We walked out into the lower lobby and there were two security guards standing there. They looked important because they had ear pieces. They asked me if I would like to be part of the show and go onstage and do some circus acts. Of course I said yes! As a fan, having seen and read everything about the tour as it was happening I knew that circus acts were done right before Britney came on. I replied "So, I'll be onstage before the show," and the security guard said "No, during the show." At that point my jaw dropped, and if any Britney fan is reading this, you would freak-out and not know what to do with yourself. Brad told me to keep this on the DL and that they would come get me in the VIP section when the time was right. I think I sent a mass text message to about 400 people in my phone telling them. Although most didn't believe me... yet, the rest knew that this couldn't have meant more to me.
Being Onstage:
The show starts: First I was amazed about how close I was to Britney. I met her once before after waiting 27 hours in line at Virgin Mega Store NY for the "In the Zone" release day signing but this was way better! She looked great, in-shape, and was the Britney I always loved to watch. Most importantly she looked like she was having a blast. There she was, smiling and soaking in every moment like it was her first time in front of a crowd. Midway through the show, during 'Freakshow,' a man with a mic around his head tapped me on the shoulder and said, "You ready?" Well at this point, I've been ready for 10 years. He took me to the other side of the VIP section where I was awaiting the end of 'Get Naked.' When the lights went down a Britney Tour shirt was thrown over my head and I went to a set of steps right next to the main stage with Brad behind me and another clown in front. We walked up the steps and onto the stage, quickly dodging a huge screen coming down and making our way to the west B stage. In high school I was in the drama club, but this was way cooler! I couldn't believe where I was standing. It was extraordinarily amazing. One clown had a phone in his hand and over the sound system a phone was ringing. A scene was set up where the clowns didn't want to answer the phone so I had to.... gladly! I picked up and through the arena it was Britney talking to me. I couldn't hear what she was saying (due to thousands of screaming fans) but it sounded HOT! The song I would be part of would explain why. I was then lifted by two clowns and carried around the entire main stage (with a mask on and a boa) waving to everyone. Now, I would imagine most people would have stage fright... not I. I was enjoying every moment of this. Once we circled the stage the center curtain lifted and I saw a couch-like chair. Found my spot, lol. I was placed on the chair, tied down, and maybe now I was freaking..... a little. :) Clowns then started juggling around me, putting hats on me, even dancing in my face. It was fun. THEN, the eight beats of 'Breathe on Me' started. Now this is a sexy song and perhaps the sexiest song I have ever heard!
As I'm sitting there wondering what's going to happen I see Britney arising from the bottom of the stage dressed in a skin colored nude body suit. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. My heart was pounding so fast I can't even describe it. She walked to a mirror frame and was lifted into the air. Now here I am spinning in a slow circle and as soon as she was lowered back to the stage there I was again facing her. As she walked out of the mirror frame, she was making this sexy face (because of the song), but here I am smiling and laughing with joy. It was then she started to smirk right at me, she couldn't keep a straight face. I'm pretty sure no one was able to see it. As corny as this sounds, her smirk/smile at me was worth every living moment of my life. It was something so unreal...a connection that her and I only had. That was the greatest feeling. She walked towards me and before I could comprehend what was happening she was dancing in front of me, touching my knees and nose. I COULD NOT BELIEVE that the one person I had been admiring since I was 13 (now 23) was standing in front of me, on her stage, in front of thousands of people. Everything was so surreal. Honestly, I don't think I have ever experienced anything even close to that feeling. I think SHOCKED is the closest word to describe it, but not close enough. As the song ended and 'Touch of My Hand' started I was untied and lifted out of the seat. While walking away from her, my eyes were glued on her. Like going backstage beforehand, I didn't want to leave.
Backstage and Afterglow:
Now for something cool: My exit off the stage wasn't down steps. I mechanically was lowered to the bottom/underneath of the stage. This was my special, quick walk through the backstage of the tour! I was under the stage quickly looking around. It was cool to see everything and just how much planning goes into a spectacle like Britney's. Everything was neatly placed and organized. As I walked toward the exit I passed by 6 dancers, sitting, awaiting their next song. I turned to them and said "Great job guys. I aspire to do what you do." That was amazing. I shook the hand of one of them and exited underneath... then I became an audience member again. I felt like I had just woken up from the best dream ever. Talk about 15 minutes of fame! People were waving at me and taking pictures. I didn't even care I had a huge feather boa (which I got to keep) around my neck! For once, I was the guy everyone was jealous over. That was my time.... my moment.... my Britney moment!
I watched the rest of the show in disbelief. Pinching myself... thinking "did that really just happen." Here's a girl, Britney, who you see on TV, hear her songs on the radio, watch and read articles about her online, and I just spent 5 minutes with her onstage, on her tour. It was very, very surreal. I remember thinking, this one girl is the most popular and sought-after figure worldwide and there she was touching me. No matter how star struck I was, she is a simple girl like you and me and I am so beyond proud of her for all of her achievements. She has inspired and continues to inspire millions of people, like myself, every minute and I wish her nothing but the best. People go through hard times everyday, but it's coming out of those hardships that you really see how strong and determined they are. To Britney: you deserve the world and nothing can stop you! I'll cya on tour one day, dancing by your side!
That was my Britney moment, the greatest moment of my life. Thank you Britney and BritneySpears.com for listening to my story. To all my fellow fans, as corny as this sounds, follow your dreams. Life is about being happy, no excuses. Find that something that makes you happy and "DO IT!" Nothing is unreachable.
Sincerely,
Christopher Leo
josh said:
Apr 1
yup so im jealous :) poor old 17 year old me lol... come back to toronto and i will spend 1000 dollars to sit in the vip section dammmmmnnnnn ive been down with britney since 1999 lucky basterd of a guy :@ AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH damn lol