My Experience at the VMAs

Starting in 1984, the VMAs have consistently been one of the most exciting award shows. From the matching denim outfits Justin and Britney sported on the red carpet to Miley Cyrus’ interesting performance, there has never been a dull moment at the VMAs. I was lucky enough to attend this year and there was no shortage of unforgettable moments. 

The night before the VMAs, I found out that I had received tickets for the pit. The process of getting tickets was easy, but I was not expecting to get chosen at all. To get tickets you have to apply on 1iota, a site that a lot of huge events are now giving fans unforgettable experiences for free. There were a few options you could choose from when applying for tickets. I wanted to be the closest I could be to all the action, so I only applied to be in the pit. 

When the day finally came, I could not contain my excitement. The entire day would have been so much worse had it not been for our pure luck. As we were getting our wristbands to go inside, they decided to change the wristbands and we ended up getting a different color than everyone else we had been in line with. Once we got our wristbands, we were sent to wait in a nearby building – which by the way was under construction and definitely did not seem safe at all. Once we got inside, we saw how unorganized this really was. There were over a thousand people in a huge warehouse-like waiting area, sitting in folding chairs (if you were lucky). Here’s where our second brush of luck came to save us: the guy in charge decided to bring the orange wristbands inside first (guess what color we had). 

We were taken inside through the backstage entrance. We walked through the backstage area and saw where the artists who won would be interviewed and the props the performers would use on stage. We also saw the hidden part of the stage that was set up for Taylor Swift’s show opener. 

Although it might have been the longest day of my life, it was all worth it in the end when we got to see the biggest performers and celebrities from the 2nd row. Some iconic moments included Taylor Swift and her performance of her LGBTQ+ supporting anthem, “You Need to Calm Down” alongside legendary drag queens, Normani being compared to Beyonce after her jaw-dropping performance of “Motivation”, and of course, Missy Elliot receiving the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. She gave an unforgettable performance of all of her biggest hits. 

After nearly 10 hours of standing and waiting, we were finally able to leave. I had a lot of fun, but I was definitely ready to go home. I can’t even begin to say how grateful I was to be able to attend. My favorite part of the whole night was that so many celebrities that won or were performing used their platform to bring light to the issues we have going on in the world.   

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