The experience felt extraordinary because it isn’t easily obtained. Scoring a ticket that will have you attending the Grammy Awards can only happen if you are in the music industry or if you are lucky enough to win them from a media contest.
You can also gain admission if your husband is a rock star at what he does! Marriott Vacations Worldwide has so many amazing options to use your vacation points. One of the most unique ways to use your points is for special ticketed events such as The Super Bowl, The Emmy’s, and The County Music Awards.
Since they now offer this to guests, it is on the list of prizes the company awards employees in acknowledgment of a job well done.
Thank goodness he didn’t pick another watch!
Attending the Grammy Awards | The Anticipation
The husband’s intention was to tell me about this trip as a Christmas surprise. Thankfully, someone saved his life and warned him that I would need more preparation time! I was given the news over our September anniversary dinner. When I heard we would be attending the Grammy Awards, to say I was shocked and delighted is an understatement!
My very first plan, of course, was to look my best! I planned a course of action that included scheduling microblading my barely-there eyebrows, my first microdermabrasion facial, and of course a punishing workout routine.
After my transformation (which would give Beyoncé a run for her money), I would think about the dress.
I started working out at 9Round, which is a 30-minute circuit type workout. Its constantly changing exercises are the only way I can stay interested in any workout routine!
The thought of attending the Grammy’s looking like a Hollywood movie star kept me moving through the agonizing workouts.
Then I got sick.
Then I got injured.
The workouts ceased and my Beyoncé body was suffocated.
What to Wear?
But I kept hope alive swearing a miracle would occur I would magically drop two dress sizes. Even as I constantly perused Rent the Runway’s website for “The Dress”, I waited to make a decision on what to wear.
As the trip approaches, (right after the indulgence of Christmas, mind you) I was still me. AND I didn’t have a dress.
To make matters worse, The Grammy’s, held in Los Angeles for the last 15 years, had been moved to New York City’s Madison Square Garden for one year only….maybe?
That was not good news for me. I am a Southern girl with an aversion to cold weather. I was looking forward to the California vibes!
So great…now I’m looking for something plus-sized, formal, and warm. Got it.
The last 2 weeks before the trip was a blur of trying on dresses, browsing websites, and ordering shoes by mail!
I am so good at procrastinating.
But in the end, we pulled together two fantastic looks for our big night.
Attending the Grammy’s | Event Day
I learned that NYC has makeup salons! I found one that I love and have returned to since!
Blushington is an ingeniously branded full-service makeup salon. It’s easy to book and lovely to look at! You feel like a million bucks when you leave there! (Though it could be the champagne!)
POOF! There it is!
Entering the Venue
The first event was to start at 3 pm. Somehow we found out there is no food or drink available during the entirety of The Grammy’s! We were told to make sure to get there early for the complimentary appetizers and drinks.
The first ceremony is also open seating. Wanting to snag a good spot, we made plans to arrive pretty early.
The positive to this was that there was no crowds or hassle to get in.
The negative was that we missed all the crowd frenzy over watching the red carpet. We didn’t realize that attendees would be entering from a completely separate area as the stars.
Chandra Says
Make sure you have a filling dinner from somewhere fancy.
Then do like Tiffany Haddish (see video here) and put some chicken in your purse for later.
She is right…they don’t feed people at these things!! Real people eat!!
While I can’t complain about my smooth entry, nice appetizers, and free wine, I would change this choice if I could.
If you are lucky enough to be attending the Grammy Awards Ceremony, wait outside to view the Red Carpet arrivals.
Missing the cacophony of the hysterical fans and screaming paparazzi live and in person will forever be a disappointment..
Attending the Grammy Awards | The Grammy Awards Ceremony
Before what goes on TV begins at 7:30, there is an earlier awards ceremony that is not televised. This portion of the evening was devoted to awarding some of the categories without making a televised Grammy’s 6 hours long!
Paul Shaffer, a voice that was all too familiar to us from his many years on Late Night with David Letterman, hosted it.
Some of the other presenters getting us through the list of 75 categories were Zac Brown, Jimmy Jam, Ledisi, and my favorite Neil deGrasse Tyson!
We were also treated to performances.
We Met Someone Famous!
This is where our closest encounter with a famous person happened. We ran into Lisa Loeb (presenter and Grammy winner right after this photo was taken) as we were coming from a bathroom break! Gavin got a selfie with her (I was too shy).
Only later on Wikipedia when trying to explain to him who she was did we find out she shares our exact birthday, March 11th!
Now I’m extremely mad I didn’t get in that shot!
This ceremony was held in a smaller theater within Madison Square Gardens so we had to be corralled to the bigger stage for the main event.
The concessions that one would associate with watching basketball games were open and had long lines at each one.
Everyone was huddled around trashcans (the only surface available to set anything down) and eating burgers or chicken tenders while dressed in his or her finest attire.
It was pretty funny. Unless you came hungry…
The shortest line was for hot dogs. So here I am eating a hot dog in my fancy dress!
The Show Begins!
We were seated and the show was about to begin. The place was packed and we were pretty far up. We had a great vantage point because we could see behind the front stage.
This was a good and bad thing. I liked seeing the efficient process to get props in and out of there. However, it also killed the mystery.
I love watching TV production behind the scenes. There’s a lot of yelling time increments, clapping on cue and of course watching the famous be people!
I thought the view from our seats was a great visual for the music industry. From sound technicians to marketing to album artistry, the massive amount of people it takes to create a record is astounding.
The artists were seated on the floor. I would say that was about 10% of the people in the room. The rest of Madison Square Garden was full of the people it takes to produce the music we all love.
We were pretty far up and still seated in front of Grammy-winning sound engineers that told us all about their experience attending the Grammy’s last year!
The full list of winners from this year is here.
Attending the Grammy’s | The Grammy Awards Afterparty
After the show, we were herded straight out of the building and onto some waiting buses. They would take us the short distance to the New York Marriott Marquis, where the afterparty was being held.
Here finally….there was real food, including a delicious dessert buffet. The party was split into two floors. On one floor there was the typical special event set up with round tables and buffet stations.
Time To Party
The other room was an outstanding 2-story ballroom with a stage set up in the middle.
The beginning of the night featured a DJ who had everyone dancing.
Then the live band started. I was surprised to realize who was playing. I saw the program but it meant nothing to me until the first note of their iconic song begins…
Awwwwwwwwwww……Freak Out! Le Freak. C’est Chic.
Released in 1978, the same year I was born, this disco classic had everyone going wild! All the original members were on stage and the band is still actively touring!
The rest of the night was a blur of introductions, waiting in lines and dancing!
We met this artist who won a Grammy that night for Best Music Film “The Defiant Ones”.
Here is the “newscast” review of our evening that my husband will show you if you talk to him for longer than ten minutes!
The Real Once In A Lifetime Experience
This was a whirlwind weekend that I will never forget!
I had put so much stress on myself for wanting to look and feel my best.
Honestly, I felt like I had to lose a certain amount of weight or glitter like a Hollywood starlet in order to enjoy the experience.
Although I didn’t hit any of my weight loss goals, I love my eyebrows and my skin felt amazing. What I wore wasn’t even that important! Guests were dressed in the full range of t-shirt and jeans to ballgowns!
At the end of the day, just me showed up. And that was okay!
That moment of confidence was the real once in a lifetime experience that I will cherish forever.
What award show would you love to attend?
Join the Conversation | Share | Subscribe
Chandra Says: Girl, Get Going!
