The first concert I ever went to was Madonna’s concert at the Vet. I was ten years old and a fourth grader at Friends Select School in Philadelphia. My friend and classmate, Melissa Hardy invited me.
My mother almost did not let me go because she thought Madonna’s lyrics were too provocative. But once my mother thought about it she realized it could be a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so she changed her mind.
Melissa and I dressed in all pink and covered our arms with about ten rubber bracelets. I felt almost as cool as the singer herself.
When Madonna took the stage I got goose bumps. I realized I was witnessing something and someone very special; a woman who was not afraid to be herself and who was not afraid to reach to great heights.
Two decades later it didn’t feel much different to see Madonna perform. As a reporter with NBC 10 News I was lucky enough to get the assignment of covering the Madonna concert. When she took the stage at the Wachovia Center Thursday night, tens of thousands of fans of all ages stood up and screamed and started dancing. Many of those fans, like me, grew up listening to her songs. And many watched her life unfold before their eyes.
As I stood there as an adult and got goose bumps all over again, I realized she is one of the reasons that I was not afraid to reach my goal of becoming a reporter. I wondered how many other women and men in the audience felt the same way.
And it was then that I realized how thankful I was to my mom for letting me go to her concert more than two decades ago.
