IMMORTALIZED - Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour by Cirque Du Soleil

Chapter 1: Rehearsals and The Premiere

July 7, 2011 - October 2, 2011

    “Hello, my name is Ryan McGraw, fifteen years old, and I am a dancer for the Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour.” Ryan said. “My name is Storm Blessard . I am fifteen years old and I am a dancer for the Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour. I said. “My name is Leo Wadd, I am eleven years old. I’m also a dancer for the Michael Jackson World... Immortal World Tour.” Leo, “I’m Adrian Abiatelli, I’m eleven years old and I am a dancer for the Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour.” Adrian told. “My name is Marcell Abiatelli, I’m ten and I am another Dancer for the Michael Jackson Immortal Tour.” Marcell ended.
    “And can you tell us what it is you do in the show?” The woman from the Bethel Patch asked. “Dance.” A few of us said, laughing. “Well, I mean, what kind of dancing in the show?” She asked. “Michael Jackson dancing.” I said. The younger boys laughed. “Very funny.” She laughed. “But like to what songs, which of Michael’s dances will we see?” She asked. It went quiet for a minute. “Sorry, we are not allowed to talk about the show.” I broke the news. “Anything you can tell me?” She asked. “The name of the show is Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour and it premieres on October 2nd, 2011 at the Centre Bell Arena in Montreal.” I told her.
    That was the short two minute voice recording published on the Bethel Patch. The rest of the audio recording was about our experiences and such and us trying our best to explain why the show was so secretive. “It’s under lock and key.” Ryan said. “We can’t even bring a phone, laptop, Ipod, anything into the rehearsal studio.” I said. Under this voice recording was an article about us. The title of the article was “Local Boys Working For New And Secured Cirque Du Soleil Show”.
    Again, my name is Storm. I am fifteen and I am a dancer for the Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour. Right now we are in Montreal, rehearsing for the show which will premiere in just a month and a half. We have been hard at work here in Montreal. We’ve been here since late May, ending my Freshman year of High School earlier than most. Same with Ryan. He is the same grade as me. As for the other three boys, well it’s a funny story actually. We barely knew each other before we met for the rehearsals of this show, all by videos of ourselves on Youtube, which later landed us this gig with a three year Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour! But being that we were in the same town, they thought we knew each other. They picked us specifically because they thought we knew each other and that we would work together. We’ve all heard of each other, but had never officially met, except for Ryan and I. We’ve been pretty good friends for the past year or so.
    We got to Montreal on May 25th. Our parents were kind of pushed back from coming. Since they would not be allowed even in the Headquarters, there really was nothing for them to do since we’d be gone at rehearsals all day. When we arrived, we met Tara, the Artistic Director. She would act as like our ‘tour mom’ but she had made it clear from start that we were on our own, and Ryan and I would be a big part of looking after the other three, just about four years younger than us. Upon arrival, a few things happened. We were given rooms which are across the street from the HQ. I am sharing an apartment with Ryan. Marcell and Adrian are sharing one since they are brothers. Then Leo has one to himself, but there is an adjoining door between mine and his that is always open, just because of his low age. The specifications for us minors on this tour are much different than other tours. They really wanted a Youth presence in this show, and they got it.
    Also in this day, we were issued passes. We each had our pictures taken and then a few minutes later, they were on a laminated card with our names, the words “Danseur” and “Immortal” on the front, then the company logo on the back. Attached to it is another white card with a Sillouhette of MJ, the company’s logo and the words ALL ACCESS. No one but people with this card can access the rehearsal studio for this show. After getting all settled, we had a meeting where we were introduced to all of the other dancers and staff on the project.
    The following day, we had Medical Checkups which checked everything from Flexibility to past colds and allergies. It sucked. But later in the afternoon, they made a clay model of our heads which were pretty awesome. Finally, the next day, rehearsals started. And they were intense. It started with just eight hours, five days a week. But it was all going to be worth it. Around rehearsals, many things were mixed. Hanging out in Downtown Montreal with the other dancers, dancing in the streets, and even a late night dinner and clubbing with the dancers from the Britney Spears Concert Tour.
    This particular afternoon/night was awesome. Everyone working on the tour is leaving to start rehearsing in an Arena in Ottowa tomorrow, so tonight, Cirque is having a party/BBQ which happens any time a new show moves out. It was so much fun! So many pictures were taken. But I had to keep a close eye on the boys, of what they eat and such. There was so much candy, ice cream and party food, they would be up all night after the party AND they would be hurting by morning. Once I saw Marcell going for this third bowl of ice cream, I got off the dance floor and ran over to him. I took the uneaten bowl right out of his hand before he could start eating it. “What are you doing?” He asked. “No more ice cream dude, you’ve already had two. Go eat some Candy or something.” I said. Hopefully he took that as sarcastically. He then went off to play with the only other two kids at the party. That is what is was going to be like for a long while. The only real long lasting connections any of the boys will have that are their age for the duration of the tour are with each other. Same with Ryan and I. The closest person to our age is Desiree, the lead Guitarist for the show who just Graduated from High School. She’s three years older than us.
    The next morning, we all had to bring our things down to the ground level floor of the housing building and put our bags in the luggage compartments on these coach buses. I intensively checked every inch of all three of the rooms to make sure that any of us didn’t leave anything. Ryan partially checked but was positive that he had packed everything.
    We left Montreal. Most of us were happy that we had left Montreal. Most of us, excluding the band had been here since the end of May. It’s mid August. And though we have learned all the choreography for the show, there was still a lot to do. We still had to put a lot together. On the four hour ride to Ottowa, everyone pretty much kept to themselves.  I listened to music for the majority of the ride. I checked emails and facebook on my phone. So much that I am missing about the summer. As my (and our) friends are back in Bethel, spending time at the beach and hanging out with friends, we are spending it in intense, very intense rehearsals for a virtual MJ comeback tour. I talk to people, friends all the time that say “How hard could it be?”. “You have no idea how hard this is. Twelve hour rehearsals, six days a week. It kind of sucks.” I said. But I won’t quit. You have no idea how many times I’ve had talks with the boys who get so frustrated. For a large part of our performance, the five of us perform together, so I usually there when one of them gets frustrated, and I am the one who usually ends up talking to them, calming them down. One time I actually had the leave the rehearsal with Adrian who got so frustrated, I just took him out of the room and into the cafeteria just to calm him down. It’s one of my jobs. But I won’t let them quit. “By October third, there will be no more rehearsals, just sold out crowds, and it’ll all be worth it.” I tell them.
    We got right into our hotel in Ottowa. Arrangements were much different for this. Since Tara had decided that they don’t want any of the younger boys rooming alone for some odd reason, I am now sharing a room with Leo, while Ryan gets his own room. Adrian and Marcell are still rooming together and as I understand, it will stay like that. Also, as it will be for the rest of the tour stops for the entire leg, I would get room keys for my room, the Abiatelli’s room and then Ryan’s room for some reason. Through the rehearsals, I’ve kind of developed this parent like job, which Ryan has little to do with. He’s the comic relief, but I trust him to step in when needed.
    The next day, rehearsals start at 9:00AM sharp, as they do everyday. Except they are going much later, until nine or ten at night, giving us little time to go home, relax a bit then go to bed. “I can’t wait for these rehearsals to end so I can actually get some sleep.” I told Leo. By the time I said that, he was already asleep. I wasn’t far behind him, just had to make sure the other boys were sleeping first.
    That Thursday, we filmed a brief video on Michael Jackson’s Birthday, to be released by the Michael Jackson Estate and Cirque Du Soleil on his Birthday, Monday. They interviewed a people, asking “What does it mean to you being part of this tour?” When I was asked, I said “It doesn’t get any better.” Finally, when the video was released on Monday, the only other youth in the video was Adrian, who said “It’s incredibly inspirational.”
    We were in Ottowa for nearly a month, doing six long rehearsals a week, which take a ware and tare on you. But I can say that by now, all of us have a much healthier and fitter body than before we started. I still need to keep an eye on what the boys choose to eat, but they are getting better. At this point, we moved out of Ottowa and to Quebec City for the last two weeks of rehearsal. I had started the countdown on Facebook. “Eleven days until the WORLD PREMIERE of Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour!” I wrote on Facebook. Rehearsals were much more intense now, working with costumes, wigs, lights, sound and all the technical equipment, mixed in with the dancing. It’s completely exhausting, and I can’t say it enough. But finally, it’s the day that we move back to Montreal for opening. Our last official rehearsal was on Thursday, which we ran through the show three times, fixing last minute things, but only stopping maybe three times.
    Today is the first show for the audience. This is really the last dress rehearsal, but all local based employees come and watch the show for free this day and they also film the video for the trailer of the show during this, so it was partially our opening. Our official is tomorrow. Since today, they are loading the stage, everything into the Centre Bell arena, a term called ‘Load In’, we have until call time at five as time off. The five of us were a bit shaken by this. Our first show in front of an audience.
    How does school work is something you may ask. Well, we travel and will travel with what I call our school set. It’s a road case that goes with our luggage on the buses, planes, etc. We are totally responsible for it, well I am completely responsible. (I like how all these jobs are falling upon me). In this road case, the top comes off and the sides fold out. On the top is a very expensive, very fast printer/scanner/copier. Under it are textbooks, extra paper, all this ‘wonderful’ school supplies. All of our schooling is done online, based on our teacher in Montreal. It’s set up so that we have four core classes, Math, Science, Social Studies and English. The three younger boys will also have French. Ryan and I already speak a bit of French. We are expected the help them with it, hopefully learn from helping them, learn from using it as we travel, since Cirque is a French Based Company (even though the main language on tour is English) and on occasion, we’ll have a french lesson to do. We’ll get new lessons each Sunday Morning, based on the time in Montreal, EST. All of the week's lessons must be completed by Friday night at midnight, EST. The printer and scanner is used for hand work and worksheets we may have to do, especially for math. School officially starts for us today, since they were not going to make us school during the intense rehearsals. That would really kill us. Before starting, Tara, being real cheesy, gathered us all in my room (where the road case would be kept) and took a picture of us with the box. She then uploaded into on Facebook so that people and our parents could see “The First and Only Students of The Immortal School”. I later shared that picture saying “This school is still better than yours.”
    On average, we’d have six hours of school a week, an hour and a half of each subject. So that means seven and a half for the younger boys, six for Ryan and I. I made a little schedule with them, since all of the show times are pretty much the same. Wake up around nine-thirty or ten o’clock. We’ll get breakfast, probably room service and we’ll start the school work. Work on school until noon, maybe a little later depending on how far we are with the work for the week. Once we are all done with school for the day, we can go out and explore the city. I told them that it will be changing constantly because I am still planning on going out with the others on outings and such. “That’s why we don’t normally allow kids on arena tours, they move too fast.” Cherylie, the Company Manager said. Plus, with the travelling and days off. “But I want you guys doing at least two hours of school a day, varying on the schedule until you finish your work.” I said.
    In addition this, they hooked all five of us with Macbook Pro’s, complete with awesome softwares, so it’s really pretty cool, this Immortal School. So around ten in the morning, after taking the picture, Tara left with the words “Storm is law”. “What about me, huh?” Ryan asked. “If Storm dies, Ryan is law.” She said. “That’s better.” Ryan expressed.
    The first day was a lot of confusion, but that is what it was all about, having to get to know the software and the program. The days lesson was about getting to know the program, since it was a Saturday.  It’s definitely going to take getting used to. Ryan and I spent a lot of time helping the other boys with the software, since to us it seemed a bit easier.
    Around Noon, we stopped with school, got ready for the day, since most of us were still in what we slept in and then went outside. It was a chilly October Day, but we were headed to an indoor mall. We all deserved some new clothes, to go shopping for a few things now that we are done with this treacherous period. I got a new Montreal Snapback, some deodorant, a new tie for the after party, and then we found a poster for the show posted on a large wall which we had a security guard take our picture in front of. “You guys here to see the show?” He asked. “No, we are dancers in it.” Adrian said. “Oh, that’s cool. Well good luck tomorrow then.” He wished us. We thanked in and proceeded out of the mall.
    We took our time walking back to the hotel. Our only plan was now to go to the pool. Ryan wanted to go to the gym, but the boys don’t work out and wanted pooltime, so I said I would take them. They are in fact right next to each other. Plus, I’d rather swim then work out. So down at the pool, we hung out for about an hour, swimming, jumping and splashing each other. But we had to get out at four so we could dry off, get changed and start heading over to the Centre Bell.
    On the way in, we walked past a large two story long poster that hung outside the arena. Along with some of the other cast members, we took a plethora of pictures. I had three posted on Facebook before I even got in the building with the caption “Tomorrow night Baby!” We were all psyched!
    Inside, we had a quick meeting before they sent us to get ourselves ready for the show. This included makeup, stretching and preparing our bodies for the show. Learning to do the makeup was quite interesting. They did the lesson differently for the youth than the others. I remember Adrian’s first reaction to hearing that he had to put makeup on. “I am NOT putting makeup on.” He said, very sternly. “Yes you are.” I told him. But he soon found out it wasn’t like blush or anything. It was simply just some black rectangular-ish makeup around the eyes and then some whitening on the face. It took us three days of two hour classes to learn how to put it on and take it off properly and make it look good. It takes me the shortest amount of time to do properly, about fifteen minutes. It takes Marcell the longest to do, about twenty five minutes to a half hour, but he’s working on it. Then the stretching classes we endured. I’m not even going to go into those.
    We had a first audience tonight, about two hundred people. The seemed to like the show. My main motivation for tonight was that it was being filmed for the trailer, so we all needed to look our best to promote the show. Being that the project is so secretive, no press, no one but Cirque Employees  and their families. We got a large applaud afterwards, so I’m assuming they liked it.
    The following day was I guess the ‘first official day of tour’. We started off with everyone waking up before what I have been referring to as the ‘sleeping point’. According to Tara and some websites I looked at, children around the age of Marcell, Adrian and Fraggs should get between nine and ten hours of sleep a night. By the time we finish with work, get back to the hotel, I’ll be expecting the boys to be going to bed around midnight, then sleeping not past ten, since they have school to do. Once they are done with school for the week, they can sleep in a bit later. School comes first. Well, technically the show comes first, but school is second. So once everyone was up, we started school. I let the boys, usually just Adrian have a small bit off coffee, half a cup. The other two don’t do coffee. But I really  do coffee. I started right off with Math since it’s my least favorite subject. The math lesson I did was quite easy and I finished it just after one hour, then headed to Science. This year, I am doing Biology, which I really don’t like. I did as much as I can, but helped the boys a lot with their beginning stage of french, testing their fluency. They are picking it up, but it’s a very long way to go.
    Afterwards, I got my party clothes ready and advised the boys to do the same. I was wearing a total black and red themed, then a black fedora on my head. We had five hours before needing to be at the arena, so what to do now? First order of business, update facebook with an hour countdown. Second order of business, relax. I am incredibly nervous, as is everyone else.
    The afternoon was fun, hanging out by the pool, talking about our expectations for touring, what we are looking forward to and what not, but now it’s the real deal. No more long rehearsal days, no more costume fittings, this is it. THIS IS IT, no pun intended. At the arena, I put on makeup and then went and met with one of the choreographers who wanted me to relay on a message about a fix we needed to do. We did it once as a group in the hallway. People ran around the hallways in costumes, stretching, many people without shirts. Messages were going around, the hour, then minute countdown. It was getting crazy. Gianinni and Thomas were walking around filming some behind the scenes things. Tonight's the night that we can also announce to the world what the hell we’ve been doing behind closed doors. After tonights show, we can upload pictures, talk to people about it and all the fun stuff.
I got a call from my Mom who wished me good luck for the show. I also know that the boys and Ryan had talked to members of their family. None of our family would be in the audience tonight. It would be too expensive to have them get passports, plane tickets, hotels and then have to buy show tickets on top of it. As far as I know, the first show any of our families will see is in NYC this April, seven months away. It's okay, I'm sure within a month, there will be multiple videos up on YouTube.
Everyone was in their costumes at this point. Everyone was pumped and ready to go for the world premiere. About ten minutes before the show sequence was to start, Jamie King, the director gathered us all and gave us a pep talk, somehow encouraging us even more! It was awesome. Then the show sequence started.
        Before the actual part of the show, The Fanatics go out and prep the audience. We warm them up with pep cheers and chants, making them pumped up. The Fanatics are five characters in the show that are the big MJ fans. They start the show, do all the Jackson 5 songs, help tell the story and dance too. Well these five Fanatics happen to be the five youth on the tour. Ryan and I wear what we call 'Sunglasses Suits'. Adrian wears a Thriller Jacket, black tight jeans, and a fedora. He also has a 'I <3 MJ' shirt under the jacket. Marcell wears a white dressy shirt, kind of torn red pants. Leo wears a blue jacket with some sparkled gloves attached that move as he does. He also has a fedora. I think our costumes fit our personalities perfectly.
        Right before the five of us went out, Tara took a picture, tagged us in it and put it up on Facebook. "Here we go. World Premiere of MJIWT Starting Now!" Was the caption. As we walked out, some people applauded. We distributed throughout the lower floor of the audience. I point to one group and say "Hey!" Then point to another and say "Ho!". I then go back to the other group. They get it fast. It's simple. "Hey! Ho! Hey! Ho! Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho!"
        Over in other parts of the arena, Adrian is starting the "Michael! Michael!" chant. I caught Marcell moonwalking with an audience member. Leo was starting a clap. We walked around, moonwalked around, dancing and prepping the audience for about ten minutes. As we heard our cue, the change of opening music from Dirty Diana to Speed Demon, we had about a minute left before the start. Ryan and I started back to the under stage right of the stage and grabbed a few props which we carried cluelessly up to the B-stage, the oval catwalk. As we placed it down, the announcements started about the safety and the rules of the show. When the announcement finally said "The Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour", the audience screamed and cheered.
        Ryan and I were already up on the B-Stage. Ryan whistles, calling the others up onto the stage. They ran up here as we played with the props, throwing them back and forth. When the first curtain rose and you see the LCD Screen, Adrian screams "It's our canvas!" This is the first scene in the show, 'Workin' Day N' Night'. It looks like confusion, but it's all choreographed. At one point during the scene, Ryan, Leo and I are running vertically up and down the LCD wall. At the end of the song, Salah is on B-Stage and we leave A-Stage, the main stage through the front steps with our props. We calmly go backstage, then back to the dressing room to change for our next scene. As entering our dressing room, we can hear the start of the 'Immortal Intro', the explosive opening of the show. We go into the dressing room and change for a few different things. The boys, who have a small curtain enclosed section of the dressing room, due to their age difference but don't really have to change. Ryan and I change into our purple/ rainbow Mohawk wigs for "Wanna Be Startin Somethin’". We have all of Childhood to change and get set, then we go on through the back of A-stage for Wanna Be Startin Somethin. For the most part, Ryan and I are running around (choreographed) on the main stage but there's a portion where we run around the audience. After being in the audience, we run by the sides of the stage and under it. I have to walk down to the other side of the Understage to the male quick change room, all while the second half of WBSS happens. We quickly change into our Fanatics Costumes, now magically in the quick change room and then get loaded onto the lifts going onto A-stage with the other boys. On cue, they were there. At work, I don't need to watch them. They know where to be.
        We rise up using the lifts and do our little scene for 'Shake Your Body Down To The Ground'. Afterwards, we leave stage through the back of A-Stage as Dancing Machine starts. We then go back to our dressing room and change into our clothes for the Gangster Medley (This Place Hotel/Smooth Criminal/Dangerous). The boys change into these blue 1930's costume with blue dress pants, a white shirt and black overall straps. They also have fedoras. Ryan and I change into the same thing but we put a different pair of shoes on which will allow us to do the Smooth Criminal Lean, then we also have a fancy blue buttoned jacket that closes over us. Adrian, Leo and Marcell then get settled backstage to go on for This Place Hotel. When they get off stage after that, Ryan and I immediately go on stage for Smooth Criminal and Dangerous through the BBQ deck.
        During the 'Mime Segment' which is after the Gangster Medley, we change into a real basic clothing outline. One that allows the audience to recognize our characters, but not as dressy. On cue, we stumble onto the stage. We have to get dressed into some funky 1970's hippy clothes and wigs to make us look as if we were dressing up like the Jackson 5 and we lip sing and dance to the Jackson 5 Medley. Rehearsals for this part were always fun. The first thing Jamie said to us when we started the rehearsal for this was "All you need to do is embarrass yourself". And if we didn't have costumes and you just watched us do it without lights and such, we look like complete idiots.
        During Human Nature, the five of us are changing into our Thriller costumes, essentially classy mummy’s. We have to wait backstage during Is It Scary and Threatened. During the blackout where all you see are the video screens showing Michaels transformation to the monster, we have to sneak onto the pitch black floor and find our spots. Ryan and I are on opposite sides of the stage, holding a wire that lets us fly for about five seconds during a silence between the pre-chorus and chorus. After we are all in our spots and the chains and snapping starts, the audience recognized it and began to cheer. The stage is filled with smoke. I pop out of the smoke, I fly and dance all over the stage, as rehearsed for Michaels number one song. The end of this song marked the end of act one and beginning of intermission.
During intermission, I change into a t-shirt and shorts to relax and cool down. I drink some water and make sure the boys do too. I checked Facebook and shared Tara's picture she posted earlier in the night. "Intermission of a great show, tour life starting tonight." I posted on Facebook. The intermission seemed short while it was really 30 minutes.
        As the second act started, Ryan and I changed into a basic black jeans, black shoes and an I Love MJ shirt. The boys stay in the dressing room as Ryan and I head out to the Understage and load ourselves into these two oversized Penny Loafer shoes that we come out of for OUR segment, Beat It. At the end of our song, we run from the B-Stage to the A-stage and meet Adrian, Marcell and Leo along with some dancers dressed in basketball silver costumes for the start of Jam. All five of us Fanatics are lowered in the lifts as the dancing for Jam starts.
        We have Planet Earth/ Earth Song, Scream and Gone To Soon before any of us are on stage again. After Gone Too Soon, there is a little interlude of 'Privacy' where Salah acting as The Mime, Marcell and Leo are on stage doing a short fifteen second thing. Adrian, Ryan and I are getting set up on the BBQ deck (band deck) with our They Don't Care About Us Costumes which we changed into prior. Originally Adrian would not be in his dance since he is relatively smaller than the rest of us, but he filled in one day for someone who was out, Travis Payne, the choreographer, liked him and put him in it. So it's all these large robots with the one a bit smaller. Adrian has a very large costume to fill during this.
We march down the stairs to the A stage and did our entire routine, which the audience absolutely loved! It's very intense and everyone on stage is perfectly in sync. It seems amazing! At the end of the song, we strike a straight out pose and our costumes glow with a heart on our chest for the start of 'Will You Be There'. We see Marcell and Leo next as they come down through the audience, holding glowing hearts. They, as with the rest of the cast, travels onto the B-Stage for this portion of the show. As they are walking on the catwalk between A and B stage, the soldiers on the main stage, including Adrian, Ryan and I march off the stage in silence. Once off stage, we have a quick change, mainly for Ryan and I.
At this point of time, Ryan and I change into the Billie Jean suits while Adrian goes back to the dressing room to changes to his Fanatic costume.  Ryan and I, along with about eight other cast members line up right inside of the front on each side of the Understage. We can usually sit for about four minutes while 'I'll be There' and the beginning part of 'Can You Feel It' happens. At the end of Can You Feel It, after the rings act, we march on the audience floor along the sides of A-stage and up onto B-stage as the beginning of 'Don’t stop til' you get enough' starts to play. We do our dance (just Ryan and I for the youth) then head on and do a little dance on the catwalk, then slowly walk/glide on to B-stage for Billie Jean. During the Billie Jean pre-chorus, everything is normal,  but as the end of the pre-chorus hits, the lights all turn off and our costumes, gloves, hats and shoes glow, according to the point of be song. The audience went incredibly nuts! I could hear the vibration of the cheers on my chest!
        When the lights come back on, it starts Black and White, we run around, clapping in the air, go to the lift and it brings Ryan and I down. We then do an incredibly 45 second quick change back to our Beat It clothes. Back on stage through the back of A-Stage. There are people doing stuff all over the stage, I can't even tell you. Ryan and I do some synced hip hop dance with the LCD suits on the eyes of A-stage. Marcell dances with a tree girl for one part and Adrian does a bull dance with Leo. Ryan and I do a hip hop 20 second dance on B-Stage. The show ends with Ryan and I on the edges of the main stage, doing the same dance as the Mime, the Billie Jean Suits and Bubbles on B-Stage. I think Adrian, Fraggs and Marcell are doing the same thing behind me but I can't turn around and look, so I don't know. At the end, we strike the pose with us standing up straight and our arms out straight at our sides. The lights go off and we hear the audience clapping and cheering. They are off for about ten seconds then go back on for the start of Man In the Mirror where we all bow. Ryan and I sneak off the back of the stage and quickly change back into our Sunglasses Suits, then sneak back on stage. The fanatics bow last, after we salute the band and before the mime does the pose with the hat and sequined glove. We run out right as the band bows are finishing, since it is quite a distance to the B-Stage. We all head to different parts around the B-stage. We now then join next to each other and now with each other. We then head off stage through the audience. As we entered backstage, the crew and other staff members have us high-fives. As the fireworks started, the crowed roared with cheers. It was truly an awesome show. They wouldn't stop as we stood there and listened. Some people cried tears of joy, I was grinning so hard. It was truly amazing. At last, the tour had officially begun. I must of high fived dozens of people. I hugged the boys. “That was awesome!” Marcell exclaimed. The boys were pumped, probably could do the entire thing. For last, we had experienced the thrill of the sold out crowds. But instead of doing it over again, it was time for the afterparty! Like we’ve done for all the recent dress rehearsals, we went back to the dressing room, still all pumped. We took off our costumes and hung them up properly on the rack, took off the makeup. After taking off their makeup, the boys always come up to me to have themselves checked so that they have no makeup left on. They insist that I check, because if they look in the mirror, they may miss something.
        We left the arena around 11:30 and walked back to the hotel and quickly changed. Quickly, with two eleven year olds and one ten year old is like thirty minutes. Ryan and I had to get dressed, them help the boys with some details about their fittings for the night. Luckily, the party was right down the street from the hotel, a short three minute walk. We arrived, flashed our badges and were immersed in this party. “The party has arrived!” Adrian exclaimed as we got into the party tent. I don’t think anyone heard him, but I did and it nearly killed me.
        The night was fun. A lot of good food and good drinks. A lot of fun dancing. Shocker, right? A lot of meeting fun people, like the Jackson’s and the man who wrote Thriller. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty awesome. I think I took close to fifty pictures with people that night. Other cast members, crew members, a lot with the guys. It was quite amazing. Long story short, I didn’t get the boys back to the hotel until three in the morning. I really didn’t care that they were out that late, but I needed to retain control.
Once in the hotel, I nearly struggled to get the boys out of their clothes, hang them up correctly and start to go to bed. I was so fed up at one point, Ryan went in and yelled at Adrian and Marcell. Not yelled, but was like “Storm is going to get really pissed, just go to bed.” He said. They know that when Ryan steps in, it’s serious. I think I fell asleep around four, and I don’t go to sleep until I know the other boys are asleep.