By Mae | creator and one of the admins for DBFansite

PART 2 of 2 | READ PART ONE HERE: On Didi Benami: ‘Her positive aura and unfeigned kindness transcends everything we know about her from our TV screens’

I apologize in advance for this long narrative. Please indulge me. I wanted to capture and remember as much on paper so I can look back in this great experience years later not missing anything.

Location: Comcast Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts
Date: July 18th 2010
Time: almost 11pm-past midnight

Special Note on the pictures: CHECK MORE PHOTOS on FLICKR. Please respect our copyright on all our photos. Do NOT remove the watermark and give credit to the fansite if you’re placing it somewhere else. We have MORE photos to share! Keep checking back.

The short of it

It has now been over a week since our exceptional meeting with Didi Benami. We still couldn’t quite believe it really happened. I didn’t want to write this part two because it would mean that the meeting is truly over and seem so distant now… Nonetheless, she gave us something more than any fan could ask for. Something we would treasure for a very, very long time. She gave us the time, attention and openness she would have given a friend or a family member considering that the time they spend from one venue to another is fleeting lasting only a few hours until they move on to the next tour stop.

The backstage meet and greet lasted a little over an hour and while we were inside the small, dimly-lit pavilion, we witnessed all 10 idols interact with friends, family and lucky fans (like us)- totaling 120 people (We asked one of the staff!).

Being with Didi that entire time were spliced in between fans asking for autographs and photos and her chatting a little bit with each fan. We were a happy witness to it all!

It is remarkable to be an observer, seeing Didi interact with other fans. Her enthusiasm and genuineness shines through. Her favorite signature catchphrase, “love and light” rings true every time. She just does not say it. She lives it! She is love and she is light. She imparts a certain connection with each person she meets that is pure, earnest and authentic. You are left inspired and warm all over…

Here’s a video recap of our meeting with Didi, with an outtake of her greeting fans visiting the fan site:

The long version of it…

The Backstage Meet and Greet with Family and Friends plus winners of the text Ford adverts, etc.

The American Idol stop at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA concluded in a high note. It was one of those concerts where the performers and the audience were in harmony- they had fun, the crowd had fun.

The show started promptly at 7:30 and ended at exactly 10:30pm. There was an almost half an hour wait before the private meet and greet began. The staff were very organized and followed ‘strict’ rules.

I was trying to pay forward a good deed I received earlier in the day, when a fellow fan, Mary offered me her extra floor seat ticket! That afternoon, I also met Pam, a huge Lee DeWyze fan. Really super nice and she just missed Lee Dewyze by 15 minutes! I felt so bad for her!! I thought somehow we could ‘squeeze’ her in the private meet and greet so she could meet Lee! I wanted her to meet Lee so badly! I was even willing to have her sort of go first- put the sticker pass on and once she meets Lee, go back out for my turn. I read online that worked a few times! Sounded like a good idea at the time until the security started letting everyone with no ‘sticker pass’ out of the amphitheater. Then my partner thought what if we say there was a mix up and we were really meant to have three passes but were only given two! We tell it to the security and he says he’ll check. It seemed like it was going to work until the security actually had Didi on speaker and he asked, how many pass did you give Mae and Didi of course says: “Two!!” Yay! That was quite embarrassing…

We were left with no choice so Pam ended up waiting outside for the public meet and greet in the hopes that Lee DeWyze would go out. [He did and she got her special tiny guitar signed by Lee... She texted me a photo of it! Whew! All was well! I didn't feel so bad anymore...]

Backstage with the Idols or the so-called “After party”

The staff put everyone in a single file as they ushered us into the dark abyss! It seriously felt like we were going at Universal Studio’s “The Mummy” ride or Disney’s “Haunted Mansion”. The path was dark and only lighted by guys carrying flashligths every few feet. We had no idea where they were leading us! And then we see a crowd of people! And there’s the Top 10 with 120 people squeezed in the tiny space. We see almost everyone swarmed with fans! We couldn’t find Didi!

Side note: When they refer to it as “After Party” or “AP,” I couldn’t help but think of appetizers and drinks freely flowing in the venue, served by nicely-dressed waiters/waitresses. I forgot, we weren’t in Hollywood! So no food, no drinks- just a lot of love from the idols!!

CASEY JAMES

In the far corner, Mike and Casey found their spot- a bit inconspicuous behind a pole, away from the crowd. Looked like an easy target to us. So we head there first. That was when we crossed path with Tim Urban and I thanked him for my meeting with Didi the first time.

READ POST ON MEETING TIM URBAN: Oh my Urban! American Idol Season 9′s resident boy next door– Tim Urban! (PHOTOS/VIDEO)

We waited for our turn with Casey and had about two minutes with him! I didn’t have anything to say to the guy other than he blew us away with his guitar playing! He was too good looking, I think my brain just froze. My partner commented how he reminded Casey of THE Tom Petty when he was young. Casey took it as a real compliment and he was so grateful and humbled by the comparison. They exchanged more things about guitar playing, fave band and performing while I could only stare at his mesmerizing face. We asked for photo op and autograph and moved on. Yay!

No photos available right now.

Please verify your settings, clear your RSS cache on the Slickr Flickr Admin page and check your Flickr feed

Special Note on the pictures: CHECK MORE PHOTOS on FLICKR. Please respect our copyright on all our photos. Do NOT remove the watermark and give credit to the fansite if you’re placing it somewhere else. We have MORE photos to share! Keep checking back.

DIDI BENAMI

Aaah Didi! Finally!! Our second meeting was now more informal than the first one prior to the show where I was just smitten by her beauty and probably making a fool of myself. Still, I was so giddy to see her and so was she! She called my name and that was music to my ears! We hugged! She is so candid as she gushes how happy she is to see me again! I couldn’t believe it! I’m saying: “No, I’m so happy to see you again and thank you for giving us this chance to be with you!” She seem better now than earlier but still feeling under the weather.

I introduced my partner and without hesitation, she opened her arms and gave him a big tight hug!! She thanked him for our hard work on the website and all. She then proudly shows me the Energy Muse bracelet we gave her and how it fits and she loves it. She had me touch the bracelet as though I’ve never seen it before. She is so sparkling, endearing and real when she does this, I could scream!!! I told her I was worried if it would fit because I didn’t realize Energy Muse’ bracelets come in sizes!! I took a hunch and it fit her wrist perfectly. We also gave her a silk scarf from my sister in the UK who is also a fan! She mentions that and how much she loves it! (She’s worn the scarf in two interviews now! She looks so chic and trendy!)

She asked what we thought of the concert among other things…

In between conversations, we’ll have people come up to her so we stop and allow her time with them. I have been asked by fans to take photos of them with Didi, hope they came out ok!!

When it got too busy, she says to us we might want to meet other idols too. And so we did. Didi asks if we don’t mind staying a bit and we’ll have more talk… We answered in unison, “we’re staying!” (We felt we were the luckiest people in the entire pavilion, Of course we would stay for as long as we can!)

SIOBHAN MAGNUS

Along the way we found Siobhan Magnus surrounded by kids. It was wonderful to watch so we captured some! She fits quirky to a T that’s for sure… There was a certain disconnect with her among adult fans who were there- she appeared almost spaced out and detached while she seem to be more at ease dealing with children. The kids loved and adored her!

My partner upon seeing Siobhan so dressed down unlike her elaborate outfits on stage made an ice breaker comment about it with good intentions- thinking it would be a start of a conversation, but Siobhan just looked at him, confused and indifferent. And then one fan asked Siobhan if she could take a picture of Siobhan with Siobhan’s family who were standing behind her. And Siobhan looked at the fan- again with indifference and says something like, “What makes you think they want to be in the picture?” or something like that… Ok, that’s our cue to move out of there. It looks like she really just wanted to spend time with her family and the fans were all over her, keeping her away from being with them. Don’t get us wrong, we like Siobhan, she relates well with Didi and Crystal and we probably just caught her in her offish day. We hope we could have actual conversation when we meet her again! We wish her the best in her own career.

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX is in the building!

[ I've decided to create a special post on Crystal Bowersox about our meeting with her... Hang in there. ]

UPDATE, our post on Crystal: 7/18 Meeting MamaSox in Mansfield, MA: People, we’re ready for Crystal Bowersox! (PHOTOS)

Meanwhile we we’re ready to be with Didi again!

So we were back with her and we didn’t even want to request it but she brought it up! She made a quick hi video earlier but felt it wasn’t enough or it seemed rush. We try to make a new message video for the fansite right there amongst the crowd and the dimly lit area. We go around looking for a place to shoot. She’s like, “is this spot ok?” So I view my camera and it was dark and I say “no.” So we walk around again to find a spot. She was so accommodating while I didn’t want to inconvenience her further. We try one with some noisy background and where she came out a bit dark. I was ok with it but she asks, “are you sure? I don’t mind doing it again and again if I have to. Really, I don’t.” [See top video for the outtake]

We were interrupted by some fans so we left her to be for a few. I again took photos for them.

Where’s Lee DeWyze and the rest?

At this point, we couldn’t find Andrew Garcia nor Aaron Kelly and had barely a glimpse of Katie Stevens and Lee DeWyze. At the moments when my eyes wander, it appeared that Lee had consistently the most fans circling around him. It was hard to get some time with him. Since I’ve met them earlier before the show, I wasn’t going to hang out with them anymore… Our priority was Didi, Didi and more Didi! {Please wait for my post about Katie Stevens and Lee DeWyze who came out together for the fans’ meet and greet that happened earlier…}

UPDATE, our post on Lee and Katie: 7/18 American Idol Lee DeWyze and finalist Katie Stevens meet fans prior to show in Mansfield, MA (PHOTOS/VIDEO)

Michael Lynche

We saw Michael Lynche and while I had already also met him earlier, he was free so we head over to talk to him for a bit. My partner told him about how surprised he was Mike didn’t really go into a more Motown sound on Idol and also opted for a more R&B feel in the concert. He says that he loves doing Motown and before Idol, that’s the kind of music he was playing with his band. He said something like wanting to explore his options and other genre in music. We thanked him for his time and went off to see Didi again!

Back to Didi Benami

This time Didi says she found a place where we could do the video. So considerate! She really wanted to create the video message for the fans visiting the fansite and we are but happy to oblige. Security lead us to a more private area and on the way, Didi was followed by more fans wanting the last minute autograph and photos. She did so kindly and again, seemed like she stopped the world from turning to talk with them. Amazing!

We were now in an area where it was just Didi, me and my partner and two security people lurking at us, in position- protective of Didi awaiting a false move from us!! Yay for security detail!!

We now have Didi to ourselves! How did this happen?!!

First off, we did the video. The lighting was still pretty awful for something we wanted to do but at least quieter. She asks me to check the video and see how it looks. So I fumble on my camera which I know how to operate pretty well but then she walks behind me and is now standing so close almost leaning on my shoulder and suddenly, I couldn’t operate the camera anymore!! I said sorry for taking so much time. She says, “no, don’t be sorry. don’t apologize…”

We view the entire video on playback and it looked ok to me. She says she could do it again, she doesn’t mind how many times we have to do it. What a sweet gesture but we didn’t really know how much time we have left with her and I wasn’t going to spend it asking her to do more takes than what I already have.

We moved on and was now talking like we were just hanging out -except there were 2 security guys looking funny at us. Every once in a while, fans from a distance seeing us would wave at her and exclaim: “Hi Didi” “We love you Didi!” “See you again!” “We love you!” Didi would respond back with love!

We touched on many things; some off the record stuff; about her performing and to our amazement how she can be sick and still perform so well on stage. Her speaking and singing voice are like two separate entity. She explains “the most important thing for me is that the music shines through…” She revealed and we did NOT know about this– that during Hollywood week she was sick too! When she sang “Angel,” she was completely hoarse and could not even speak a word. She was also worried that on group day, she won’t be able to sing and somehow it just came out! “I have it in that one moment, in the most important time and it works. I feel that God is with me when I sing.”

She thanked us again for the fansite and how much it meant to her. A personal website is definitely in her plans after the tour but was joking that the fansite has so much already, she feels we have more than she could put on her own site. We offered any assistance of course and told her that whatever she needs that the fansite has, we could give.

We talked travel and expressed our hope to meet her again when we go to California in December. She said yes! We hope she’ll remember it when we do visit LA! We asked her where she wants to go after the tour. She says her Uncle wants her to visit them in New York right after the tour but she also wants to go to Hawaii among other places. We suggested a beautiful island in Hawaii, the famous “Kauai.” We told her we were there two years ago and it was breathtaking, also very secluded and private. A place where she could be inspired to write and work on her music. She agrees and have heard a lot about the island.

We said we are looking forward to an album but we didn’t want her to rush it!! We can’t wait but don’t rush it… the album has to be perfect for her and the fans!

We talked more about her caring, devoted fans and the fansite! Just love and admiration abounding in the conversations. More hugs!

By then, a little over an hour flew by and one security guy approaches us that there’s 5 minutes left for the public meet and greet outside and if she wanted to come out or not. She says yes, and we responded- oh that would be great for the fans outside! She thanked us and hugged us both again and we thanked her back profusely for the special attention she had given us.

We were walking out of the arena with a wide grin on our faces and from a distance we could hear a burst of screams from outside the public meet and greet. The people were screaming Didi’s name!

We were fully awake while everything was happening yet somehow, we felt we were also but dreaming it. Dreaming with your eyes wide open. Yes, in this case it was truly possible…

THE END.

Post Script:

Immediately after the meet and greet, in the wee hours of the night, they were heading back to New York for the NASDAQ closing countdown activity, July 19th.

Watch the video below if you will. This is the crowd past midnight greeting Didi Benami! We were so shocked to realize that while we were comfortable inside the private meet and greet, free to mingle with the Idols to our hearts content, take as many photos as we want, sign as many autographs we want, talk with the idols as much as we want, these people have been waiting outside since 10:30pm after the show to secure their spot FOR A GLIMPSE OF THEIR IDOLS!! Some didn’t even have the chance to get an autograph or a photo with the Idols! It was impossible to give attention to each fan with the number of people in the crowd. People waited outside for two and a half hours for that chance. We are indeed among the luckiest people that night.

Our suggestion, go to the public meet and greet PRIOR to the show. You can meet your ‘idols’ with no crowd, no rushing or pushing and you get better photos with them! READ OUR POST ABOUT IT HERE.

READ OUR FIRST MEETING WITH DIDI BENAMI HERE.

Thank you for reading this post all the way. The meeting is so very special to us and we wanted to share them with all of you.

Popular Posts:

• Profile
• Photo Gallery
• American Idol Season 9 Exit / Tribute song on elimination night: “Leave Right Now”
• Forum
• Friends
• Join
• Contact Us
• Message Didi!