PREMIERE
Chelsea Cinema London
November 29, 2005
We had heard it while standing in the queue at KOKO on November 15th for the album launch of Confessions On A Dance Floor. Guy Oseary (M’s manager) had come out to tell the 200 queuing fans, that they all had been invited by Madonna to attend the UK premiere of I’m Going To Tell You A Secret (her tour documentary). Fans were more than happy to accept the invitation! But you can never get too excited until you receive that official confirmation in your inbox.
When we got to the front of Koko we filled out a form with our details, Warner Music would reach out to us with further info. When we were back in Holland, after my very hectic week in London after the Confessions promo events, I indeed received a phone call. A very friendly lady with Warner Music called me to invite me to the event. She informed me Madonna had personally requested for all 200 fans queuing to be invited, and that she wanted to thank me for waiting at Koko. I supplied my e-mail address and she said that she’d send me an e-mail with all the necessary information.
The confirmation e-mail arrived the very next day, it said that I could pick up the wristband the same day as the premiere at the Warner Music office in London. Due to the Confessions on a Dance Floor promo tour, we had little to no budget left but where there’s a will there’s a way! So we had to settle for the cheapest option to go to London, hop on a Eurolines bus. We booked a cheap hotel and requested some days off at work (again).
MONDAY NOVEMBER, 28th
The Eurolines bus departed at 10pm from the Amstel Station in Amsterdam and would arrive the very next day at 7am in London. The trip took forever and I couldn’t fall asleep as I didn’t feel well. I knew I was coming down with the flu and started seeing weird images next to the road. Road signs became old crooked ladies with baskets in their hands and oncoming vehicles turned into walls. I think I was actually already running a fever.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29th
I was a wreck by the time we arrived in the morning. We took the tube directly to Paddington Station where our hotel was located. The check-in time was set at 1pm, but we pleaded with the reception that we were in dire need of a room. We were so happy when she handed us a key, but that happiness turned sour when we entered a room that was already in use and clothes were scattered everywhere. The reception lady probably realized her mistake and quickly followed us upstairs with the correct key. Before heading over to the Warner offices we decided to catch a few hours of sleep.
It was quite the walk but once we found the Warner Music office we were told to wait outside for a while. When we were welcomed inside our names, IDs and confirmation email were thoroughly checked. A box filled with white envelopes was sitting on the main desk as if it were a treasure chest. Someone started to check them and the only thing I could think of was….what if ours isn’t included in the lot? But thankfully she picked up an envelope, opened it and took out two silver wristbands and additional tickets. We noticed that there were plenty of I’m Going To Tell You A Secret posters up on the walls but unfortunately we didn’t have the guts to ask for one. With the silver treasure on our wrists, we headed back to our hotel realizing how amazing it was to have seen Warner’s offices in London.
We had agreed to meet up with some friends before going over to the Chelsea Cinema. We noticed barriers had been set up for the media and we eventually joined the queue to enter. Fans were spending time by swapping photographs taken at either KOKO or G-A-Y. The doors opened and for the first time in my life I got to walk the red carpet at a Madonna event! I smirked at the photographers obviously not giving a care in the world who the hell I was. Inside the cinema were even more of those stunningly gorgeous posters that I had seen at Warner’s that afternoon. We made our way to the theater and security asked us for the color of our wristband. When he noticed we were wearing silver, he directed us to the first couple of rows. I was shocked!! The fans were seated in the very front rows. Madonna must’ve thought we couldn’t give a damn about stiff necks after the feature.
We settled upon two chairs on the right side in the theater, third row from front. A special black bag waiting on my seat caught my eye and when I picked it up I found it was an actual I’m Going To Tell You A Secret goodie bag! No Madonna items inside but a bag of potato chips, candy and a bottle of water was very welcomed. A few celebrities were spotted in the audience such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Stella McCartney and Mel C. The kaballah club was obviously present as well.
It seemed we were about to be treated to the film as we saw people checking the microphone that was set up in front of the screen. Suddenly there was a roar coming from the rows behind us, so we turned around to see Madonna and hubby Guy walking in. Seeing her in person again for the fifth time this month and still in absolute awe of how stunningly beautiful she is up close.
Madonna and Jonas Akerlund walked over to the mic and she got ready to speak to the audience. She said a few words before handing over the mic to Jonas. She looked glamorous in her glitter blue disco themed dress but seemed a bit nervous. Jonas obviously was in no mood to talk and quickly returned the favour by handing the mic back to Madonna. Madonna then told the audience about the making of the film and joked around saying that the European title of Truth or Dare (In Bed With Madonna) wasn’t her idea. She took the time to thank her fans and said that without us she wouldn’t be where she was today. Seeing her be so sincere and actually a bit nervous was a first for me. Yes she is actually a human being even though she always comes across as this absolute warrior. She told us she hoped we would love the film and then all of us answered by giving her a standing ovation, even without having seen a second of the film!
Madonna was then escorted to her seat all the way in the back of the theater and I was shocked she was actually going to see the movie with us. I thought she would just give a speech and wouldn’t even bother sitting through the entire movie. The lights went off and it instantly started (no trailers thank God) but I noticed there were sound issues and wanted to bury my head in between my legs (that sounds disgusting) as I felt so ashamed for the cinema. They managed to solve it in a manner of minutes and after that we were left to enjoy the full feature film. Gosh, it was such an experience to see all of it on the big screen with Madonna herself in attendance. During every live performance everyone stood up, danced and sang along to everything. It was like being at the Re-Invention World Tour all over again. Funny thing we all did was turning around after every live performance and applauding her.
We laughed, we sang, we listened and we cried, a truly amazing experience! Of course we had already seen the TV Version of the film prior but now we were treated to an extended version of the film. We saw her travel to Tel Aviv and witness her trip over there. A segment that hadn’t been included in the version we previously saw.
When the movie ended we gave Madonna another well deserved standing ovation while she descended the stairs with Guy Ritchie and waved before making her exit. I was still in shock that she had actually stayed for the entire thing. She must have been sick of seeing it again, while we couldn’t get enough. I can now honestly say that I went to the movies with Madonna and I wouldn’t be lying.
We said goodbye to our friends and made our way back to the hotel. We had to catch an early bus back to The Netherlands in the morning. This trip had concluded our intensive, crazy but amazing Madonna month. Seeing Madonna at Wetten Dass, at KOKO, at Children in Need, at G-A-Y and now at the Chelsea Cinema. We were feeling blessed beyond words!!
Kimberly van Pinxteren
