June 9th, 2003

 

I finally received my plane e-tickets that day as well as my itinerary. Oh yeah, I also got my cheque of $500 for my prize money. :D

 

June 10th, 2003

 

I only had a few hours of sleep. I got dressed and double-checked my luggage to make sure that I had everything. My friend, Kristen, had her mom drive us to the airport. We checked into our airline and went to a Second Cup in the airport. That was a bad idea as you’ll later see. We drank our coffee and discussed what we were going to do once we got to Toronto. We went to the security check at 12:30pm. I went through the metal detector and set it off so I had to undergo further examination. I realized that I had a bobby pin in my pocket and took it out. Then I realized it must have been my belt so I told her but she still made me take it off. A few minutes later, she was finally satisfied and let me go.

 

We boarded our plane about an hour later. It was my first time flying in 10 yrs and Kristen’s first time flying. The takeoff was... interesting as was the turbulence. We finally arrived in Toronto three and a half hours later. I went to a payphone and called the phone number that was in my itinerary. It was for my ride to my hotel. The woman on the line told me that there would be a car to pick me up outside on post 23. A few minutes later, this classy, black car (can’t remember what make) drove up and a jolly Russian driver stepped out and happily took our luggage. The car was absolutely gorgeous. It had tons of leg room and it had black leather all over the interior. After driving for a good five minutes, I realized that we were still in the area of the Toronto airport. It was absolutely massive! The driver drove like a maniac. He weaved in and out of traffic while speeding.

 

We arrived at The Metropolitan Hotel which is a four and a half star hotel. Fancy, eh? I went to the front desk– I mean, concierge :rolleye: and checked in. Our hotel room was pretty decent. It had two double beds and lots of amenities. A light on the phone was flashing so I called to ask what it was. A woman from EMI Canada had faxed my itinerary for the dinner on June 11th. Kristen and I walked down to the concierge to pick up my fax and then we headed to Subway for our dinner. It was the closest food place to us. We wandered around the hotel and checked out the fitness center. We had the best intentions of using it but we never did. Gillian from MuchMusic called my room and we chit-chatted for a bit and she told me about the plans for tomorrow. I called my parents to let them know that I was still alive. We went to bed at 12am with intentions of getting up at 5:45am to go for a run. Well, you know that Second Cup coffee I had earlier? It kept me up until 3:45am. I woke up at 5:45am. I had 2 hrs of sleep the day of the dinner! I was so exhausted.

 

June 11th, 2003

 

I spied on the people on the street below while Kristen was taking a shower. I managed to spot Ozzy’s guitarist coming out of a blue tour bus. I wonder if Ozzy stayed at our hotel? There were two other identical tour busses sitting outside the hotel but I didn’t know who was in it.

 

Kristen and I decided to walk to Kensington Market that morning. I stopped for a much needed Kaluha Latte and tried to eat a muffin for breakfast. I couldn’t wolf it down so I stuffed it in my purse. The Market looked so close to our hotel on the map but it was such a long walk. The stores weren’t even open by the time we got there. We went to a few of the trendier stores and I bought a cool purse. We walked back to the hotel to change into more comfy shoes and took a cab to Eaton Centre which is only a few minutes away from our hotel.

 

Eaton Centre was really nice. It had so many levels and the architecture reminded me of HUB, the mall/rez at my university. I bought my dad a souvenir t-shirt that said Toronto with a sketch of the CN Tower and I bought myself a tub of Yves Rocher mattifying moisturizer which really works well. Too bad they don’t sell it in Edmonton.

 

Anyway, we walked back to the hotel and as we were entering the lobby, Kristen stops me and goes ‘Jess! Look!’. Being the stupid girl that I am, I still had my sunglasses on indoors so I couldn’t see anything. I squinted and saw Will, Guy and Jonny heading up the stairs to the main floor. I completely froze, got freaked out and ran away. I kicked myself in my hotel room for not saying anything. I guess that was the moment in which I realized that this was really happening. I decided it would be a nice time to clear my head before dinner and went for a pleasant stroll around the hotel. I strolled all the way to the dining room where I saw Chris laughing it up with some friends. I couldn’t go in because it was a private function so I headed up back to my room to wrap up the scarves I knit for the boys. I packed all of my singles, albums and my tour book. I felt bad for taking so much to get signed so I left my magazines and my double sided poster behind.

 

At 4:15pm, I met Gillian in the lobby. Now Gillian works for MuchMusic. She is the person who called to tell me that I had won this prize. We’ve been keeping in touch for 6 months so it was such a pleasure to finally meet her. She is one cool chick! :D She asked about the gift bags I had and I told her that I had knit them all scarves as a token of my appreciation. She thought it was the sweetest thing and told me that they’d really appreciate it.

 

At 4:30pm, our ride arrived. It was another crazy driver. :( Gillian gave me my tickets to the gig. I was in section 201, row H, seats 32 and 33. I had no idea what it meant but she told me they were great seats. She then says ‘Oh yeah, I never got to tell you who the VJ you’ll be having dinner with is, did I?’ I said no and she asked me who my favorite VJ was. I remembered Kyle (Egghead) saying that he saw a commercial for the contest and the VJ was Bradford so I said Bradford. Gillian told me it was Nam and in a way, I was relieved. I think Nam is the coolest VJ. The lights at most of the intersection were not working and our crazy driver almost killed us by crossing when he wasn’t supposed to. I honestly thought we were going to get t-boned by this huge truck. The driver dropped us off at Ontario Place. It was so bloody windy!!! My skirt was flipping up and my shirt was getting blown open. Not so good. We walked around to find the media entrance. Nam and the filming crew weren’t there yet so we sat at a table and waited. We all chit-chatted some more and in that instant, I realized I wasn’t nervous one bit. It could’ve been the sleep deprivation talking but I was so relaxed.

 

Nam finally arrived so we walked up to the media gate. I was introduced to Nam, Jeff the videographer and Paul who was the producer. They were the most goodlooking crew I’ve ever seen. Wow! I talked to Nam and she asked me what was in the bags. I told her and she went all mushy on me (just like everyone else I’ve told) and said that they’ll love them. We talked about how I felt and if I was nervous. She told me that I should think of one question that I really want to ask Coldplay. Just putting all your energy into nailing that one question will make it go more smoothly. I had an idea of what I was going to ask.

 

The media gate opened a few minutes later. We walked past the tour busses into the VIP patio area of the amphitheatre. We had to wait outside in the wind while they were trying to figure out where to have the dinner. Outside or inside? Paul and Jeff inquired about the gifts and they went all mushy too. I met Anastasia who is from EMI and Nam told her about the scarves. Anastasia goes all mushy. She congratulated me on winning and just told me to relax and have a great time. Later, I met Roger who is from the Coldplay camp but I can’t remember what he does. I think he’s one of those important guys in Coldplay’s career.

 

Kristen, Paul and I went inside to the eating area where all the food was laid out to get bottles of water. The atmosphere was very odd. Everything was pink and purple with a Betty Boop table cloth draped on each table. I even saw a cardboard cutout of her. We went back outside while Anastasia updated us on the possible location. There was a possibility that it might be held outside in the wind. A few minutes later, she called all of us inside the eating area. I noticed Ron Sexsmith browsing the food. So I made eye contact and said hello. He said hi back and kept looking at the food. We sat down at a table in the right hand corner of the room. We went back to talking again. Anastasia gave us meal tickets so we could eat. All of a sudden Nam turns to me and says do you see who just walked by? I squinted and saw Jonny headed towards the elevator. Then Nam goes ‘are you nervous?’ to which I replied ‘not yet’.

 

We got kicked outside to the patio again. I got the opportunity to talk to Roger about Coldplay. He calmed me down and said they’re really great guys and down to earth. A few moments later, Kristen and I went inside to get our food. I really didn’t have an appetite for anything so I grabbed some salad that was cut into bite-sized pieces to prevent disaster. So that’s basically what I did. I looked for safe foods to eat. I took some steamed vegetables and pasta. We had to go wait outside once again. Anastasia told us to get ready because we were leaving as soon as two minutes. I should have gotten nervous but I didn’t. I was really looking forward to meeting Coldplay.

 

The crew, Nam, Gillian, Kristen, Roger, Anastasia and I all went inside. We turned left to go into the elevator. We went up to the second floor and Rocky, the security guy, was there. He noticed the gift bags and made a joke about him not getting a present. We walked down the short hallway and entered the room. I had no clue at that point that it was Coldplay was already in the room. They were all sitting on couches and Guy was tinkering with a teal bass. I have really bad eyesight and I wasn’t wearing my glasses that night but I was staring right at Will and didn’t even notice until he said hi. I proceeded to the table and set my plate down. I noticed all of them get up. Chris bounced up from the couch and asked ‘Are these the competition winners?’ He seemed so giddy and full of life. I met Guy first. Now I have to be honest. With all the negative stories that have been circulating about him lately, I really thought he’d be rude to me as well. It was the complete opposite. He smiled at me. I extended my hand and he took it. I said ‘Hi Guy! I’m Jessica. It’s so nice to meet you!’ and he did the same as well. Next was Chris. My tiny little hands got lost in his. We shook hands and introduced ourselves to each other (as if I don’t know who he is. Ha ha!) I met Will next. Wow! Is he ever nice! Kristen was in the midst of a handshake with Will when I was trying to get to Jonny. He was all smiles and laughed when I couldn’t reach him. I ended up going under Kristen and Will’s handshake to get to him. They were so warm and friendly to me. I felt at ease with them. It was like reuniting with a lost friend or something.

 

Chris invited us to sit at the dinner table. Kristen and I sat on one side of the table while the guys were on the other. I sat across from Jonny and Guy. Jonny was to my left and Guy to my right. Kristen sat across from Chris. Then the camera went on. Nam introduced me as the contest winner. Man, the camera light’s were bright! Then I gave my presents to them but Nam accidently blew the surprise by telling then what it was and I went ‘No! Pretend you didn’t hear that!’ I gave Guy his present first, then Jonny, Chris and lastly, Will. I watched them open their gifts with the anticipation of seeing their faces.

 

One by one, I saw their faces light up and I heard a mixture of the guys saying ‘Wow!’and ‘Whoa!’ At this point, the crew decided to back off and give us some private time which was really great of them. Nam even sat away from us at the pool table. Guy turns to me and says ‘This is absolutely gorgeous! Thank you!’ That made me feel so good inside. I can’t even describe it. I told them that I actually knit them in the winter. I don’t know if they’d have a use for them now in the warm weather. Guy said that they will come in handy when they head back home. I noticed Guy reading the card that I wrote to them. He was so attentive to it and then he got all embarrassed. So cute! Chris wrapped it around his neck and then wrapped it around his head (because of SARS. Ha ha!) He says to me ‘Thank you so much! Did you make these?’ I told him that I did and he asked me how long it took. I said one scarf per week and they all seemed pretty impressed.

 

Everyone started eating. Chris noticed that Nam was sitting by herself and invited her to sit with us. She didn’t want anything to eat so I said that she could eat off of my plate but she really didn’t want to eat. I started on my plate of food. Chris then invited Vicki, their assitant to eat with us. She is so cool! Coldplay’s manager, Dave, also ate with us. He is really funny!

 

Topics of conversation included:

-SARS, artists that have cancelled, Ozzy (referring to Ozzy saying Fuck SARS), how it is blown out of proportion

- Vicki started talking about the vicious bear mauling in Alaska. Everyone was pretty grossed out at that.

- They asked us if we’ve ever been overseas. I said I’ve been to Malaysia, Tokyo and Hong Kong when I was younger. Kristen said that she hasn’t been overseas but she doesn’t really need to because of their cabin at the lake. Chris then asked if there were bears there. It was quite funny. I think he’s obsessed with bears. Then Dave made a crack about wakeboarding bears.

-Then Chris went on and on about Gentle Ben. I think I’ve heard of Gentle Ben before but it was a long time ago. I had no clue what they were talking about then Jonny goes ‘Gentle Ben rocks!’ He sounded so serious when he said that. Also talked about The Office and BBC America

- Vicki’s birthday and her age. Chris joked that she was 42. Guy asked us if we were in college or anything. We said university and he asked what we were taking. I told him that I was going into Actuary Science. They had no clue what that was. Nobody does, really. So I said it was basically a math degree. Kristen told them she was pre-med and I waited for their eyes to widen. They were impressed with us. Called us brilliant. They asked us what year of uni we were in. Guy thought we were going into our first. We said no, we’re going into our third. Chris looked a bit confused and then asked us how old we were (I’m 19. Kristen’s 20) and how old we were when we started university. I told him 18 but I was a young 18. Chris: what?17? Everyone started laughing. Chris just didn’t get it. He asked me what I was taking again. I answered and then talked to Jonny about his math degree and asked him if it was difficult. He told me yes and I just went ‘uh-oh’. Chris said we were brilliant. He said that Jonny and Will were brilliant but he and Guy were not. Will turns to me and said that he used to work in the uni office sorting out applications and such. He said that he had heard of Actuary Science and it had something to do with statistics, right? I said yes. I couldn’t believe that Will knew what I was going into. He is the first person where I don’t have to go into long-winded detail of what Actuary is. He also said that it was a difficult program to get into.

- talked about how they were the handsomest band in the world and they joked how their looks keep girls up at night. I said ‘Actually, I’ve only had 2 hours of sleep. I just couldn’t sleep’ They all looked at me with utter concern and shock and then they started laughing.

-asked us where we were from which is Edmonton. They remembered Edmonton as being the first stop of this leg of the tour. Chris joked about Jonny’s beard and how it has been growing since Edmonton. They asked if there’s anything to do in Edmonton. Of course I had to mention West Edmonton Mall, the world’s largest mall. I asked if they had the opportunity to visit there and they said no, we were at a crappy mall. And Chris goes ‘I knew we shouldn’t have gone there.’ I told them the next time they were in Edmonton, they should visit the mall and I’d show them around.

 

We talked about more things and laughed so much. I hardly touched my food. I just didn’t have an appetite. Chris noticed this and asked if that was all I was having. I told him that I had a small appetite.

 

Nam tried to do the interview at the table but it didn’t work. The table was too long so they went out on the balcony. Roger asked us to put the stuff that we wanted to get signed on the pool table. He said that they might not be able to sign it all. I brought all of my singles, 2 posters and my tour book. He told us to go outside and watch the interview. Nam told us to squeeze in between them. So I squeezed in between Chris and Guy. So from left to right it was: Will, Chris, Me, Kristen, Jonny, Guy. The guys made a crack about how young we were and how it was illegal to be that close to us. They thought the legal age was 21 but Nam, Kristen and I said ‘No! It’s 18! We’re safe!’ and everyone burst out laughing.

 

Nam did her VJ’ing thing and it was time for me to ask my question. I said that I noticed that the fan-favorite Shiver has been taken off the setlist for the tour. Just wondering why as it’s one of my favorites. They looked stunned by the question. No one really jumped to the gun to answer it but they finally did. They basically said they are sick of it. They’ve been playing it for 7 years and it was time to give it a break. Taking Yellow off of the setlist would cause an uproar. So I got the impression that they are sick of playing Yellow also. I asked if they might play Shiver at the concert and I got a flat out no. :( Oh well! It was worth a try. Chris is such a tall guy and I’m really short so I had to look up at him every time he talked to me. We were so close to each other so I noticed his beautiful eyes. The whole time I was thinking ‘Oh please don’t notice my bloodshot eyes. I’ve only had 2 hours sleep’

 

Nam finally did the formal interview part while Kristen and I were still standing between the band. Of course the question of SARS came up. Nam put the microphone in front of Will since he was closest. He tried to answer the question but finally gave up and said I can’t do this. So he moved to the back of the lineup, if you will. So Chris stepped up and pulled Jonny from the back to be with him. Guy stepped back to Will as did Kristen and I. Will says to us ‘We don’t really like talking *motions to camera*’ and Kristen and I said ‘Yeah, we don’t want to talk either! We’ll be the backround people’. We shared a laugh. I think the moment at the corner of the balcony with Will and Guy was my favorite of the night. We really bonded over our lack of enthusiam for being interviewed. :p We stared out into the open water and talked about them liking the water. Guy likes fishing and being the odd person that I am, I said ‘Hmmm, I wonder if there are any fish in here.’ They asked us if we had been anywhere in Toronto yet. I said ‘not really but we’re doing the CN tower tomorrow’. Guy’s eyes lit up and he started going on and on about the CN tower and the glass floors. I asked Will how the tour has been so far. He said good. Kristen asked what their favorite destination was so far and Will said ‘Red Rocks’. He went on to describe how the venue was surrounded by rock and how it was so beautiful. So the four of us just carried on in a world of our own while Chris and Jonny did the interview. It was absolutely amazing on that balcony.

 

And now for the most bizarre moment of the night for me. Nam, Chris and Jonny were finished with their interview. Paul, the producer, mentions that Coldplay are nominated for two MuchMusic Video Awards and he was wondering if they could pre-tape an acceptance speech just in case they win. Chris thinks for a moment and then his face lights up. He turns to me, ‘Jessica, why don’t you accept the award for us? Yes, yes. You can say you’re Chris and Kristen can be Jonny. Say how you are the real geniuses behind Coldplay. We’ll all stand behind you and say that we are your friends.’ What the fuck?!? How the hell was I supposed to accept an award for them? You should have seen the look on my face. It was one of sheer terror. I was mortified at the thought. The only words that could come out of my mouth was ‘Are you serious?’ Chris said yes. I don’t know what I was thinking but I said yes. I still can’t believe I did that. Paul handed me the mic and I realized at that moment what I was doing.

 

Anyways, we lined up against the balcony. And as we were lining up, we hear people screaming and then Will starts screaming. I look around the corner and it was the people in the lineup screaming. So they put on happy faces and start waving. I thought that was absolutely hilarious. Chris was behind me to my right. I can’t remember where everyone else stood. I think it went, from left to right Will, Jonny, Chris and Guy. I blanked out on what we were suppose to do and I go ‘who am I again?’. Chris thinks for a moment and just tells me to be me. I go ‘are you sure? I’ll be whoever you want me to be’. I realized it sounded a bit perverted after I said it. Chris goes ‘yeah, just say your name and say you’re the real geniuses behind Coldplay.’

 

Okay, so take one. Jeff had the camera on us.

 

Me: Hi I’m Jessica.

*passes mic to Kristen*

Kristen: And I’m Kristen.

*mic back to me*

*pause*

Me: Shit!!

 

I crapped out. I forgot what I was saying. Jeff asked me if I needed a moment to collect my thoughts. I needed more than a moment then. So I thought about what I was going to say. Paul steps up to me and tells me all I need to do is thank Much and the fans. That was basically it. Thank goodness for Paul and the crew. They were so nice to me and made me feel at ease. So I took a moment and we rolled tape again.

 

Me: Hi I’m Jessica.

*passes mic to Kristen*

Kristen: And I’m Kristen.

*mic back to me*

Me: We’re the real geniuses behind Coldplay. Oh yes, these are just our friends.

*passed mic back to Coldplay*

*they mumble something into the mic*

*mic back to me*

Me: We’d like to thank MuchMusic for this award. We’d also like to thank the fans because (can’t remember what I said). Thank you.

 

Jeff gave me the signal that we had cut. I just about shit myself. Everyone started cheering for me and said it was really cute and that I sounded really convincing. Meanwhile, I was trying to breathe again. I can’t believe I did that. I accepted an award for Coldplay. I really, really hope they win. You guys can vote for them at MuchMusic for People’s Choice Favorite International Group. Here are the nominees for this category.

 

Favourite International Group

Coldplay - In My Place (Parlophone/EMI)

Good Charlotte - The Anthem (Epic/Sony)

Linkin Park - Somewhere I Belong (Warner)

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop (Warner)

The White Stripes - Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground (V2/BMG)

 

You can vote here. http://www.muchmusic.com/events/mmva03/ Please vote for Coldplay. They deserve it so much and I bet you really want to see me accept their award for them. :p ;)

 

Gillian took a picture of us on the balcony and we started to head inside. Roger told them that we had some things for them to sign. I apologized because I had brought so many things. Will said ‘That’s okay. We have our stamps. We’ll just stamp everything for you.’ :D They took one look at the pool table and was blown away. I think they were both impressed and flattered that I had all of their singles. They asked if there were any Sharpies and I said yes, there’s one for everyone right there. They thought I was so organized. :D Chris, Will and Guy took the normal Sharpies. I saw that Jonny would get the Super Sharpie so I said ‘Aww, Jonny gets the Super Sharpie’ and everyone laughed. They signed every single thing I had laid out for them. I can’t believe it. They’re amazing for doing that. I guess it helps if you give them gifts. :p

 

Having all of their singles splayed out for them was like a trip down memory lane for them. They reminisced about each of them. Chris took a look at my IMP single and said ‘Where’s I Bloom Blaum?’ I told him that the Canadian edition didn’t have that b-side and that Animals wasn’t on the Clocks single. They looked a bit disappointed. Chris starts yelling at Dave, their manager about why these b-sides were left off the singles. It was funny. :) Then he says something to the effect of, that’s okay, we’ll have a b-side album one day and we’ll call it The B-A-side album.’ I thought it was cute. :) They were absolutely fascinated with my Blue Room EP and my Sparks EP. I apologized over and over for bringing so much but they said it’s okay and happily signed away.

 

They signed:

Yellow single

Don’t Panic single

Trouble single

Shiver single

IMP single

The Scientist single

Clocks single

Parachutes

A Rush of Blood to the Head

Brothers & Sisters

The Blue Room EP

Sparks EP

Norweigen Live EP

Clocks DVD

The Scientist DVD

Parachutes poster

A Rush of Blood to the Head poster

my tour book

my lyric booklet

 

I stood at the end of the pool table with Chris, Jonny and Guy and commented on the strong smell that was eminating from my stuff because of the Sharpies. Chris goes ‘But it’s a good smell.’ :D That’s my kind of guy! Well, after that I thanked them again for everything they’ve done for me and shook their hands again. They thanked me for the gifts and I told them they were absolutely welcome. I said to Jonny ‘I just hope you’ll use them!’ He smiles. Will wished us a safe flight back and I told him to have fun on his holiday. I rolled up my posters and packed up my stuff. And as I left, I thanked them once again and told them to take care. They all waved and smiled.

 

We (Gillian, Nam, the crew, Kristen and I) got into the elevator and after the doors had closed, someone (can’t remember who) asked me what I thought. I thought it was absolutely amazing. They were so nice to me. I was absolutely speechless. Everyone in the elevator was so happy for me and they said that my acceptance speech was awesome. I must’ve looked like such a dork when I was doing that.

 

We went outside to the patio and took a photo together. I walked back to the media gate with Nam and Paul and talked about how nice they were. Nam had a lot of good things to say about them as did Paul. We got to the media gate and I said my goodbyes to the crew and Gillian. Gillian invited me to stop by Much so she could give us a tour. I thanked them once again and Kristen and I headed towards the gate. We skipped the lineup. Ha ha! :)

 

Kristen and I found our seats and boy, were they ever amazing! We went up to the merch booth to get some swag. I got a grey t-shirt, both posters and a tank top. We went back to our seats. Kristen and I couldn’t even find the words to describe how we felt so we just sat in silence for a while. Finally, we decided to discreetly look at our loot. :D I took out my Blue Room EP and just about started sobbing. Chris had written ‘Thanks Jessica. It was great to eat with you. Love Coldplay.’ Some girls two seats to the right of us noticed and asked where we met the guys. Now, I’m a modest person. I wasn’t really going to say but Kristen interupts me and says ‘We just had dinner with them.’ It was so classic! The look on their faces! And one of them says ‘I sent in so many postcards. I’m so jealous. Do you think Gwenyth is here?’ :rolleye: So I moved away from her.... :p I noticed Chris’ father with some of his friends or maybe it was family. And I saw a beautiful blond woman that could’ve been Gwen but I don’t know.

 

Before we knew it, Eisley took the stage. The crowd was really sparse and didn’t really appreciate them much. Ron was wicked! He is so great live. And then Chris joined him for Gold In Them Hills.

 

It got cold during intermission so I put on my grey Coldplay t-shirt and that warmed me up a lot. The show rocked ass! I stood up for the entire thing despite having my boots killing me. It was worth the pain. I got some great pictures and had a great view of the band. The second encore was amazing. I felt so spoiled by that time. Lips Like Sugar was amazing live. I was the only one around me who knew what song it was. Life Is For Living gave me chills.

 

We started heading up the aisle to the right of the amphitheatre. What a zoo! I was headed up near the seats when I saw Molly trying to head down. I called out her name. She had no clue who I was since I’ve never posted a pic but I told her and we had a moment. I also met Cindy (Bloody_Awesome from the official mb) whom she was with. We all agreed that the show rocked and I told them about dinner and how I accepted the MMVA for them. Kristen and I had to go because our driver was waiting for us. Molly had to go because she was trying to get to the afterparty again.

 

The driver was crazy (what else is new?) But we made it back to the hotel in one piece. Kristen and I layed out all of our precious cargo on the bed and I did my happy dance around it. I was on cloud nine. It was such a great feeling. It felt so surreal. I just.. I can’t describe it.

 

June 12th, 2003

 

Kristen and I went sightseeing around TO with only four hours of sleep under our belts. We went to the harbour to take a tour. That was really cool. We went to the CN tower which was really, really cool. Molly called me on my cell as we were heading out of the tower so I backtracked and met up with her. She tagged along with us to MuchMusic. Thank goodness for her because she knows Toronto better than I do and I’m shit at reading maps. Gillian was kind enough to pause her work and take us on a tour of the ChumCity Building. We met Jen Hollette in the Much studios. It is much more smaller than it looks on TV. We toured the whole building. I never knew there were so many TV stations housed there. Gillian put us on the guest list for MuchOnDemand and told us if we didn’t go, it would be no big deal. We said our goodbyes and parted ways again.

 

Molly came with us to our hotel room and relaxed there until it was time to go. We passed time by watching Jerry Springer. Interesting.... Foolishly, I decided not to change out of my now dirty clothing. I really didn’t have any other clean clothing to wear and thought it would suffice. Stupidly, I decided not to do my hair or makeup. We took a cab down to Much because it was raining and waited in line. The lady at the door took our names and immediately recognized us as the Coldplay contest winners. We were taken to a waiting area and waited until 4:30pm at which point they moved us into the studios. A guy told us where to sit. We were basically front and centre which I didn’t want to be. The lights were so hot! We got the ground rules of what to do and what not to do right before going live. After the first segment, Nam came over to me and hugged me. She asked how the concert was and everything. She is so sweet! And then after the second segment or so, Paul came over and asked me how the concert was. At this point, The Scientist was playing on Much. He asked me when they played this song during the night. I didn’t know for sure but Molly sure did. She had the entire setlist written on her arm. He was perplexed as to how Molly and I knew each other. :p Then he asked if we wanted to talk about the concert. How could I say no to him. He’s done so much for me already. That and he is really goodlooking. So Manny, the floor director, told us where to stand. We met Rick and Jen. Rick gave us a rundown of what he was going to ask. Jen asked us how Coldplay were. She was really nice to us and said that she was glad that ‘true fans won’. That made me feel good. :) The commercial break ended and we did our mini-interview thing. Now by this time in the day, I looked like crap in my dirty clothing, rain-drenched hair and no makeup. Oh well! Rick asked us what we ate, blah, blah, blah. Molly showed off her setlist and then we were finished.

 

After taping wrapped up, we got to take a picture with Jen and Bradford. Jen repeated her sentiment of how she was glad true fans had won the contest and how many people only enter the contests for the trip and not the music. We had a good chat about that. Bradford asked us how dinner was.

 

We went to East Side Mario’s for dinner after. Then went back to the hotel to start packing, stayed up to watch ourselves on TV and then went to bed.

 

June 13th, 2003

 

Friday the 13th!!!! And we were flying home that day! I just prayed that the plane wouldn’t crash. The flight home was interesting. We immediately went into total whiteness upon take off. The plane was moving left and right but my body had difficulty telling which way we were going. I almost tossed my cookies then. I saw the lakes of Manitoba which was really cool. Before we knew it, we were back in Alberta. The descent was even more nervewracking then the take off. The planed dropped suddenly a few times and each time, I said to myself This is it, I’m going to die! Of course, it was only my own paranoia. The pilot weaved back and forth from left to right and then we landed. I was finally home, sweet home. :D

 

 

 

Okay, I know that was just a teeny, tiny bit long. :lol: My friend has the pictures of us at dinner. We didn't take that many. I guess I don't really need any photos to remind me of that night. :D

:D

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WHOA!! that was AWSOME to read!!! lol....and l'm lazy too! ;)

aww lm happy you had an awsome time meeting the band!! lol p.s....what did you guys eat anyways?? ahaha...you never mentioned?

 

aww and its awsome to hear you liked Toronto as well! :D

WHOA!! that was AWSOME to read!!! lol....and l'm lazy too! ;)

aww lm happy you had an awsome time meeting the band!! lol p.s....what did you guys eat anyways?? ahaha...you never mentioned?

 

aww and its awsome to hear you liked Toronto as well! :D

 

Ah crap! I knew I forgot something. Kristen and I ate food from the crew's buffet table. The band had a personal chef with them. They had soup and another dish. I couldn't tell what it was. Chris looked at what we were eating and asked us why we weren't eating the same thing as they were. Hell, if I know! :lol: It was cute because he was so concerned and wanted us to have the same thing as them. :)

LOL damn did it look like pasta? lol...now lm so curious! arg!! ahaha they are all on a strict diet of salad mush! :lol:

LOL damn did it look like pasta? lol...now lm so curious! arg!! ahaha they are all on a strict diet of salad mush! :lol:

 

I think it was all veggies. They ate all of it with a fork. :-o :shrug: I'm sorry, Vin but I was too busy looking at them instead of their food. :lol: :lol: Man, I love this smiley! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Oh yeah, I just remembered something. Chris kept complaining of a headache during the whole thing and kept asking if he had SARS. We just told him no and laughed at him. :lol:

LOL...ahhaa...l know you were too busy watching them!! lol...but me...my passion is food :D !!! how were jonny ad guy looking? because l havnt seen them for a long time. You wrote, that jonny has a beard :shock: a THICKER one?? lol

and how about Guy?

that was awesome :D

 

but they ruined all your collection!!! :x only kidding :lol: :D

Awww that was so sweet to read! :D I'm so jealous lol

The guys are so sweet, it's great to hear you had a blast with them.

 

Some people's luck! :roll: :P :D

wow I have just read this more in depth on the other board and yes guy is nice after all yay!!

*hyperventilating*

 

will post again after recovered enough to read properly

WOW JESS!!

That is so amazing!! coldplay are the best!! :D :D

stunning report!! :o

 

 

 

i edited my post :cry:

MOmo, that's ruining my computer!!!!!! :x

 

anyhoo, jESS!!! That is awesome!!! Thanks so much for sharing your experience!! You're one lucky gal!!

 

DAMN YOU MOMO!!!! :-x

that was so great jess, i'm so happy for you! when do u think that will air on muchmusic? i didn't even know they had a contest...i should start watching more tv...

 

anyway, once again, that was an amazing report! i was deliriuosly happy just being in 305 seats :D , i can only imagine what u must have felt like meeting them.

 

also very happy to know guy is not an a**hole :-D

The Metropolitan Hotel is gorg, you are lucky to have stayed there!! And it's so close to the Eaton Centre, it's like a 2 minute walk :shock: But I'm glad you like T.O. :D

 

Yeah Molson Amphitheatre can get really windy cos it's on the Lake but the weather was pretty good that day. At least it didn't rain!

 

I'm surprised that they didn't know before about how we don't get the same b-sides at the UKers do, but glad that you told them about it!

 

And I can't believe your seats were so close to me!! I was looking for a girl in a brown cord skirt all night. I was section 201 seat 29 (my friend was 30) row S. So I must have been like directly behind you by 10 rows :shock: Grace (genie) & Mel (snowbunnie) from the other board said they saw you with a camera crew before the show started, but you were far away from them so they didn't talk to you.

 

That was fantastic and well written :D

What a sweet story! I'm glad you had such a great time. Thanks for posting it! :)

great!!! :D but you never said anything about our message board :(

ahhaha she still has to answer my question about the beard :shock: