9/28/09
I’m pleased to be able to tick this item off my list, especially considering I didn’t even set out to achieve it yet; however it was not quite in the context I had imagined. When originally writing my list I had pictured myself getting up onstage at MadisonSquareGardens or something with the likes of Beyonce or The Black Eyed Peas. This experience did however whet my appetite, so Fergie look out - I could be joining you onstage for a boogie before you know it…
So on Wednesday night my Aussie friend Libby and I got dressed up and made our way to The Rose Bar at The Plaza Hotel with my friend Bobby to see a jazz band perform. When we arrived we briefly met the band, called The Michael Fredo Orchestra who were very charming, but somewhat nervous having heard that Obama was in the hotel that night, along with a plethora of other foreign diplomats and country leaders.
As we settled on the bar stools for some scrumptious cocktails the band took to the ‘stage’ (which was more like a sectioned off area of the bar) and blew us away with their smooth sound. Never have I felt more sophisticated and cultured than I did right there; sitting in this stunning New York City landmark, surrounded by glamorous, designer clad 50-somethings, sipping from my martini glass and swaying appreciatively to such songs as ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ and ‘I Get A Kick Out Of You’.
But as they say; you can take the girl out of the party, but you can never take the party out of the girl, and pretty soon I was itching to get off my seat and dance. How could we let this beautiful music go to waste by merely sitting and nodding our heads in time? Bobby kindly acquiesced to my dance request, and even went one step further by going up to the singer and requesting a song for me. As the singer announced that the next song was for ‘A very special girl in the crowd who would like to dance’, I felt myself blushing like a school girl. Bobby and I took to the ‘dance floor’ and dipped and twirled like professionals (not really, but in my head that’s how we looked) for the duration of the song, and we even roused up some applause at the end.
Did this satisfy young Jenkins though? I think not! Within about half an hour the band started to play New York, New York and I was ready to take to the dance floor again. This time my victim was Libby. The song was not even through when the singer stopped singing and invited ‘these two lovely ladies’ (his words, not mine… I know better) on stage with him to finish the song. We gladly obliged, but when offered the chance to sing into the microphone, shyness (and common decency in my case) got the better of us and we politely declined, instead letting him finish the song off on his own while we danced either side of him. Again we were met with some applause at the end of the song, and we graciously exited the stage area, positively buzzing with excitement.
