Special Fan Experiences!

Hello lovely scissorhood! The other day I was reading the old scissorboards and I came across a lovely and amazing fan experience from a new fan of the band. It was really moving and I thought this was a great place to share it in case you never got to see it on the boards.

"Hi everyone!

I'm a relatively new fan in the Philadelphia, PA area. I'm a hairdresser in training, a ridiculous PC geek, and a singer/songwriter with a background in electronic music (demos, game soundtracks) and music theory (college composition). I'm also a post-op transwoman, a former resident of San Francisco (Trannyshack was a weekly outing for me in late 2003), and a weekend sales rep / vendor at a local electronics store.

Here is where I must confess that I hadn't listened to any Scissor Sisters albums until a July cross country trip with my brother (he's an audio engineer and my best friend). I loved them at first listen. In fact, we didn't get to playing much else.

And I loved them so much that they became my favorite band almost overnight. And it wouldn't be a stretch to say I am a bit obsessed. Ana Matronic has become something of a personal hero of mine. I have made a number of Scissor Sisters dominated mix CDs for my class at beauty school and they get the room happy and moving. I spent entirely too much time reading every post by Ana and Jake on the forum here. My brother and I also play a few songs on our guitars and digital piano. Take Your Mama is beautifully simple to play -- only 4 chords! So, yes, maybe a little obsessed.

Anyway, it was my great pleasure to experience an incredible SS show this past Friday (the 27th) at the Electric Factory in Philly. Life changing is a good description. My avatar is a photo of me in the car just before leaving home for the show. I didn't know anyone else who was going, but that didn't bother me -- I figured I would make friends there (I was right). I was decked out in red and one of my classmates (a dear friend) had done my hair in kind of an edgy updo.

After meeting a some new friends, having a drink, and talking awhile, we heard Casey Spooner sing a few songs, then a DJ, then Scissor Sisters. I was standing a couple feet from the stage, so their presence was overwhelming. Jake and Ana were gorgeous and they had beautifully intense eyes. It was hard to move with so many people in such close proximity, but I danced my butt off as best I could, and I knew most of the words so I sang along too.

I know that I stand out in a crowd for my height alone (6'3"), and I have flame red hair thanks to Paul Mitchell Inkworks, and I also dressed in an eye-catching outfit, but what came next just floored me:

After a dramatic encore with Comfortably Numb and Invisible Light, Ana starts talking about how gorgeous she thinks the crowd is. She banters with Jake about being turned on (he grins and nods, cue whoops from the crowd). Then she says "We have been distracted all night," she points to me and continues, "there is a beautiful redhead down here who looks like the entire cast of Mad Men put together."

Cue the entire venue turning to look at me appreciatively for a few moments, and all of the sudden my lifetime confidence deficit vanishes. Gone. Like turning off a light. People are not looking at me like it's a freak show, they're looking at me and nodding, saying "whoa", and generally agreeing with Ana. I don't remember doing much other than putting my hand over my heart, blushing, and beaming.

Then the band launches into Filthy Gorgeous and burns the place down.

I have been walking on a cloud ever since, and I ain't coming down. In addition to confidence, I feel such intense gratitude. I read lots of talk of "life changing" concerts on fansites, and heard lots of "life change" related banter on stage, and sure enough, after that show I feel like I've caught a ride on a thunderbolt.

A lot of people laugh when I say this, but all my life I felt ugly -- like a girl who stepped in a pile of mutant goop. Now I feel like a legendary creature -- a chimera, or a unicorn. The difference in mindset did not happen all at once at the show; it's happened gradually over years. But when Ana singled me out, it seemed to crystallize things and help me realize how far I've come.

Anyway, that's my story, and now I'm here posting on this forum. I am a fangirl for life, darlings.

Kristen"


I just want to thank Kristen for allowing me to share her experience and if you have any experiences with the band that you want to share, throw them my way!