November 4th, 2004

">Alternative - Neil




Alternative - Chris, a photo by eithne.lioness on Flickr.

The concert was over and Pet shop Boys had to keep with their journey. So we had to say them goodbye. And we were again at the airport to do it.

This concert was the first time I decided to go using a PSB costume. And that time, I used the “I don’t know what you want but I can’t give I anymore” kind of costume. One of the things I told Neil was that I was wearing it during the concert. He told me he remembered me.

I asked them both for their autographs and It thanked me for coming back. I think they even promised they were not going to take as long as 10 years to coming back. And they actually kept their promise, they came back 2 years later.

November 2nd, 2006

I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing , a photo by eithne.lioness on Flickr.

Pet Shop Boys come for the first time to Mexico in 1994. They took 10 years to return. And we had to welcome them in the most proper way.

And the most proper way was going to the airport to welcome them.

In this point, I need to thank my friend Gaby. Thanks to her, we had the information about the flight they were coming and when it was going to arrive. So a lot of fans were at the airport waiting for them.

We were a crowd. I mean, we were like 20 or 30 people but we looked like 100. When they finally were going to get out of the arrival gates… they came back inside! For a moment I thought they were scared of us and security was going to take them through another gate or something. We looked like a lot of people and we looked quite crazy. I would have been scared myself!

But I think they just needed one moment to realize there were a lot of fans waiting for them outside ad they had to do their duty… So Neil came out first, taking out his marker, ready to sign autographs…

And the craziness began… The show lasted like 5 minutes but for me it was like 1 hour. I ran to Chris, because everyone was with Neil. You have to take your chances when you can, Chris was a much more reachable target in that moment. I‘m pretty sure I did say a lot of nonsense and I don’t remember what it was. But I think I welcomed to Mexico and asked kindly for their autographs.

It was a crazy moment. Everything was passing in slow camera and everyone was running from one side to the other trying to get a photo, an autograph, talking to Neil, talking to Chris… God, that was a real pandemonium. But I need to say, none of the fans made something stupid and every single person was respectful to them.
I was carrying my support team. My mother and my sisters have always been a great support in all the crazy things I have done the last 15 years. And they had a mission that day. They were responsible for collecting some autographs. And they did it great!

At the end, when they got into the transport and said goodbye, everyone was excited, everyone was happy and I think no one was disappointed. And that was only the beginning of the adventure, because the next day we were going to see them for first time in 10 years in a concert in Mexico!

Release (Blue Special Edition) - 2002

Release, a photo by eithne.lioness on Flickr.

My friend Samantha was kind enough (again) and she got me this autograph. Pet Shop Boys gave a session of signing in a record store when they released “Release”. This is one of autographs I didn’t get personally.

Bilingual (Special Edition) - February 14th, 2002

Bilingual - Neil, a photo by eithne.lioness on Flickr.

First time… Well, not first time per se…

The first time I went to a PSB concert was on November 20th, 1994 in Mexico City. I was at the concert but I had only listened to one song from them and that was “Go west”. So I was not really a fan… You could say I did not even know them… Not for real…

I had to wait 7 years for my official first concert. And I had to travel to England to have the chance to do it. It was my first flight, my first time in Europe, my first time in England, my first time in London, my first time being away from home more than a couple of days… It was tough. I was 21 but I was pretty much a child. The hardest part is realize you are so many kilometres away from home, mommy is as far away as it, you are on your own and you have done it just because you wanted, more than anything, to be in a PSB concert.

I got my concert, after so many years of waiting, I see the PSB live and I was happy. Actually, I felt like the happiest person in the venue, which was, by the way, the Astoria Theatre. I even cried! Yeah, I cried in my first PSB concert. And I do not feel ashamed of that. I do not know if the people who were around remember that night. I am Mexican so I have all this excitement and craziness in me. I was screaming, I was singing out loud, I was crying… I was being myself. Quite different from the English regular audience.

I was willing to do whatever it took to have the chance to see Neil and ask him for an autograph. I had travelled from Mexico to London and I had to try.

Thank God, I did not to do a lot to make it. I have to say I have been lucky all these years and I have had a lot of chances to meet them. This was my first lucky shot in a fan from hell road which started this very day.

I must thank Rob and Samantha. They were a great help. Samantha was my host in England and she is one my first PSB friend. And Rob is her lovely husband. Any of this would have been possible if I had not had their help and support. Thank you, guys. You know I love you and I will never forget this experience.

We were getting out of the Astoria and I was telling Samantha that I wanted to wait for Neil. We were crossing the street when we saw a lot of people walking in one direction. Rob saw it was Neil the one they were following. So we ran… I knew we were not going to catch him… So I made a desperate move, which I cannot forget thanks to Samantha. She reminds me once in a while what I did. I screamed, like the crazy girl I am, “Neil, I’m from Mexico!” (if you think about it, it’s a stupid thing to scream at Neil but I was not thinking at the moment) and, the miracle, he stopped! And I was able to reach him. I do not remember the exact words that I said. He asked if I was from Mexico and I said I was and I wanted to have my CD signed by him. That was the only thing I could say. If you know me, you could day I’m a little chatty and it is difficult getting me quite. But in that moment, I went speechless. Neil signed my CD, Rob took a picture and I was in ecstasy. And when he left (he was heading to a nightclub for the after party), tears again! I was crying because I could not believe I had made it. I have gotten this autograph from Neil… It had been a dream for 7 years! During those years, I thought something like that never was going to happen. But I was there and it had happened!

There is no way to describe how I felt. I was happy… I have to say the same happiness comes to me every time I see them. I had accomplished one dream which I had had for so many years. I was in London, I had seen a PSB concert, I had had a Neil’s autograph. A dream come true. And I know anyone who has had an experience like this can perfectly understand how I felt.
So, this is the story for the first autograph I ever had.