My Experience Meeting Richie Sambora & Orianthi Panagaris

Last July I had the opportunity to meet Richie Sambora, former guitarist of the world famous rock band Bon Jovi and Orianthi Panagaris who has played guitar alongside some of the biggest names in the music industry including Michael Jackson, Prince and Alice Cooper. I've been a big fan of Orianthi ever since I first saw her in Michael Jackson's This Is It film when I was just eleven years old. Watching Orianthi play guitar alongside one of my all-time favourite singers Michael Jackson was what inspired me to learn guitar. I was completely mesmerised watching her perform and wanted to one day play guitar with the skill and talent that she has!

Orianthi & I

Around this time last year, I heard that Orianthi would be joining Richie Sambora on his tour of the UK and Europe. The best part was that the final show of the tour would take place here in Scotland! I'd previously seen Orianthi perform live with Alice Cooper and was extremely hyper that I might actually get to see her live in concert for the second time! I was also extremely delighted about the prospect of seeing Richie Sambora in concert as I've always loved Bon Jovi-who doesn't?! For me, it was one of those win-win situations.

One of my biggest dreams was to one day meet Orianthi. With this in mind my lovely Mum managed to get in contact with a member of her team who kindly arranged for me to meet with Orianthi prior to the show in Glasgow! I cannot begin to describe just how excited I was!

On the day of the show my Dad and I were also invited to watch Richie and Ori's pre-show sound check. By the time we arrived at the venue that day there was a huge queue of people also attending the concert spanning right up the street. As we walked past them, I could feel the infectious buzz coming from those waiting. 

After letting the appropriate people know that we'd arrived, we were then escorted inside to watch the sound check. I'm extremely interested in what goes behind the scenes at events such as concerts and loved every second of it watching all of the comings and goings happening around me. Instruments were being tuned, the merchandise stall was in the process of being set up and the lighting was being adjusted. So much work goes on behind the scenes to make each show run smoothly and to the perfection that we the audience see. We're all unaware of just how much time, hard work and effort each member of the crew puts into every show. Without them there would be no show! From spending such a short period of time in that environment it was evident that both the crew as well as the band are extremely close. I can only imagine that whilst on tour everyone becomes like an extended family.

After a short wait both Richie and Ori arrived at the venue in time for sound check. They appeared on stage from the darkened wings and began to set up their guitars with the help of the guitar techs. Once organised, Orianthi looked in my direction and waved! It was one of those exciting moments in life where it all seemed like a dream. Even if I hadn't actually met her, having Orianthi wave in my direction would have made my night!

Watching sound check was such a cool experience-it was like having your own private concert! During sound check they performed a bunch of songs by some of the biggest names in the music industry. I can't remember the exact list of songs they performed however, I'm pretty sure it included numbers from artists such as Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder and The Beatles.

We were then taken backstage towards the end of the band's sound check. As you can probably imagine at this exact moment I was rather excited! I'd wanted to meet Ori for years and the moment was finally going to happen!!!!

We waited in the hallway outside of the dressing rooms whilst Ori got ready for the show. I'd never properly been backstage before, so I really enjoyed soaking everything in. For whatever reason I had always imagined backstage areas to be quite glamorous (I have no idea why to be honest!). However, it wasn't at all what I expected. I liked it though, there was a nice buzz about the place.

After waiting for a few minutes, a small crowd of people appeared at the other end of the hall. It took a few moments for my brain to click and for me to realise that there, at the other side of the corridor was Richie Sambora himself! He immediately came right over to me and started chatting. Richie was such a lovely, genuine and down to earth type of guy! He certainly wasn't one of those rockstars/celebrities that couldn't care less about their fans. I wish I could tell you more of what he said but I had one those star struck moments-typical me!

I had my photo taken with Richie but didn't realise until later on that our camera had decided to play up and didn't save the photograph which was frustrating-but at least I have the memory! Before bidding us farewell and heading to his dressing room, Richie gave me a big hug and shook hands with my Dad! What a special moment!

Before long one of the dressing room doors opened and out came Orianthi! Both Dad and I shook hands with her and she then gave me a big hug! Ori was seriously one of the loveliest people I've met! I felt at ease chatting with her, which was lovely as I really got to enjoy the time I spent with her. It wasn't one of those moments that I had gotten so hyped up about, my mind went blank and then all seemed liked a blur afterwards. Instead, I can replay the moment in my head, recalling every detail and remembering the exact conversation.

I really admire Orianthi's sense of style and one of the first things I really noticed was her outfit which you'll be able to get a glimpse of in the photo I have added to this post. She was even wearing one of her famous hats that I'd admired in so many of her photographs posted on Instagram. But before I could even mentioned how much I love her style, she complimented my outfit and hat!

I chatted with Orianthi about her time touring with Alice Cooper, I'd seen them live in Edinburgh almost two years before. She told me about one of their shows (which funnily enough I happened to have watched footage of on YouTube) where during School's Out, Alice and the rest of the guys in the band all appeared wearing blonde wigs similar to Ori's hair. It was interesting to hear her account of what happened, as I often watch concert videos and wonder what it's like from the musician's point of view.

Orianthi even told me about some of the new musical projects she'd been working on such as recording at the legendary Abbey Road Studios and her greatest hits album which at the time was just weeks away from being released in Japan. She also told me a little bit about the new album that both her and Richie are currently working on, which of course I can't wait to hear as it sounds like it'll be right up my street!

I brought along my copies of Orianthi's albums in hope that she would sign them for me. Kindly obliging, she turned to me and thanked me for supporting her work and purchasing her albums. Meeting someone who I really admire and having them thank me for my support really meant a lot! It's lovely to hear directly from the artist that they appreciate their fans support. Before making our way to our seats to watch the show, I then had my photograph taken with Ori. Fortunately, the camera decided to cooperate this time-phew!
This just so happened to be the final show of Richie's tour of the UK and Europe and it was great end to the tour I must say! Richie played a range of songs from his time as a member of Bon Jovi and also performed material from his solo albums. Together, they even performed a song named "You Don't Wanna know" which featured as one of the tracks on Orianthi's latest album "Heaven In This Hell". As you can imagine there was some amazing guitar solos which of course I could happily sit there and listen to for days without end. And of course, I can't forget the amazing Glasgow audience who love to have a good time!

At the end of the show one of the roadies came and found me with a Richie's copy of the show's set list that he had on stage with him for me to keep. I've never had the opportunity to stand at the front of the stage at a concert before because of my health. Due to that I've never had the opportunity to catch a plectrum from the band or a copy of the set list. As you can imagine I have and will continue to treasure the set list and plectrums I received that evening as memento from the amazing night that I had.

I highly doubt that Richie, Ori or any or their wonderful team will ever come across this post but if they do, I just wanted to say a huge thank-you to each and everyone of them for making my dream come true! They were all so sweet and kind and really made me feel special! I also owe a huge thank you to my amazing Mum as without her this would never have happened!

Let's Make A Difference!

If you know me personally or have read any of my pervious posts you'll be aware that I was born with a physical disability and suffer from a condition named Complex Regional Pain Syndrome which affects my life drastically. Being born with a disability fortunately meant that I never had to go through adjusting to a new way of life using a wheelchair. I grew up with my disability and never thought of it is as something weird, I always saw myself as me and didn't really care what anyone else thought.
Initially, when I first went to primary school I was treated differently because of my disability alongside the fact that I had to use a wheelchair to help me get around. I despised going to school, I absolutely hated it! I was a quiet, mousy type of girl back then and just quietly went about my business despite how much I hated going to school.
Life completely changed for me when my family and I moved to another town. Both my sister and I were enrolled in a small rural school in the middle of the countryside. If we looked out one window we could see endless fields of green and usually a herd of cows grazing in the grass. Looking out another window we could see the sea far into the horizon. It was simply stunning.
With around thirty-six pupils at any given time, I felt completely normal there. Everyone excepted me for who I was and never made me feel different because of my disability. It felt like being a part of a big family and that most definitely was what I needed. Attending a small, rural school completely changed me as a person. I found my confidence and made so many wonderful friends. I am truly grateful to all of my friends there for accepting me and giving me the chance to feel normal.
Unfortunately, I'm too old to attend primary school and instead I'm now home tutored and find myself in my final few years of secondary school. In recent years I've been let down ALOT by people who I thought would always be there for me. If I'm being completely honest it really hurt and I felt extremely let down. Since my knee surgery in 2011, I've had a lot of ups and downs which has helped me mature and become the person that I am today. It's been really difficult at times but I've managed to get through it. I'm fully aware that the doctors are no longer able to do anything for my condition, with that in mind I have decided do my upmost to enjoy life as much as I possibly can and achieve all of my dreams and ambitions.
My intentions for writing this post and on a much bigger scale, creating this entire blog is to open people's eyes and help change things for the better. I'm sick and tired of everyone being classed as the same! I'm sorry, but we're not all the same!  Each and everyone of us are unique and I don't care what anyone says, we should feel genuinely proud of who we are!
Like I said above, I have lived with a physical disability ever since I was born. But what I'm trying to get across to the world is that I am a person with real thoughts and real feelings; I am not the disability!
A few years ago I made the decision to take a firm stance and decided to truly express myself and dress in my own, unique and sometimes crazy style. I'm different anyway, so when people stare at me whilst I'm using my wheelchair, why not give them something else to stare at other than the piece of metal that follows me everywhere I go?
There have been a few professionals that I've come across of late who don't seem to accept the word "no". Yes, they have a job to do and I completely accept part of that is to provide me with information regarding what exactly I'm entitled to. However, I'm no longer a child and I am more than capable of making my own decisions that affect my own life! This means that if I say "no", particularly when I have good reasoning to back up my decision the professionals shouldn't persist with the subject and attempt to make me change my mind. I have had many conversations with my GP, who has always encouraged me to speak up and to make sure the professionals around me listen to my wants and wishes. I sometimes think they forget my age and forget the fact that I know my own mind-set and that I'm entitled to my own opinion.
With this in mind I've decided that rather than sitting back and doing nothing I really want to change things. If I have both the ability and knowledge that is required to make a difference, then I should do my bit to get the ball rolling. We need to work at changing people's outlooks and make the professionals around us listen. In order to get things right for each and everyone of us we need to be included in making decisions that affect us because no one knows us better than ourselves.
Unfortunately, I can't wave a magic wand and everything will be okay but what I can do is begin to set the foundation for change. I have created a twitter account for this blog and also plan on setting up a facebook page which I shall share on this blog as soon as it's up and running. Through my social media accounts I want to support other young people out there whether they have a disability, going through a hard time in their life or feel passionate about individuality. I completely understand how hard life can be sometimes and hate to think that there are young people out there who feel that they can't talk to anyone. So if anyone ever needs someone to talk to or needs some advice please do not hesitate to contact me through one of my social media platforms or via my blog's email address which can be found on my contact page.
Im pretty sure that there are so many people out there that can relate to this post and share the same thoughts and feelings as me. I hope that together we can make a change so that no one feels alone or that they're not listened to by the people who are supposed to be there to help and support us.