debbie does harrah's

And now we've come to the genesis of this whole journey... The reason we decided --Out of the Blue?-- to get on a plane and fly to Philadelphia and drive to Atlantic City... And everything else. The entire eight-day trip was planned around getting to this one point in time...


Opening night of Deborah Gibson's Pop Goes Broadway -- a showcase of her greatest hits mixed in with popular songs from the Broadway shows she starred in over the years, plus a few other surprises. And we got to see it all from the 4th row!!


The show opened with All That Jazz from Chicago. Debbie tried to fake us out by sitting at the piano with her back to us, disguised in a hat and tuxedo coat with tails, trying to fit in as a member of the band while the dancers slinked and catted across the stage. We were quick to catch on!


It was not long before she hopped up from the piano, threw off the disguise and began to sing. It was an exciting moment... My first time seeing Debbie live. Melinda's third and Sam's fifth!



Shake Your Love!! Lord, what year is it? Surreal moment. Debbie and company were in great shape. Her dancers did double duty as her backup vocalists. Sam recognized and remarked that one of the dancers goes way back, performing with Debbie since before the release of Out of the Blue. OMG 20 years ago!

As Shake Your Love transitioned into Out of the Blue, they all moved to the piano. After singing Maybe This Time from Cabaret, Debbie slipped into something a little more... Charo... for Buenos Aires, from Evita.


I don't know, something about the outfit and the hair reminds me of Charo. Coochie, coochie!



After Buenos Aires, she talked some and made her way into the crowd. She came and stood right next to us while she chatted with the girls sitting in front of us, who had come from Florida to see the show. An older gentleman (using that term loosely) who was sitting across the aisle butted in to inform Debbie that he and his wife have been together for 40 years. We'll come back to him.

Debbie returned to the stage to sing Foolish Beat, which was followed by the "Shake Break" -- a costume change, according to Sam: Back in the day, she would go offstage to change and the dancers would dance and the band would play Shake Your Love. This was called Shake Break. Apparently, she still does it.


The next number was a showtune medley: Don't Tell Mama (Cabaret) / Me and My Baby (Chicago) / If My Friends Could See Me Now (Sweet Charity) / Hey Big Spender (Sweet Charity).





Then it got crazy. Like, senile crazy. I told you I'd come back to him. Did I mention that the average age of the audience was about 60? I smell comp'ed tickets! This next segment of the show was an audience participation number. They called for singers and dancers. One of the girls sitting in front of us whom Debbie had chatted with, she was chosen. A guy sitting farther down on our row, he was also selected. He was wearing an Electric Youth t-shirt! And of course, the older gentleman eagerly volunteered. Along with a dozen or so others.


What ensued was absolute bedlam, and I relished every moment of it. You can hear me giggling on the video. The older gentleman was cracking me up! Somehow he ended up with a microphone, which thankfully was apparently not on. Still, he tried again and again to prove that he was ready to shine. Just a-steppin' and a-clappin', he was truly marching to his own beat. No, he was not a follower. Performing with the others on the chorus line would not suffice. He would spontaneously break from the line several times and just run to Debbie or run to the front of the stage. Was he adorable or was he just nuts? He had to be urged back to his position. At some point, Debbie just went with it and indulged the old chap. (While they dance, you can hear Debbie asking, 40 years, really??) Downtown became It's My Party, which seemed appropriate. It's My Party and I... steal the show if I want to? Fearless!! ...Clueless?



In the end, he was still not satisfied. After all of the others had returned to their seats, he was still up there, teetering somewhere between exhaustion and excitement, uttering somewhat unintelligibly and asking Debbie to sing Happy Birthday to his wife. Once again, he won, and we all sang Happy Birthday to Nancy. Even though he was a little pesky, I still smile when I think about this moment. Imagine how big of a deal it was to the guy wearing the Electric Youth t-shirt, while the old guy had probably never heard of Debbie Gibson. And probably still doesn't know who she is... And probably doesn't even remember this night! LOL


After mister man finally took his seat, the show was able to resume. Debbie sang Hopelessly Devoted To You as tribute to when she did Grease on the West End in London. Sweet.




Next up, another surreal moment... Electric Youth! Complete with the dance moves from the video! I say that because I recognized them. Pretty cool.









Lost in Your Eyes. Classic move: she climbs onto the piano for the big finish.





Only in My Dreams. Watch out for that high note! Cameo by Sam and Melinda.


She did two songs for the encore. Dancing Queen (lots of fun) and I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love (weird way to end the show?).

only in atlantic city

Did I forget to post this picture of the Gummy Handcuffs we saw at the It's Sugar store? My bad. :)

the boardwalk, part 2

We returned to the boardwalk and resumed our exploration. This stretch had lots more going on and was evidently more popular.


More 99 cent shops and psychic readings...


A rack of postcards was enough to entice Sam and Melinda into Irene's. I, on the other hand, was ready to sit a spell. It was warming up on the boardwalk, and having neglected to bring a hat, I was getting too much sun.


As luck or fate or divine intervention would have it, someone was kind enough to help me out.


Something was really funny -- at least to me -- but I don't remember what it was.


Steel Pier in the background. It has an amusement park on it.


We trekked all the way to the Trump Taj Mahal. Ornate and tacky!


On the way back, we stumbled upon some celebrity handprints and autographs right outside Resorts Casino.


Check out Dolly's nails!





Classic boardwalk fare. These little stands were cool.


Melinda wanted to check out James' candy store that she had seen on TV. We bought some of their famous saltwater taffy and other treats and souvenirs. Good stuff!




No words. I think he was digging in the trash when his song came on.


When we reached Caesars, we stopped in It's Sugar at the Pier Shops and picked up a few more souvenirs.


Like a kid in a candy store?


We wrapped up our day on the boardwalk with some awesome soft-serve ice cream and The Water Show at the Pier Shops.

Here's a view from the pier looking back at the stretch of boardwalk that we covered -- Bally's all the way down to the Trump Taj Mahal (in the fog).


View from the other side. More fog rolling in...

* * * Are you ready to shake your love? * * *

atlantic

After lunch, we were eager to see the beach and the Atlantic.


We descended the boardwalk and stepped through some sizeable seashells, making our way down to the shore. We watched the waves crash, but only from a distance, as the water would wash up on the beach and creep along the sand for many yards, pushing us away.



The water seemed cold and rough, though there were a few surfers hanging loose (despite the "no swimming" signs), waiting for that perfect wave... or at least one that would suffice. It feels a bit strange being at the beach in cooler weather -- jeans and shoes and all -- but at the same time, I think it's fun. It's unusual, and that's what makes it great.


Plus, we were entertained by seagulls feasting on fresh crab. Brutal!

the boardwalk

Day 2 of the trip... We headed down to check out the boardwalk.

A little music, please, maestro...



Urged along by the clamor and clatter of the beat, we sauntered down the boardwalk towards Tropicana. We passed bums on benches, massage parlors, psychic readings, 99 cent shops, psychic readings... They really like their psychic readings around here.

At this point, we decided that all the action was pretty much the other way, so we turned around.


We found a cool little sidewalk cafe called EVO outside the Trump Plaza. Well, for us it was a sidewalk cafe, though normally I believe it would claim to be an upscale dining experience. Fancy casino restaurant. Something like that. Sam sums it up: bad service, crappy food and an expensive bottle of water.


We asked for water and got Acqua Panna, bottled in Tuscany, Italy. It was good. And tasted like water. I spied something on the menu that I was sure I'd never had before and decided to go for it. When in Atlantic City!


Sliced filet mignon panini with sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and mozzarella. Mmmmmm... Why not? Boardwalk dining at its finest.

wee would like to play

Fresh off his tour of the UK, Lil Wee was spotted on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ. Aww, he's just a wee little thing.

atlantic city or busty

You know what's cool? The night before we left, TBS was rerunning the episode of Sex and the City where Carrie and the girls head to Atlantic City, Luck Be an Old Lady. Fate? I thought it was neat. We watched, for luck.

After we landed in Philly, we collected our luggage, hopped in the rental car, and set out on our adventure. We crossed the Walt Whitman bridge into New Jersey and were on our way down the Atlantic City Expressway.


Along the route, we spotted pinks, whites and purples... Wisteria. There were also tolls, everywhere. Don't get off!


Eventually the highway nears the coast and reaches the parking garage at Caesars. The fog was eerie and hanging, and temperatures were in the lower 50s.


After check-in, we found our room and got changed so we could get moving. We hopped on the Jitney, which was an adventure all its own, and rode to the Borgata hotel and casino to see Dolly Parton perform!


I snapped photo after photo trying to get a decent shot, but as Dolly is a star...


and radiates... her own light?...


She appeared before us as a glowing, pure white deity entity. I was convinced that we were in the presence of greatness. Fortunately, Melinda was able to zoom in more closely and get great shots like these...


Hey, we saw Dolly Parton perform live! Can you believe it? The legend herself. The icon? Incredible! The performance itself was darn near perfect as well. She makes it look so easy.

She sang new material to promote her recent CD release Backwoods Barbie, and to our delight, she sang some old gems as well. Here are some excerpts from the list that Sam kept.

• Two Doors Down
• Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That
  
• Jolene
• Thank God I'm a Country Girl!
  
• Backwoods Barbie
• Eagle When She Flies
• Coat of Many Colors

Then she took like a half hour intermission and told us to take a break as well.

• Better Get to Livin'
• Puppy Love (first song she ever recorded, sang it in a high voice)
• 50's - 60's medley
• White Limozeen
• Here You Come Again
• Islands in the Stream
• 9 to 5
• I Will Always Love You
• Jesus & Gravity (encore)

She spoke freely between songs, telling jokes and stories, like how she wrote Eagle When She Flies for the movie Steel Magnolias (but they didn't use it in the movie).

I captured a few seconds of Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That.



Highlight for me was getting to hear 9 to 5 and Islands in the Stream live. Ah, the soundtrack of my childhood.

After the show, we were starving, since we hadn't really eaten all day. We stopped by a little cafe called Bread + Butter.


I had a black forest ham, gruyere cheese and tarragon butter griddle sandwich, which I enjoyed. Sam got the wiggly bacon & cheese griddle sandwich. Mmm!

Melinda ordered a sandwich with perperoni -- their word, not ours -- and this cute chocolate on chocolate cupcake which she shared with us.

Afterwards, we spent some time exploring the Borgata, then we jitney'ed back to Caesars and crashed.


What a night!