I admit that when I was in high school, I wanted to one day be one of Janet Jackson’s backup dancers.  She had the best videos with really cool choreography.  Patty and I loved her and we watched videos from the Rhythm Nation album over and over again in 9th grade.  In college, she came out with a couple more albums and I spent hours listening to one of her CDs while I studied.  A few months ago when we heard that she was going to be on tour with her “Number Ones: Up Close and Personal” show, we bought tickets and last night was the big night.

We drove up early to have dinner at Firenze Osteria (belongs to Top Chef Fan Favorite, Fabio Viviani) that was just down the street from the venue.  We had a really yummy dinner and the gnocchi are really good there.  Then we parked and got to the Gibson Amphitheater at Universal City around 8:30 and there wasn’t anyone opening for her, which made it a little weird since the tickets said “8:15” but Janet didn’t appear until 9:20.  She just dedicated two songs to the audience and played the videos for us before coming on stage.  She was dressed in a white tank and black pants and was sporting a new short haircut.  The show was kept simple with 6 backup dancers, lights, and a band.  She looked great at 44 years of age and danced and sang her heart out.  Loved that she performed all her #1s with the signature choreography from her videos.  They also showed a short slideshow of Janet and Michael as kids toward the end.  It got me a little choked up.  Patty and I had such a great time.  The tickets were pricey but totally worth the experience.