In June, Whitney Reder of Cincinnati, Ohio, posted a video on Twitter of her 66-year-old grandfather, Jim, who is apparently quite the Lady Gaga fan. You see, Grandpa Jim was very disappointed when they didn't manage to get tickets for one of Gaga's Las Vegas residency shows to celebrate Whitney's 21st birthday in the fall.
But luckily, a new block of tickets went on sale and Whitney's grandmother swooped in and managed to buy three of them for a 2020 show.
Whitney knew her grandfather would be super excited about the news, so she decided to film his reaction, and it did not disappoint. After teasing out the information a bit, she asks him if he'd like to go to a concert on May 7, 2020...perhaps in Las Vegas? His face drops. "Gaga?" he whispers in elated disbelief. "I just got goose bumps!"
The video went viral, gaining more than 5 million views and 60,000 retweets in just four days. People were touched, to say the least.
Soon, #GagaGrandpa was trending, along with #GrandpaMonster—a reference to "Little Monsters," which is how Gaga refers to her fans.
And here's the best part: Once the hotel where Gaga's residency is caught wind of the video, they decided that the family should be able to see the show they originally wanted tickets to and they're now being flown out there. And there will also be a meet-and-greet with Lady Gaga herself.
"So now we do get to go in October—which is just amazing—and they've also offered us flights, hotels and a meet and greet!" Whitney said.
When she told her grandfather that he would actually get to meet his idol, he said, “I got goose bumps all over again!”
According to Whitney, Grandpa Jim has been a Little Monster for a long time. "He's loved her for years and years… He keeps up with her [and] watches her interviews." Listening to her music has been a real bonding experience for Jim and Whitney.
While Whitney wasn't expecting this exciting turn of events, she's not surprised that people fell in love with her grandfather's reaction in the video.
"He's really silly, doesn't take himself too seriously," she said. "He is always helpful, he’s always laughing, and always trying to make other people laugh, so I assumed that it would be funny, which is why we recorded it in the first place. I obviously didn't expect it to go this far! [But his reaction is] just so childlike—you can tell it’s genuine."
As for going viral, Grandpa Jim appreciates all the love pouring in from the internet.
Whitney even shared a heartwarming text that he sent her shortly after the video went viral. It read: "I'm so happy my few seconds of fame have brought joy to so many. My greatest joy will be sharing the experience with you and [grandma]. Love you, Whit!"
And that, right there, is love. And for another story that will make your heart melt, check out The Touching Story Behind the Video of a Man with Dementia Remembering his Own Song.
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