If you are into music and pop culture, you probably think of Justin Timberlake when you hear the initials J.T. However, before the modern J.T. was James Taylor. He was the original, considering he first rose to fame in the 1970s. He continues to be an outstanding singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and I feel lucky to have the opportunity to see him perform live.
The people that I went to the concert with were my mom, her best friend, and her husband. This is the same group that I went to the Paul McCartney concert with a couple years ago. They tend to be my buddies for the oldies concerts. I like a wide variety of modern music, but part of me has an old soul when it comes to my music taste. James Taylor has a very classic and soothing sound. It made for such a pleasant night. Also, it was actually nice weather, despite the fact that it was in the middle of summer in St. Louis. The show was at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, which is an outdoor theatre. We had lawn seats, which is something I had never experienced before. I just love seeing live shows, and this was another one I had looked forward to for a long time. And there are more coming up soon! Next are Miley Cyrus (which was postponed from April) and then One Direction (for the second time!). Like I said before, I listen to a variety of music styles, obviously. Bring on the summer shows!
Tagged as:
Concerts,
family,
fun,
music,
Summer
My summer has continued to be absolutely fabulous. Over the weekend, I took a trip to Kansas City for one reason and one reason only: the One Direction concert! This is the closest they were going to be to St. Louis. This major event has been a long time coming. I bought tickets 13 months before the actual concert. I have never counted down the days for something for such a long time. But, the wait was all worth it. I took my cousin and the two girls that I babysit, and we had the time of our lives.
As soon as we got to the hotel, we got ready. We put on all our One Direction gear. Shirts, jewelry, shoes, tattoos, you name it. We already had our light-up posters finished. When we got to the Sprint Center, we waited outside for almost two hours before we finally got in. By the time we bought our souvenirs and such, we missed a little bit of the opener, a band called 5 Seconds of Summer. I wasn’t too concerned about that though. I just wanted 1D! When they first came out, I immediately started crying. When I see my favorite singers, I go absolutely crazy. I screamed and jumped the entire two and half hours that they performed. It was so much fun! They sang all the songs that I wanted them to. I wasn’t disappointed by anything. I was blown away. They sounded even better live than they do on CD. Despite all the screaming fans, I could still hear them (most of the time). I have tons of pictures and posters of One Direction all over my room (including a cardboard cutout), so it was extremely exciting to be able to see them live.
Now my major summer events have come to a close. I feel so lucky to have done so many fun things. The next thing to count down the days to is the start of the next school year!
Tagged as:
bands,
Concerts,
One Direction,
Summer
This past weekend I experienced something beyond my wildest dreams by attending the Lady Gaga concert. I had a lot of fun, and words cannot even describe her show. The massive castle-inspired set pieces, magnificent couture dresses, high-tech effects, talented dancers, and powerhouse vocals were all over the top in every way possible. But then again, it is Lady Gaga we’re talking about here, so we should expect no less. This past Saturday at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, I not only had the opportunity of watching an amazing performance by someone that has an extraordinary affection for her fans, but also hearing a very motivational speech. When it comes to not letting other people drag you down, Lady Gaga (whom also occasionally refers to herself as Mother Monster) is the person to look up to. No matter how many times she heard the word “no” and was told to change by producers in the music industry, that only made her stronger. Life is too short to act like somebody you don’t want to be. She never loses sight of who she is. Her confidence and ability to truly not care what others think is inspirational. Thank you, Lady Gaga, for teaching so many people that it’s okay to be yourself and be different. In fact, it’s encouraged.
Tagged as:
Concerts,
Confidence,
Lady Gaga,
Life Lessons,
Scottrade Center
First, let me start my second post off by proclaiming my love for rainy days. While I love the sun, there’s something absolutely calming about rain, and it makes me really happy. The only downside of today’s precipitation, though, was walking back to my dorm a few minutes ago in a skirt, tights, and my favorite boots…without an umbrella.
On another note, last night I had the opportunity of going to see the Dum Dum Girls in concert at SLU’s Billiken Club—my very first time at the venue. Even though I only have one of this girl-group’s songs in my iTunes library—“Jail La La”, which this post’s title is inspired by—I really loved the show! I’ve noticed that my iPod consists of mostly male artists, so I’m loving the fact that I’ve recently discovered some really talented leading ladies in other bands as well (like Best Coast and Sleigh Bells)!
Dirty Beaches was the first opening act. I’ve heard only one of his songs prior to last night, and then the band Minks (which I’ve never heard of before) took the stage. I didn’t expect to enjoy Dirty Beaches as much as I did, and I loved the carefree vibe of the songs performed by the Minks. I’m hoping to possibly hear more from both of these bands in the future, and I think they’re both worth looking into a little more.
The Dum Dum Girls were, in a word, awesome. I happened to love their style; they’re probably the only girls I’ve ever seen who were cool enough to pull off shorts, striped tights, and heels (To validate my point, I’d like to mention that there was a girl in the audience who decided to try out the look, and it was not working for her.). I want to go to Borders this weekend just so I can buy their CD.
Aside from the usual complaints I’ve had after the other concerts I’ve been to, most of which relate to obnoxious, dancing crowd members standing directly in front of me, this free concert was totally worth it. Next month Ra Ra Riot is coming to the Firebird, just a few days before spring break. Since they’re one of my favorite bands right now, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can go…
Enjoy the rain!
-Carly
Tagged as:
Concerts
