Summer Update

Hello music lovers everywhere!

There was a storm so we had to take shelter in the
Cold Spring distribution center. Lucky us, we got
stuck with the LoCash Cowboys!

Today I was lucky enough to get my hours cut at work so I got to leave 5 hours early!! Then again, I really need the money, but with working at the rink AND at the fabric store last week, I got in over 45 hours. Along with working at the magazine this week, I'm okay with a little break! What did I do with 5 extra hours you ask?! I was on YouTube!! I watched a lot of concert videos of the LoCash Cowboys because after seeing & meeting them on Saturday, I am definitely now a big fan of theirs! They're kind of like a weird blend of Justin Moore, Jason Aldean, and Love and Theft. Their music is country-rock, but they also have some really heartfelt songs that are quite emotional. Any band that can be both "bad" and emotional is quite talented and should be well respected, in my opinion. The LoCash Cowboys (Preston and Chris) are also two extremely nice and funny guys. I'm going to have to see them live again (and this time actually know some of their songs!). And uh... I kind of have a thing for Preston now ;)

Along with watching LoCash videos, I uploaded my own videos from past concerts this summer! I even created a new YouTube page just for my concert videos that coordinates with this blog. the URL is www.youtube.com/MyConcertPlaylist. Check it out for concert videos from Taylor Swift, NKOTBSB, and Ingram Hill! These are all three concerts that I still have yet to write about for this blog. I will get to it someday.

This summer has been the absolute BEST summer for concerts EVER! I have seen all of my all-time favorite bands and artists (minus two--Shania Twain & Justin Moore). I have even seen some bands and artists that I wasn't expecting to like, but now I'm a fan! I only have two concerts planned for the rest of the summer now; The Band Perry at the Iowa State Fair (we're going to make this concert into a mini-vacation because we're going camping afterward!) and then Hunter Hayes at Toby Keith's Bar & Grill in St. Louis Park! It's quite ironic that my first concert of the summer was Hunter and he will also be my last concert of the summer.

For the rest of this entry, I have some songs that are currently ON REPEAT in my iTunes:

1. "Home Life" - John Mayer
I heard this song play at my work one day and I had to have it! It's got such a cool sound and has very different lyrics. It's especially a good driving song.

2. "The Luxury of Knowing" - Keith Urban

Just... wow. Truthfully, I have yet to get Keith's "Get Closer" album, so I never heard of this song before until Hunter Hayes tweeted about it! This song just comes straight from the soul.

3. "Don't Stop Dancing" - Matthew Morrison

If you're down in the dumps and need a feel good song, listen to this! It really does make me want to dance. I love the high notes Matthew hits in this song. It sounds like a song from the 90's but with a current hip guitar. I think it's Matthew's former LMNT boy band voice that makes me feel like it could be from the 90's--but that's not a bad thing at all! It makes the song even sexier ;) I am also fond of this song because the first time I heard it was LIVE when Matthew opened for NKOTBSB (see the video I took below!) and at the end of his song, he did a dance tribute to his three heros; Gene Kelly, Patrick Swayze, and Michael Jackson. Matthew was able to capture the joy and magic of dance from three different genres. It doesn't get any better than that.

Josh Groban: He has to be an Alien

Josh Groban | with opening act, Elew | Minneapolis, MN | Target Center | Friday, July 8th, 2011

*All pictures (minus the last one) in this blog were taken by me*

It was my first Josh Groban concert and words cannot do it justice. It was one of those concerts that only one can process in the moment, as you’re experiencing it.



Josh during his opening
song, "Changing Colors."

Let me lay try to lay it out for you this way: Compared to the extravagance of the Taylor Swift concert, Josh’s concert was so much more stripped down, mature, classy, yet entertaining and moving all at the same time. It was a perfect blend for all age groups in his audience (my friend Megan and I were the only gals in the late teens in our section! Ha! It showed because we were the only people with glowsticks). I still can’t comprehend how one person can be all of those things. Afterward, Megan and I speculated on the boyfriend potential of Josh Groban. “He is gorgeous, romantic, deep, generous with his charity work, and downright hilarious. How can one guy be THIS PERFECT?” The only answer we have to that question is that Josh must be an alien. I mean, really…what 17 year old with messy hair can be a stand-in for Andrea Bocelli in a duet with Celine Dion at the Grammy’s?! IT’S NOT HUMAN!

On that note, if Josh really is an alien, then I would describe his concert on the “Straight to You” tour as OUT OF THIS WORLD. He sang in multiple languages that night. “Voce Existe Em Mim” is in Portuguese, which isn’t a commonly used language to sing in (unlike Italian, Spanish, French, etc). Even without knowing the languages of some of the songs, Josh’s voice and facial expressions as he sings convey the story and meaning for the audience. I was worried that at his concerts he wouldn’t be as whole-heartedly into a performance. After all, what’s one little concert in Minneapolis versus singing at Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies, award shows, for the Oprah Winfrey show, or at the White House? Josh proved that no matter where he is, he can move an audience with his voice. Josh did make us Minnesotans feel a little special when he talked about how he was “especially” excited to be playing in Minneapolis because he wrote 6 of his songs on his new album here. I wondered how many stores and restaurants he visited that I often go to… hmm…



Josh singing "You Are Loved."
We had SUCH good seats!

The only way I can now describe seeing Josh live is with another analogy. So, here I go. Women—you know that feeling when you are having terrible PMS symptoms and want nothing more than that one food you crave? For me, it's usually chocolate. Well, the Josh Groban concert was like a 2 hour indulgence that finally satisfied that craving. Yes, I am comparing Josh Groban to the smooth heavenly bite of a piece of Dove Chocolate. Though his wrapping may be sparkly, formal and fancy, if you opened him up, the inside of his wrapper would probably say something witty or even inappropriate! Throughout the night he cracked jokes and sometimes made surprisingly obscene remarks. After a woman hugged Josh and gave him multiple kisses, Josh fanned his face with the paper he was holding and then fanned his "down under" and said, "You gave me something to bring with me." Ha! I can see the rumors now...Josh Groban: pervert! (Only joking, folks!) For a man that sang the most beautiful music I have ever heard that night, this was so un-called for, yet so strangely fitting (it’s because he’s an alien!). And during the audience Q & A part of the show, he was asked what his favorite pick-up line is. After honestly admitting that saying "Hi, I'm Josh Groban" sometimes works as a pick-up line, he then said, "Are your jeans from outer space? Because your butt is out of this world!" The audience roared with laughter.

So it seems that I have concluded that Josh is an edible alien that will satisfy my PMS cravings. Ooookay. I think I might stop with these analogies now!


Josh on the main stage at the front.

At the beginning of this post I said that Josh’s concert is one you must actually GO to in order to receive the overall affect and be in the moment, but it’s also important that you have a previous appreciation for his music. I used to be a figure skater and I actually did a routine to “Remember” that Josh sang from the movie “Troy.” Skating to a song that Josh sang brought my skating to a new level. His voice has so much emotion and range, so when I skated to “Remember” I tried to make my movements reflect the power and meaning of the song. After this experience, I began listening to music in a new way. So when I was at his concert and was able to hear him sing LIVE, I was a mess full of emotions from getting so moved by the music. Josh is a musical genius in my eyes. He is one of my top 5 ALL TIME FAVORITE artists. He is the only one I had yet to see in person. I actually have it written on my bucket list that I wanted to see Josh live before I die. I can now check that off!!


Another cool thing that happened
was that Josh walked RIGHT by us!

During Josh’s first song “Changing Colors,” after a very informal, yet “rock star” entrance running through the crowd (see Star Tribune’s review), I couldn’t breathe. I have been to a lot of concerts, but I have only felt this way once before when I saw the Backstreet Boys when I was 9 years old. I stood there clenching my heart and watched him from literally 10 feet away (we were SO close to the center stage! I felt like I had to pee when we first got to our seats!). I only heard this song a couple times before but after seeing it live, it became my favorite song. I downloaded the live version of it that night and I can’t get enough of it. I started tearing up during this song because 1) It was FREAKING JOSH GROBAN IN REAL LIFE. 2) I was afraid of getting abducted by him since he’s an alien. 3) Josh was the most delicious piece of Dove Chocolate ever. 4) I went through a really hard time in my life last winter and things have finally changed for me. I am back to being me and I am truly happy once again. “Changing Colors” is about not being afraid of change. For me, the change I experienced gave me new insight to what being happy really means. Even though it was the hardest time of my life so far, it was a time I cherish because I learned so much.


My favorite picture that I
took of Josh that night.

Throughout the night, I continued to be in awe. I watched the alien present his artwork as he captivated us and transported us to places that don’t exist on earth. After every performance I turned to Megan and just said, “Wow.” The goose bumps…well, they never went away. During “War at Home” I had to choke down my tears. I have never heard this song before (I admit, I have yet to buy Josh’s most recent album, “Illuminations”) so it hit me hard. The song made me think about my grandpa who was in WWII and suffered the last couple years of his life from being so sick. I miss him dearly. Other highlights from the night included the songs "February Song," "Alla Luce Dal Sole" (which is my favorite song from Josh's debut album), "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)," and especially "Weeping" and "Machine" were incredible live! From songs I wasn't very familiar with, I fell in love with "Galileo" and "Bells of New York City." A nice extra was when Josh invited a guy from the audience up on stage to sing with him. This guy, Matt, asked to sing "Remember When it Rained" which is without a doubt one of my top favorite Josh Groban songs. Josh added some harmonies while Matt sang the melody and I have to say, it was GOOD! I was also happy to hear this song live, even if it was just for a rough minute.

Though the entire night was amazing, I do have some complaints. Josh didn’t sing “Awake.” I saw it on a set-list from the Josh Groban message board and I was SOOO looking forward to it. My mom bought the album for me when I was 14 years old and “Awake” was the first song I ever cried to. After I listened to the song and dabbed my tears away with a tissue, I knew that I wanted to live with the sentiments of that song in my heart forever. When I turned 18 and I had the possibility of getting a tattoo and that lyric was my first choice. I still have yet to get the tattoo, but the song will always be permanently a part of me whether it’s written on my rib or not! Josh, if you’re reading this, I would like a private performance and you can sing “Awake” to me personally, okay? In fact, Josh didn’t sing most of my favorite songs that night, but that didn’t change my impression of the concert! My second complaint is that I didn’t get to text in a question. Megan and I didn’t see where the information was posted. Apparently, it was scrolling on the ticker tape throughout the arena. We even watched it for a couple minutes to see if info would appear but it never did. I had some good questions to ask too!! Oh well. Next time… :) My last complaint is that Josh should have chosen me as the single lady to watch him from on stage. I love milk, I love inflatable couches, I bought a new dress just for that night so I was lookin’ hot (egotistical humor), I know all the words to “Broken Vow,” and I would have given the audience something to watch because I almost cried during “Per Te.” 

Josh during the encore: "You Raise Me Up."

Despite these few and insignificant complaints, it was one of the best concerts I will ever go to. It’s rare I feel this way after a concert, but I was actually sad because I didn’t want to leave. I wanted more! Josh Groban really is an alien because there is no one else like him in this world. He is in a league of his own. I might add that he is MORE delicious than a Dove Chocolate. Despite the extremely expensive ticket prices (I didn’t mind though since the tickets were a birthday gift!), I would see Josh again in a heartbeat.

By the way, Josh’s shoes were siiiick! I liked that they didn’t even go with his outfit! It shows that he’s not conforming to what most people think a “classical” singer should wear or how they should act. Josh is just…Josh! He may be a classical singer, but he can still wear frickin’ awesome shoes.
Here’s a pic from one of the fans on joshgroban.com:

And for dessert, here's a video from the concert I was at of Josh singing "Changing Colors." We were right on the side of the stage!! Booya! SO cool. This video does not even capture what it was like being there live, though.

P.S. In a Star Tribune article I read where they interviewed Josh, he expressed wanting to be more involved in the world of acting and comedy. After this night, I totally agree!! Josh Groban as host on SNL may be a good start. Who agrees? Let's tweet! #JGonSNL....

On Repeat - Nick Carter "Love Can't Wait"

I am writing tomorrow. I swear. I promise. TOMORROW! The past two Fridays I went to two of the best concerts I have ever been to in my life (and they will be hard to match). Friday the 8th I saw JOSH GROBAN!! And Friday the 15th I saw NKOTBSB. I had the time of my LIFE at NKOTBSB. That will be a fun blog to write about because my childhood dreams were fulfilled. I still feel like I'm going to wake up and realize it was a dream...but it was REAL LIFE!!

I'm still in awe of Friday and can't stop thinking about it. Thus, I have been listening to Backstreet Boys nonstop, especially this song by Nick Carter. It's called "Love Can't Wait" and it's not on iTunes. I have no idea if it's new or what the story is of it, but I came across this song when I was searching for BSB videos on YouTube. I CANNOT STOP LISTENING TO IT! Nick's voice has always been extremely attractive to me. I'm not a fan of songs with the synthesized, club-type of music, but the beat in this song makes me happy and Nick's voice is quite convincing and makes me want to say, "Okay, Nick. Let's NOT wait for love!!" Yes, it's a love song, but it's not super cheesy, and it actually has a great message...just GO for it!

Here's a high quality version of it off of YouTube. Enjoy :)

Caroline County: From YouTube to Minnesota!

Woah. I started this blog thinking that this would be a slow summer so I would have plenty of time to write…well, I was soooo wrong! But I’m not complaining! I’m so thankful to have multiple jobs and to have already made lots of great memories with family and friends this summer. So far, summer 2011 is looking like one of the best!

I will post about the Taylor Swift concert eventually (I know…it’s been almost 3 weeks!). I have the post written, but it’s too long because the concert was so amazing so I’ll have to edit it a little. For now, I would like to tell you all about a concert I just went to on Tuesday, June 28^th: Caroline County at the Garage in Burnsville, MN. (I went to this concert as an early celebration for my 20^th birthday which was the next day!)

Caroline County is a duo featuring Julia Sheer and Matthew McGinn. Julia Sheer is best known for her duets with Tyler Ward. Julia is also my “girl crush” haha! I don’t normally like female singers, but there’s just something special about Julia. Anyway, I don’t know why, but she stopped working with Tyler and began doing duets with other male singers. After Tuesday night though, I think Julia can stop experimenting with duet partners, because ding ding ding! Matthew is the winner!

The big “problem” that people are having about CC is that *gasp* Julia isn’t singing with Tyler! HOW DARE SHE!! (This is sarcasm, by the way.) I am a fan of Tyler Ward, but it’s none of my business as to why he and Julia are no longer doing duets together and frankly, I don’t mind because the work she has done with Matthew is so much better! Because they are leaning towards the country genre, I have found that I have a better connection to their songs since they have stripped down to raw acoustics which highlights their unique vocals. All of their covers are better than the originals. "Kiss Me or Not" was their first cover song together that they posted on YouTube and it is absolutely gorgeous. I like the original of this song by Thompson Square, but CC slowed it down with a simple acoustic guitar (and mandolin, I believe) and now I LOVE this song. Julia has a special way of using her voice to give even more meaning to a song. Her cover of Taylor Swift’s "Sparks Fly" is one of my most played songs on my iPod. It wasn’t until I heard Julia’s version that I actually understood what the song was about! Swift’s version seems happy, but Julia transformed it into an emotional piece. Only a true artist can achieve that. And now that Julia has Matthew, their voices together will give you goose bumps.

At The Garage on Tuesday night, it was only the duet’s second show with their full band. I never heard about The Garage before, but it is actually a teen center where young bands go to play. Kayla and I sat through TWO hours of teenage bands before CC took the stage. It was…interesting. Some were terrible and some were okay, but compared to Caroline County, these young bands have a lot of work to do! The only exception to these opening acts was Patrick Picard. He is CC’s guitar player and he did a solo set before CC took the stage. He is dang talented! I am going to look him up and get some of his songs for sure! He reminded me of The Script. And I believe all the songs he played he wrote himself. They were fresh and innovative songs; unlike the other (excuse my French) crap we heard that night from the teenagers.

Back to CC. On YouTube, some people complained on the “Kiss Me or Not” YouTube video that Matthew and Julia didn’t have “a connection like Julia and Tyler had.” I want to tell these people to go to one of CC’s live shows because I definitely felt the connection. They didn’t have to be smiling and gazing into each other’s eyes at every moment, but musically, they were so emotionally involved in the songs and this is where the connection took place. This artistic quality is something I felt that Tyler lacked. Julia always outshined Tyler, but now she and Matthew gracefully share the stage together. Even though I didn’t know most of the songs they played that night, I totally got into the music! The song about sleeping alone was one I could closely relate too (Ugggg. That’s a whole other blog post. Ha!) Both Julia and Matthew are songwriters. I’m not sure if they have actually written one together yet but when they do, I have no doubt that with both of their talents, they could write a hit!

Two songs I did know were "Better With You" and Julia's YouTube hit, "Airliner". For me, the highlight of the night was when they sang Matthew’s song "Madeline." When I first heard about Julia pairing up with Matthew, I checked out his music and this song quickly grabbed my attention because it felt like this song could have been about me! I also featured "Madeline" in a blog post about break up songs because it's about what every girl wants to hear… that despite heartbreaks, they will eventually find love. The song makes even more sense now when Matthew said it was about his best friend. I think it was very fitting that I sent this song to one of my best friends when she was going through her breakup. It’s hard to tell your friend that everything will be okay, but music has the ability of reaching your heart and “Madeline” is one of those powerful songs.



Julia, myself, and Matthew! By the way, I JUST got
 a perm that day. Thus, the wild curls.



Besides the music, Matthew and Julia are complete goof balls with great personalities! And if you are female, then I’m sure you have noticed that Matthew is pretty sexy! In between songs they laughed at each other and were very personable to the audience. It was a small audience, but that makes concerts even better! Afterward they sold merchandise (I pre-ordered Caroline County’s first EP.) They also signed stuff for people and talked with everyone who came out.

I am soooooo glad Kayla and I decided to brave the rush hour traffic and go! I am rooting for Caroline County to make it to country radio someday, have music videos on CMT, and be able to play at bigger venues than The Garage. Regardless of the size of the audience, they are extremely talented artists and I’m pumped to get their songs in my itunes!!! The only complaint I have from the night is that they needed to play a longer set!

Ready. Set. GO check them out!!

Caroline County's YouTube
Caroline County’s Twitter
Caroline County’s Facebook
Julia Sheer's YouTube
Matthew McGinn's YouTube

And here's a little dessert! I took this video of "Madeline." I am working on getting a YouTube account JUST for posting my concert videos on this blog, until then, it's on my personal YouTube page.

Just for fun... I freaking love Minneapolis <3 Took this on our drive home off of I-94!

SO FREAKING EXCITED!

Tomorrow is....

THE TAYLOR SWIFT CONCERT WITH NEEDTOBREATHE AND RANDY MONTANA!!!!

I'm just a tad excited. Just a little. Not too much...Okay. I'm flipping ecstatic! First of all, I have been wanting to see Randy Montana for over a year now! I knew about him before he even came on the radio, and now I finally get to see him! It's even cooler that I get to see him at a HUGE venue like the Xcel Energy Center.


PROOF that I did skate at the
Xcel Energy Center!

The Xcel and I have a beautiful past together <3 I actually got to skate on the ice there when they needed figure skaters to be in a promotional news segment for the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Getting to skate at the Xcel was an experience I will never forget! I also spent the ENTIRE day at Xcel when I went to see the Men's Freeskate and Exhibition of Champions. It was there I met Evan Lysacek. The corner where I met him is my favorite spot in the entire building haha! I have also been to other figure skating events there (and got to go backstage for some of those as well!) and I have also been to many concerts there. Every time I passed the Xcel on the way to my internship downtown during my freshman year of college, I am reminded of all my favorite memories! To me, it's the best venue in the world! The location by the Mississippi River in St. Paul gives a beautiful view and parking at the RiverCentre is usually cheap and always works out quite nicely. The staff there are always super nice and patient, and of course, the crowds are always so enthusiastic (but that's just because Minnesotans are awesome!) I haven't been to a big stadium concert since fall of 2009 when I saw Rascal Flatts (I'm a poor college student--I can't afford these big concerts!) so I'm glad I get to make a return to the Xcel tomorrow night. I was at the Xcel for the Rascal Flatts ABC special taping, but there were only a couple hundred people there so I don't count it as my last stadium concert. (Interesting fact, I am in the "Won't Let Go" music video! There's a shot of me at 17 seconds into the video singing the lyrics "it feels like that." Pretty cool, huh?)

And I also get to see someone else for the first time tomorrow...a young lady by the name of TAYLOR SWIFT! Yes, it is my first time seeing her. I was never that big of a fan, but I fell in love with her "Speak Now" album. "Never Grow Up" is one of my favorite songs of all time and I couldn't stop crying when I first listened to it. I hope that someday I can get back into figure skating so I can do a routine to that song. Especially since I'm at the time in my life where I am needing my parents less and less and I'm trying to let go of my childhood, this song is close to my heart. I am so blessed to have had such an incredible childhood, but it was SO good that it makes me miss it more than I should! "Sparks Fly" is my other favorite song from the album. A couple of months ago, this song fit a situation I was in PERFECTLY. "My mind forgets to remind me you're a bad idea" pretty much sums up that whole situation I was in! And of course, "Mean" is a song that the music industry has been needing! Taylor is so honest when writing her lyrics and I think this song not only has the most honest lyrics, but it promotes confidence and the music is wonderful! It is the most country-sounding song on her album with the use of a banjo, which gets bonus points from me.

My favorite picture of THE
"Hey Stephen" and myself!

As I fell more in love with the album, I actually started to appreciate more of her music from her past albums. "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me" were my two favorites of hers already, but I soon discovered that I liked less popular songs such as "Change," "The Outside," and "Invisible." And of course, the song "Hey Stephen" is a favorite of mine because well, it's written about my boy Stephen Barker Liles!!

Speaking of Stephen, his band Love and Theft is my favorite band and I actually have Taylor Swift to thank for that! If it weren't for Taylor bringing the guys out on tour with her in 2008, they might have never gotten the recognition they deserved. Now Taylor is bringing two of my newest favorite artists out on the road with her; Randy Montana and Hunter Hayes. I have to say, Taylor has impeccable taste in country artists!

But one question: Why the heck is she bringing Needtobreathe on tour with her?!?! I dig their music and everything, but they're not country. Well, I'm interested to see their set tomorrow! I'm trying to learn more of their songs right now as I type.

I also found out that she has a thing called a "Tea Party" after her concert. Taylor has "people" that walk around the concert to find people to join this "Tea Party" and they get to meet Taylor and everything! Umm...that sounds like a DREAM COME TRUE! I might make a poster or something... I really want to see if I'm taller than Taylor haha! I'd also like to let her know that people figure skate to her songs ALL the time. That might be an interesting tid-bit she doesn't know about! Well, I'm not going to expect anything like that tomorrow though... I do hope it works out to meet Randy Montana! :)
One more thing: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYLA!!! Kayla is going with me tomorrow! My parents gave me these tickets as a birthday present (but my bday isn't until June 29th) so I decided to give the other ticket to Kayla as her bday present as well. This is her first big stadium concert, so I'm excited to see her reaction. I know she's going to have a BLAST. Now, what do I wear?!