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....