Sunday, October 2, 2016

~ New Music Monday ~ October 2, 2016 ~ The Live Shows ~

It's officially Fall Y'all!!!!!!! I can't even help it. I am a basic white girl when it comes to the Fall season. It is absolutely my favorite. Leaves, light layers, pumpkin spice everything, things that are haunted, I mean, my list goes on, but I digress. As the Summer festivals end the Fall Tours begin and I have enlisted one of my besties and avid concert goer, Amber, for this weeks post. If I think real hard, I am pretty sure Amber is one of the people that got me into live shows. We worked concerts as "crew" members at our college as well as went to a ton of college bands, friends bands, etc. shows through out our time as students. So, when I thought about a post on live shows, Amber was my obvious choice to tag in. With my health as of late, I rarely get to attend live shows anymore so, I live vicariously through Amber. I always ask her to report back and take lots of pictures. I trust her opinion as she has been to more shows than you can count on two hands and she has seen it all. I hope you enjoy reading her post for this weeks #NewMusicMonday as much as I have!!!

 
~ No Luke Bryan, You shake it for ME!! ~

Hi, my name is Amber and I am addicted to live music!  The first step is admitting it, right? Live music has always been something that I have enjoyed. From when I was in youth group and followed some friends around who had a band (shout out to Good Friday), to attending and working multiple concerts during my time at LU. Fast forward to today, where I love travelling around to get a glimpse of the artists that inspire me, make me dance, and at times make me feel like they understand what I am feeling based on a few lyrics. I would say that within the last four years, my concert attendance has really escalated, and at times is out of control! 

I am going to try (key word being try) to list my top 5 concerts. Narrowing it down to just five has been a very hard process.  Every concert I attend, even if I have seen the artist multiple times, is a great experience.  But here goes nothing…….
Luke Bryan

~ Ambers Top 5 Concerts ~

1)    Without a doubt, my number one concert, LUKE BRYAN!  A friend and I made a promise that we would see Luke at least once a year, this past April made our fourth! Of course his perfect smile and sweet hip action makes this girl swoon, but that is not the whole reason why he is my number one.  Luke puts on a great show!  One time he opened his concert by coming up out of the floor on top of a big black truck that was on fire.  It was amazing.  Luke also is very goofy and laughs at himself.  He knows he looks silly “shaking it” for the ladies, but does it anyways. A lot of people categorize him as "Bro Country", but that isn’t all that he is.  Overall he is a very talented singer and has those heart touching songs, like "Drink a Beer" and "Do I". I am a huge fan and every time I leave his concert the app on my phone tells me I have reached my step goal for the day cause I can’t help but to move when he is singing!

2)     Maroon 5. They were number 1 on my “Concert Bucket List!”. Yes, I have a concert bucket list! And I was very excited to mark them off my list a few weeks ago. They were Amazing!! Now in all fairness, the hotness of the lead singers of my number 1 and 2 might be a factor, but hey, can you blame a girl?!  I have always loved Maroon 5.  If I’m having a bad day, or need to wake up when I am driving, their Songs About Jane album is my go to pick me up.  They put on a great show. Adam Levine was very energetic and it is amazing to see him hit those high notes in person. He knew how to work the stage and let me tell you…he definitely had those moves like Jagger. The band also did a cool tribute to Prince as part as their encore.  I love when singers pay tribute to artists that inspired them.
 
Taylor Swift
 
Katy Perry
 
3)    This is where it gets hard.  I have a solid 1 and 2 but it gets very difficult to single out the rest!  For my number 3, I am going with strong female singers.  The amount of male singers I have seen greatly outweighs the about of women I have see, but they still make a lasting impression. I love seeing these strong women share their talents and speaking truths that as a female I can relate to. My favorite women that I have seen in concert are: Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, and Dixie Chicks. Taylor and Katy put on amazing concerts that were very theatrical and entertaining.  The amount of props and costume changes that they both had made the concert experience stand out. Carrie Underwood has an amazing voice. I mean, she could sing my grocery list and I would buy that album!  She also had multiple costume changes and rode on a stage extension that allowed her to reach the back of the arena. I love when artist do that.  It is like they are saying, “Hey, I see you up there in the nose bleeds, and I thank you for coming!” Just this summer, I saw the Dixie Chicks on their return tour. It had been years since they toured, but they still got it.

4)     I’m going old school here. As much as I love new music, I fully appreciate the ones who have been around a long time and paved the way!  So my fourth favorite concert goes to two that have been around quite some time….. Willie Nelson and ZZ Top! Yes, I was the youngest person at both of these but totally worth it!  Willie Nelson may be 83, and may not work the stage like the newbies but he was amazing.  The same with ZZ Top.  I also enjoyed these two concerts because they make me think of my dad.  He passed away 13 years ago, but when I was growing up I remember him listening to ZZ Top and for some reason Willie Nelson reminds me of my dad. As great as these men were in concert, I think for me, it is on my favorites list for sentimental reasons. But isn’t that what music is suppose to do?  Take you back to good times and memories from your past.
 
Willie Nelson
 
ZZ Top
 
5)    I have seen a lot of big named, multi award winning artists, but some of my favorite concerts have been unexpected with lesser know groups.  I remember one time I was out with some friends and the restaurant we were at had bands come in and play on the weekend. We decided to stick around when we saw the band setting up (plus if you were already in, you wouldn’t have to pay the cover charge…Score!)  This band that we had never heard of ended up being one of the coolest things we had ever experienced.  They were called March Fourth Marching Band.  They were a group of about 15 and were like a marching band + circus side show. Their music was awesome plus the added bonus of stilt walkers, what was not to love!  Another time I was at a restaurant outside of Nashville and they were having a songwriters night.  I had never heard of these 3 men, but every song they sang, I knew every word. It was really cool to see the minds that created the songs that I love. Once again, an unexpected night, turned into one of my favorite musical events. Not every “concert” needs to be blaring music, flashy lights, and a giant production.

So there you go, my top 5 concerts (sort of).  It doesn’t matter if it is the first time I have seen someone or the sixth time, I always take something away from the experience. Even if it is laughing at the horrible opening act that is wearing an insane outfit and rolling on the floor (artist to remain nameless). Experiencing your favorite artist and hearing the songs that you love in person is such a cool thing to do. Go crazy, Yolo, You can always make more money but you can’t always make the memories (these are the mottos I have been living life to recently and it makes life so much more fun!). So in closing, I am going to leave you with the honorable mentions that didn’t make the top ten……… Chris Young, Rascal Flatts, Harry Connick Jr, Shane and Shane, Little Big Town, Florida Georgia Line (I know. I know.), Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Toby Mac , Kenny Chesney, Jake Owen, Sam Hunt, Eric Church….my goodness I could go on for days! 

Happy Concerting!!
~ Amber ~

Thank you Amber for writing such a good #NMM post on your live show experiences. I agree, isn't all about the memories and escaping for a few hours?! You can make more money, but sometimes these experiences only come around once. I LOVED live shows back in the day. So, much so that I ended up working production for five years!!!! The sound of a bus and trailer rolling in makes butterflies wiggle in my stomach!!! I have faith that I'll return to my version of "normal" eventually and get back to experiencing artists live. Until then, I have Amber and you do too!!! If you are debating if a show is it worth it, give this post a read again.
What shows are you planning on attending this Fall? What artists have you seen and highly recommend a music/concert lover  MUST attend?

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