How Will Coronavirus Impact the Concert Scene?

Leave a comment May 12, 2020 jessnelson14

Is anyone else really bummed their escape from their day to day life of attending a concert is indefinitely postponed? The live music industry has severely taken a hit due to coronavirus & I’m absolutely devastated that there’s no solid return date for when concerts will be happening again.

I have seen artists hosting virtual concerts but tbh, I haven’t had any interest in that because it’s just not the same. A concert experience for me allows me to be present & in the moment. If close enough to the stage, we have the opportunity for the person up there to look us in the eye, point at us, NOTICE us. We don’t get that capability through a computer screen.

My mind is racing as to how concerts are going to be run or what it will be like to attend a concert in the future. 99.9% of the concerts we attend, you have absolutely no personal space. Are people going to be too scared to be in that close proximity to other people considering we’ve been social distancing for 2 months now? Are people going to be required to wear masks to any show they attend? Are venues going to limit the amount of people that can attend (even under capacity) to allow people to social distance?

I’m trying to rack my brain around what solutions there may even be for this. Anyone else a little perplexed too? What will concerts look like in the future?I regret not taking advantage of a live show when we had the opportunity. I would decide not to attend, even if I wanted to, because I didn’t want to spend the money or because I just didn’t “feel like it.” GUYS, we have to start living in the NOW. Taking advantage of the things we want to do WHEN we want to do them. No one EVER thought the opportunity to go to a concert would be taken away…

If you have feelings, or solutions, or questions, go on, leave a comment below.

Phones at Concerts

2 Comments April 23, 2020 jessnelson14

Does it bother anyone else if the person they’re next to at a show is recording THE ENTIRE TIME? It’s the worst when you’re at a general admission concert, and all you see are phone screens in front of you – this blocks your view even more, especially if you’re short. Now I know this may be a little hypocritical as I have to record & take photos to get content for my posts on this exact blog, but I honestly believe as a concert-goer, it takes away from the experience if you just record the whole thing. And let’s be honest, do you really go back and rewatch all of your videos? I know I don’t.

Although it could be therapeutic for some (to get over that post concert depression, am I right?) to go back & watch the videos taken at the concert, I don’t believe that should be the experience when going to see an artist or band live. You don’t get to be in the moment. You’re watching the show through your phone screen, rather than watching it live. You can’t fully embrace the concert experience this way.

I remember when I saw Maroon 5 a couple of years ago, Adam Levine asked the ENTIRE crowd to put away their phones for ONE song. Granted, this was an arena venue, so a pretty hard ask, but I really enjoyed that moment because he truly wanted everyone to experience it with their own eyes, not through their screen.

My suggestion: take a short instagram story clip, a few photos & then PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY. You want to dance, don’t you? You want to scream the lyrics at the top of your lungs, don’t you? And…if you’re close enough, you want to be able to lock eyes with whoever is on stage, DON’T YOU? Be in the moment. Engage. Enjoy.

Sometimes I wish concerts were like comedy shows, where you’d get kicked out if you get caught with your phone out. If this were the case, people would actually be surprised by the show & not have already seen it on someone else’s Instagram story.

Music industry, DO YO THANG.

Cal Scruby

Leave a comment April 18, 2020 jessnelson14

We drive by the venue & see a line. We had no expectations of what this show was going to be like. Our (more so mine) experiences have been opening shows or local Ohio shows, where Cal is from. His first headlining tour. HEADLINING.

This. Is. A. Big. Deal.

His first stop of tour: this show. Denver, CO. I can’t explain to you how exciting it was to be at a show outside of Ohio surrounded by other Cal fans (even though people still think his last name is pronounced SCRUB bee – it SCREW be, people).

It’s snowing…not ideal for waiting outside before the doors open. We get there early – my friend & I of course bought VIP, the only way to go to a show when you’ve been following him since 2012.

Eventually we are able to enter the venue & make our way over to the man himself. It had been a few years since I’d seen him, so I was nervvvvvvy. Why? Prob cause I’m a big Cal supporter, but a sucky fan (I sorry Calvin). We catch up, get our picture & then plop our butts on the speakers in the front row. This venue (Lost Lake Lounge) was so small & intimate, which is my favorite kind of venue. You can get an up close & personal show in this kind of place, it even had a disco ball in the middle of ceiling!

Let me start by telling you: there was NO OPENER. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good opener as it gives me the opportunity to see someone I may not have heard of or known otherwise. But, getting right to the nitty gritty & the person I came for: that is the icing on top.

Performing almost all of his legendary Unsigned album, the show starts with none other than: Shut Up. The beginning of the song inundated with a monologue of Cal talking about how people didn’t believe in him, how his old label was BS, & everything people try to tell him about making it in the music industry. Proud of you Cal – you do you, booboo.

Clip of Cal performing Shut Up

The entire show, Cal just spit fire, with everyone around us in the crowd spitting game right along with him. I cannot describe what a cool feeling it is to be at a show where EVERYONE (except me: bad fan, remember?) is rapping all the lyrics along with Cal. An artist who deserves everything he’s worked for. Although, I’ll never personally experience that feeling (thanks to my terrible voice & non musical abilities), that has to be one of the coolest things to experience as an artist.

Continuing to take us through a musical experience: Cal hit us with some upbeat songs [Taylor Swift, Kobe with the Fro, Who are you?], took us down with some very real, very emotional songs [My Anxiety, Worst Day of my Life], & got WeIrD in between them all. I’ll never forget Cal referencing a tweet that he would take a shit on stage if he sold out the show (JOKES, OBVI – if you followed Cal, you’d get his weird humor) & a fan next to us yelling “let’s all shit our pants together.” Let me tell you….that was fckn weird.

Clip of Cal dancing like he’s Taylor Swift

Even though I spent most of my time in the front row pretending to know the lyrics (my brain & mouth cannot compute the lyrics & raps that encompasses Cals songs), I had a very real moment when it got to the point in the show for the song: My Anxiety. I’ve been in a weird season in life, more anxious than normal, more stressed than normal, & a lot of change happening outside of my control. I’ve felt off balance & sometimes not like myself. God is definitely testing me & teaching me to rely on Him right now, but this song really resonated with some of how I’ve been feeling. I shed a few tears listening to the lyrics, these one’s especially:

I’m looking happy online but it’s not what you think
I’m losing touch if I’m touching a screen
One minute, I think I love everybody
And then I’m like fuck everything

For anyone who struggles with anxiety or depression, the lyrics of this entire song put so many feelings into words. It’s crazy how perfectly Cal describes it. If anything, I hope this song can help anyone who may be feeling that way, to help them get out of that head space, & to make people realize they’re not alone, even if it may feel that way.

We eventually find ourselves at the end of the show: Kobe with the Fro. Cal expresses that he is unable to do an encore, but whaddya kno, he comes back out & performs one of his classics; Wasted. Us bitches for sure got basic. It was the BEST way to round out the first night of tour. To top it off, his manager advised against hanging after shows with fans, but here we were: waiting in line again to spend some quality time with Cal himself.

The amazing night still lingering in my mind, a month and a half later. That is post concert depression, y’all…

Photo with Cal Scruby & his DJ Tron after the show

X Ambassadors

Leave a comment May 4, 2018 jessnelson14

LISTEN UP – X Ambassadors is the most underrated band, I swear. Even before the concert last night at Red Rocks (which is AMAZE bee tee dubs), they weren’t really on my radar, besides the songs I knew from the radio (i.e. Renegades & Unsteady). I am completely floored & flabbergasted by them.

First of all, let me give all my praises to the man behind the keyboard. I am LIVING for him. As I said above, I went in completely not knowing who X Ambassadors is & who is in the band. To my utmost surprise, the keyboard player was led out by the lead singer (who is also his brother) while maneuvering a walking stick. Yes, he is BLIND. Emphasis on the BLIND because what a true talent to be able to push past something that would most likely hold others back, get on stage, & ROCK OUT playing a show of probably 9,000 people. I was seriously so impressed – jaw to the floor the entire time. Not to completely focus on his disability because he is obviously is more than that but I am just here to give my many praises because he’s pushed past the boundaries of the “norm.” I have never personally seen that before at a concert & the only other artist I know of is Stevie Wonder. Again, I AM HERE TO PRAISE THIS MAN.

*disclaimer: I don’t remember their names & again, trying to keep it authentic here & not just google up all the facts*

Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way – let me just discuss the openers:

Allan Rayman: So I didn’t know who he was before & still not sure how I feel about him. I am not here to be negative but to give an honest review. Myself and the strangers around me (as I again went to another concert alone) agreed that we liked his sound (has some grit to his voice) but actually watching him perform gave me the heebie jeebies. Okay, I’m being over dramatic but it was definitely weird. There were some moments where he was just laughing into the microphone; which reminded me of that Gorillaz song, Feel Good Inc. (had to google that one, oops) from way back when. Props to him but not my cup of tea for live performances.

MisterWives: I have all the positive things to say about their live performance (have seen them plenty of times before this as well). They bring SO MUCH energy to the stage & not to mention the lead singer, Mandy, has THE most amazing voice I’ve heard – video below to prove my point.

Playing their first ever show at Red Rocks, it was an iconic performance. They performed some songs off their last album, such as, Coloring Outside the Lines & Drummer Boy (which Mandy wrote for their drummer, Etienne – they just got engaged within the past year: S’CUTE) as well as some oldies but goodies, Reflections (holy tbt) & Our Own House.

A cool part during their set while performing Imagination Infatuation, the entire band lowered to the ground to the tune of “a little bit softer now” then BOOMED back up to the tune of “a little bit louder now” – as you can hear, the crowd was cheering ’em on!

During their final song, Our Own House, they rocked out on some drums – love these kinds of added bonuses in a performance. The video shows it A.L.L.

Alright, alright, alright (Matthew McConaughey voice) – back to the headlinerz, X Ambassadors, babay. To note: this was their first HEADLINING show at Red Rocks. && it was hoppin’. I only knew a few of the songs, but was having a grand ole’ time. The lead singer could hit notes I didn’t even know existed. The high range he could go to was unimaginable.

It also felt at times I was being taken to a church/choir show (in the BESTEST way possible). There were 3 background singers who brought that added pizzaz to the show, singing background vocals to put some umph into each song X Ambassadors performed, as heard below during Renegades.

Something I unfortunately didn’t get on video was a transition between songs, where the lead singer was introducing a new song – preaching not to be afraid to be yourself, don’t give a f*ck what other people think of you & that they accept everyone, whether you are black, white, Christian, Muslim, LGBTQIA, & so on. I was clapping THE entire time. I love hearing inspiring speeches such as these. He said they are with us. No matter what. Standing for what’s right. I WAS THERE FOR IT.

Let’s also talk about how they performed half of their set while it was raining. Spewing directly onto the stage & soaking the band. Talk about FREE-ZING (as I was). You would think the crowd would have dispersed because of the rain, but it appeared that everyone stayed put to enjoy the amazingness of their set. I unfortunately did not plan well & left a few songs early because I could not feel my feet! First Red Rocks concert & did not expect to be freezing my arse off. However, walking out of the venue hearing the crowd soar & scream & cheer for the end of their set, I had a huge smile on my face because of the night I just had. It was pure bliss…

And then…the Post Concert Depression set in…

Timeflies

4 Comments April 21, 2018 jessnelson14

OH BOY. I’m starting a blog. Let’s be real though — this wouldn’t be my blog if my first post wasn’t about my absolute favorite band, Timeflies.

This past Sunday was my final show of their Too Much To Dream tour. My journey started in Altanta, GA to Columbus, OH & ended in Denver, CO. You could say I’m a little obsessed (okay, a lot obsessed). I’ve been following them for 6 years and am the ultimate promoter of them & their music. The group consists of Cal Shapiro & Rob “Rez” Resnick (who are absolute gems) from New York & New Jersey…met in college & the rest is history — also, I’m not going to bore you with the details because any other interview they’ve done can give you those details. Supes repetitive if you’ve been following them for as long as I have.

It feels weird writing a review of their show considering I’ve been to so many I’ve lost count. The show this past Sunday in Denver was a literal dream (haha, punny). I went back to my olden days & rocked out in the front row; my body was regretting it the next day (it also didn’t help my friend, Megan, & I were out drinking the entire day before hand). The show always starts out with about a 7 minute intro, where Rez creates a mashup of majority popular songs, to get the crowd hyped. The intro always starts with the classic, “ABC, easy as 1, 2, 3” – as soon as I hear those words, I’m perked up & ready to rage!

BUT BUT BUT, let’s back it up. We’re also here to praise the openers, who always seem to be long forgotten at concerts. First up was Baby Raptors, a New York based group, with lead singer Tora Fisher. She’s got an amazing voice & killer abs (gimme summa dat, plz). This is their first time on the road & extremely happy it was with Timeflies so I got the chance to be introduced to them. It was also the first time I’ve seen a female opener for them on tour so HELLS YES WOMEN! I also had a moment with them in Columbus & in the front row, Tora recognized me (at least I think that’s what happened) and gave me all the love. Not here to boast, it was just a lovely moment, K!

Next up was Bryce Vine, who brought MAJOR energy & commanded the stage. I’m still having a hard time getting his songs out of my head (especially Drew Barrymore). He also had support from Lvcky Dave (that’s his social media name, so that’s what I will call him). On one or a couple of the songs, Dave played trumpet & it was the most epic shit I’ve ever seen. I was INTO IT. Apologies I don’t know which song(s) it was on. If anyone decides to read this & wants to correct me, FEEL FREE. I’m not perfect nor do I know everything – all I do know is that Bryce had me moving & grooving.

Okay okay, back to Timeflies – intro is coming to an end & its time for the show. Rob comes out just towards the end of the intro & once it’s over, Cal takes the stage, starting with All The Way. The set consisted of a song from their first release, The Scotch Tape, For You to new songs off their latest release, the To Dream EP, such as Little Bit, Fire, & the absolute grooviest song, Be Easy. Mix in some slow jams such as Stuck With Me & Monsters…and OF COURSE, a bad ass freestyle (b/c YouTube freestyles got them going – go check em out if you haven’t, I DARE YOU). List of topics. Cals mindblowing frees. Beats by Rez. You wouldn’t want to miss it.

Let’s not forget, too, Rob always throws it down with a few bad ass remixes to their original songs — to name a few: I Choose U & Swoon (errbody gon’ swoon *fans self*). You may go into a show thinking you’ll hear the original & then be blown away by the different beats. Your ears won’t know what to do with themselves. It brings such a different energy to a concert than I’ve ever experienced.

It also wouldn’t be their set without the most successful of them all: Once in a While. If you don’t know this song yet, you should. (But I’m hopeful Be Easy is the new Once in a While). The show (too soon) comes to an end with Be Easy (&& that song, boooooy it gets me so excited). There’s what I believe you would call “gang vocals” (again, not an expert here) where children sing background throughout the song, letting you know “you’ve got to be easy” & “everything is alright”. It’s truly an inspiring song & has me in ALL. MY. FEELS. because if you listen to the lyrics, Cal is referencing major TBTs, to their beginning days & it just puts such a smile on my face.

*PSA: somewhere in there too, there’s an encore – it wouldn’t be a concert if there wasn’t an encore, right?*

The show is over *tear* & Cal & Rob thank the crowd & stroll off backstage. But let’s be real, if you’re hardcore like myself, you know you’re going to wait after the show to try to say hello ONE LAST TIME before they’ve got to take off. Soooo, that’s what we do. I’ve inserted some photos below – S’CUTE – of our time before the show in VIP (we bought this, it aint no special thang) && after. Again, true gems.