Falling in Love at First Sight (and Sound)

Most concerts have one or two opener acts before the headliner takes the stage. Sometimes, the openers are artists you may already know and love, and sometimes the openers are artists you've never heard of. Some people choose to not go to concerts early because they don't want to listen to artists they don't know. Unless traffic prevents me from getting to a concert venue on time, I'm always there when doors open so I don't miss the opening acts because I love to discover new music. I understand that it may be hard to get into music you're not familiar with, but if the artists are truly gifted, they will get your attention and you'll be singing and maybe even dancing along before you know it. The true test for me is when I'm moved enough by their performances that I end up buying their CDs at the show.

Two weekends ago, I went to see Andy Grammer at the House of Blues in Boston. Parachute (whom I already knew and loved) and Andrew Ripp were the openers. I had only heard of Andrew's name because he was listed as an opener, but I knew nothing else about him. When he took the stage with just his guitar and started singing, he blew me away. At one point, Andy Grammer came out on stage with his guitar to join Andrew on the keys to perform a beautiful song called "You Will Find Me." He ended his set with a song called "Peace Like A River" which is a song he wrote for his wife. Let me tell you, the ladies in the audience were really disappointed to find out he was taken! Andrew also joined Parachute during their set to sing "Gimme Some Lovin,'" which was made popular by The Blues Brothers. Oh, and his new CD features a duet with the amazing Vince Gill! How can you not love that? Luckily, he had his new CD, entitled "Won't Let Go" with him for sale at merch before it was actually available elsewhere, so I was able to snag one and listen to it on my drive home. "Won't Let Go" is now available on iTunes!

Another exceptional opener I have seen and fallen in love with was Andrew Allen when he opened for Joshua Radin back in Feb 2011 at the House of Blues in Boston. I was lucky enough to see him two more times in 2011 and have been waiting to see him again ever since. It was just Andrew and his acoustic guitar, which was fine by me because I love acoustic sets. He had a certain charismatic quality about him that drew me in immediately. Even though I had never heard of him or his music, I fell in love with his original music. I love how his love songs are happy, upbeat love songs, such as "Loving You Tonight." He really got the crowd going with a great rendition of Sublime's "Love Is What I Got." An original song of his that really touched me was a song called "Sooner" which he wrote about a man in love whose only regret was that he wished he had met his lady sooner! Aww...that was the sweetest! Check out his self-titled EP, Andrew Allen.

Maybe guys named Andrew are just naturally musically talented and have great stage presence and that's why these two in particular stood out to me. I don't know, but believe it or not, there are other artists not named Andrew who have caught my attention at first look/listen, such as Rachel Platten, Tristan Prettyman, Mikey Wax, Brett Young and Matt Hires. I encourage everyone to get to concerts early and be there to support the opening acts. Even if you can't financially support them by buying CDs/merch, they love your moral support by just being in the audience. After all, they are there to support the headliners you are there to see. You never know, they could be the next big thing and you can say, I knew them way back when! And if you don't already know these artists, check them out. I promise you that you won't be sorry!

Out Alive...Literally

When I had first thought about writing a blog entry about what happened last week, it was supposed to be about seeing my favorite singer-songwriter for four consecutive shows and how awesome that was going to be. As fate would have it, things changed and I decided to shift my focus a little bit.

First of all, my favorite singer-songwriter is Kris Allen. He is currently out on the Out Alive Tour in support of his most recent album, Thank You Camellia. Exactly one week before the first scheduled tour stop, Kris was involved in a a head-on collision, which led to a broken wrist and surgery. That alone, brought a whole new meaning to the aptly named tour. Being the trooper that he is, Kris refused to postpone or cancel any tour dates and proceeded as scheduled, just days after surgery.

Armed with a cast and a make-shift sling using a scarf, Kris kicked off the tour in Killington, VT on Tuesday, January 8, 2013. I didn’t get to see him on the tour opener in VT, but I did see him the next four nights in Boston, Ridgefield, Philly and NYC and what a treat that was! Boston was awesome because it’s a hometown show for me. The venue was intimate and Kris loved the crowd!

This is where the unexpected twist of events began. When I was on my way to the Ridgefield, CT show, I was rear-ended by another car that forced me into hitting the car in front of me. All I remember was that things in my car went flying, and I was jolted back and back from the impacts. I was in a complete state of shock and disbelief, as I just sat in my car for a few minutes, trying to process everything that just happened. Eventually, the police came and took down everyone’s information and statements. Sadly, my car was not drivable and had to be towed. As if to add insults to injuries, the tow guy locked my car door and took the keys with him to another accident, so I couldn’t even grab my purse or any of my belongings out of my car! All I had with me was my license that the officer had handed back to me, and about $30 that I found in my jacket. Since I was over two hours away from home, and I didn't break anything nor was I bleeding, (just a bruised knee and sore muscles), I figured that I might as go and enjoy the concert instead of going to the emergency room. By that time, my friend had already met up with me at the scene of the accident, so we just took a cab to the venue.

Of course we got to the venue later than had expected. All my friends there embraced me with big hugs, as tears just rolled down my face knowing that I am loved. My friend managed to get us in to see Kris after the fact because we had missed the official meet and greet. Kris could not have been a sweeter guy! He was genuinely worried about me and my well-being. He even offered to give me the Advil I had given him the previous night for his wrist! 

Kris put on an amazing show that night, as he did every night. A special moment of that night, though, was when he dedicated a new song to the people of Newtown, after the recent tragedy. Ridgefield is very close in proximity to Newtown. It was a beautifully, haunting song that simply left people speechless. At the end of the song, everyone stood up with heavy hearts, teary eyes and simply thanked Kris for that! You can see the video of that performance here:

Oh, and I did get checked out by a doctor later that night, so no worries. After dealing with some of the car issues, on to Philly we went. A friend who saw Kris and his tour manager before the show told me that they both asked about me and my knee. It’s always nice to know that someone genuinely cares and asks about you. After Philly, we went to NYC. My cousin and a couple of my best friends joined me for that show. It was at a great venue where we were able to sit back and enjoy a meal with wine during the show. Because this was an artist showcase instead of a regular stop on his tour, Kris had a shorter set than the previous three nights. Shorter set or not, it was still amazing and my friends loved it! It was their first time seeing him live. We got to chat with Kris and his band mates afterwards. Once again, Kris was still worried about me and my knee. We talked about how the soreness sets in a couple days after the accident. I have to say that Kris is exactly who he appears to be – a genuinely nice, humble, down-to-earth, caring and truly talented guy. And I love knowing that he is surrounded by really good people while on tour – Sean Porter (only the best tour manager around!), Cale Mills (guitarist/pianist/long time friend of Kris), Chris Torres (bassist/percussionist), Andrew St. Marie (pianist/bassist/guitarist) and Jordan Dettmer (merch). Special props to Andrew for stepping up on short notice and learning all the songs in under a week since he was not a part of the band before. Such a talented musician! 

I love the fact that World Vision is out on tour with Kris, which allows people the opportunity to make a one-time donation or sponsor a child with monthly donations. The money will help give the child necessities such as food, running water, electricity and the ability to go to school and learn. 

Back to the original reason for this blog…can you actually see a musician live for four nights in a row and still be entertained? The answer is this…YES, if it's a dynamic performer like Kris! In fact, he leaves you wanting more. Each night, Kris brought on a different energy. Plus, he switches things up with a request song of the day. So, if he is bringing the Out Alive Tour to a city near you, I strongly suggest you do yourself a favor and go check him out. I promise that you won’t be sorry!

Despite the car wreck, this has been one of the best experiences of my life. If anything at all, this made for an even more unforgettable road trip for me. I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason. I got to spend some quality time with my cousin and friends, and do some sight-seeing in addition to seeing one of the nicest, talented and under-rated singer-songwriters out there. In the end, we all made it “Out Alive” and that’s all that really matters. Praise God! Oh, and congrats to Kris and his wife, Katy, who are expecting their first child in July!

2012 In Review

Oh wow, 2012 has totally come and gone! And, I just realized some of my blog posts never actually posted. Instead of posting them late now, I'll just recap here real quick. Seriously, 2012 has been an amazing year for me, in terms of adding to my concert experiences! Looking back over my pictures and videos from the year, I think I went to over 30 or 40 concerts/radio events/festivals and met a lot of wonderful artists and friends along the way!

Over the past year, I have driven many miles and even flew to some places for concerts. Some unique experiences include meeting The Fray on their tour bus and having one of their drumsticks thrown right at me after the show, winning a M&G with Lady Antebellum, working the merch table for Rachel Platten and winning a soundcheck experience with Jon McLaughlin. When Lifehouse was in Boston for a radio show, I had someone tweet me that they had an extra ticket to the show and invited me, even though she didn't know me. Thanks to Sarah, I got to stand about 5 feet from Jason Wade for a half hour and then we got to take a picture with them afterwards. That was an exciting day!

I loved all my concert experiences and got to see a couple of my favorite artists multiple times but there were two concerts that were of special significance to me. My sister came with me to both of these concerts. The first one was for Anthem Lights in NH in June. That was a long day for Anthem Lights because they missed their flight due to a ticketing problem, I believe. I wasn't sure if they would make it, but they did. They managed to put on a great show without a proper soundcheck since they got there late. My sister and I got to meet the guys after the show and I told them I was the "gifter" of their acoustic EP (see my previous blog post for that story!) and they couldn't be happier to meet me! They were so appreciative. The reason that night was special was because one of the songs they sang that night was the popular worship song, "Here I Am To Worship." Funny how God works because the very next day, my husband (who is a worship leader at our church) had chosen that very song to be part of that morning's worship set, unbeknownst to me. For the next few weeks, my sister kept telling me how that song was on her mind. She's not Christian and does not listen to Christian music, so that meant a great deal to me.

The second unforgettable concert was The Proof of Your Love Tour with for King & Country, Dara MacLean and Jason Castro. My sister and I drove 3 hours to Maine in November to see them. Heavens to Betsy actually opened with a couple of songs, followed by Dara, fK&C and Jason. Everyone came back out for the final set and my favorite moment was when everyone sang "Hallelujah" with Jason (he sang it when he was on American Idol) and did such a wonderful job! We got to meet and chat with everyone after the show too. On our 3 hour drive back home, we listened to Dara's CD and I could tell that my sister was really enjoying it. I had also bought my sister one of the Priceless necklaces from fK&C, which has an Australian penny as the pendant to signify that women are so much more. I'm proud to say that she's been wearing that necklace ever since! It may not seem like much, but these little things with my sister means a lot to me and I pray that one day, she will believe!

Now, onward to 2013. Looking forward to many more concert experiences and praying for more time for me to write so I can share more often and in a timely manner! Happy concert-going to everyone! Happy New Year!

The Gift of Music

On January 17, 2012, Anthem Lights (Alan Powell, Caleb Grimm, Chad Graham and Kyle Kupecky) released their much anticipated Acoustic EP. The hours leading to the release of this album had me thinking and praying a lot. Just before midnight, I tweeted to Anthem Lights that I wanted to gift their Acoustic EP to 20 fans who couldn't afford it. Once word got out in the Twittersphere, people started reaching out to me. Here's my blog to explain why I decided to gift the EP.

Let's back up and tell you how I discovered Anthem Lights. In June 2011, my husband and I took a road trip from Rhode Island to the Alive Festival in Mineral City, Ohio. I have been to a lot of concerts through out the years, but have never been to a Christian Festival and was really excited for my first one. There were a lot of artists that I was excited to see, such as TobyMac, Switchfoot, Chris August, Tenth Avenue North, Hillsong United, for King & Country, but most of all, I went to see Kris Allen, American Idol season 8 winner. They were are amazing! Definitely a very uplifting experience for me.

Before the main acts on the main stage in the evening, there were smaller acts at other stages during late morning/early afternoon. One of those days, I was at the Woods Stage when I was introduced to the music of Anthem Lights. I had never heard of them, but I was instantly hooked by their harmonies as they started to perform. I was totally mesmerized by their whole set, which in my opinion, was way too short. I got to meet the guys by the merch table after their set. They were all super sweet, signed my CD and took a picture with me. What a nice group of guys! So genuine and on fire for the Lord!

Over the next few months, I saw Anthem Lights gain popularity. I started hearing their music and interviews on Air1 and K-Love radio. Even though I have their album and can listen to the songs anytime I want, I still get excited every time I hear one of their songs on the radio. Guess that's just the fangirl in me. Fast forward 6 months and it's time for Anthem Lights to release their Acoustic EP.  I bought the EP as soon as I got home the night of the release. I listened to it on repeat that night and just felt the need to share this amazing EP with others. I prayed about how to best share this. From what I've seen on Twitter and Facebook, majority of the fanbase (also know as the Lightbulbs) appear to be in their teens or early 20s, at least on these social media sites. Not that other people can't be fans because I am (sadly) no longer in my 20s and yet, I'm proud to call myself a Lightbulb. I know that when I was at that age, I couldn't always afford the music I wanted. I tweeted to Anthem Lights that I wanted to gift 20 EPs to fans who couldn't afford it. Alan was tweeting through the Anthem Lights Twitter account at that time and retweeted my tweet.

Over the next few hours, I gifted everyone who tweeted me to ask for the EP to be gifted to them via iTunes or Amazon. Mind you, I had to be at work for 7am Tuesday morning, but since people kept tweeting me, I just kept on gifting. I was on a spiritual high, reaching out to all these Lightbulbs, that I just couldn't bother with sleep. When 5am rolled round, I think I had gifted over 30 EPs already, which is more than the initial 20 I said I'd gift. Even though I received more than 20 requests, I just couldn't say no.

I ended up napping for about an hour before making some coffee and heading into work. Despite only 1 hour of sleep, I had one of my best days at work. I didn't encounter any major problems that day. One of my co-workers even bought pizza for lunch for a few of us. The whole time, I just kept thinking that God is good and that He always provides.

I have been the recipient of music and other gifts from other people (strangers, included) at various points in my life. I've seen some people on my Twitter feed gift music or match donations, etc. I wanted to share the beautiful music in this EP. So, I went on a gifting spree. So much so that iTunes actually suspended my account for a while because PayPal wouldn't pay them since they kept submitting for the same amount. Eventually, I got it cleared up and was able to gift again. By the end of the day on Tuesday, I had gifted 44 EPs. I have had a few more requests since then, and now the grand total is 53 EPs! I'm not sharing this information to boast what a generous person I am. I do not have an endless supply of money. I have a great full-time job working in the field I went to college for. I'm sharing this because I feel extremely blessed and wish to inspire others to pay it forward. You may not be able to do so today or tomorrow, but someday, you will. It may not be in the form of gifting EPs to everyone who asks you, but it could be something as small as buying someone coffee, or baking cookies/brownies, or maybe shoveling someone's driveway.

Thank you for taking the time to read my first blog, ever! I would love to see Anthem Lights in concert and meet the guys again someday. Lightbulbs, I pray that I have inspired you to pay it forward, however and whenever you are able to. God is good. And in the famous words of Alan, that is all.