In the pit at Passion Pit

I knew of PassionPit's songs like "sleepyhead", "the reeling", "take a walk" and "carried away" (their best songs in my book), and I had recently heard they were coming and without even listening to their full album (Gossamer) I decided to go.  But, I still didn't get tickets until the day of the concert (always a procrastinator) .  I'm not sure why, but my mind was set on being in the pit after the Imagine Dragons concert, so I called up one of my best friends and 10 minutes later, my friend, my dad, and I were soon enough on our way to the Passion Pit Pit. It doesn't seem like they've really takin off after their release of Gossamer, so you could probably wait until the last minute to get tickets (if you had to).  It was a great, summer show and it was outdoors and perfect weather.  This was my first time being in a pit, so I used the strategy of "oh I'll kindly wait till someone moves then I'll take their spot" (lately I have become much more assertive than that first time).  Soon, we made our way to the front row, right corner.  That was on of those shows you should see in the summer, get lawn or pit tickets spur of the moment and just go (even if you don't know all of the lyrics).  I had a great time and even though I didn't know most of the songs ( I quickly sampled them on iTunes on the drive there). Just a colorful and fun show (one of those where you don't feel like someone is humping you the entire time because you're so squashed together in a hot, stinking pit) .  Off-note Tip: during the show, some people snuck in over the pit gate, and they didn't get caught.  For the people unwilling to pay for pit tickets for any show, try the tactic (in the MIDDLE-END of the show) of hopping over the fence (live a little) but I can't promise you it'll work.  
Its not my fault, I'm Happy!
-Claire   

IMAGINE if we had DRAGONS and they were AIRBORNE and TOXIC (what an EVENT)

IMAGINE if we had DRAGONS and they were AIRBORNE and TOXIC (what an EVENT)
My apologizes to the millions and billions of people reading my blog, I have had much to do and not so much energy to blog (after all I'm constantly writing for english and such things) over the past few months.  Anyway, I figured I would talk a little about my two first concerts of 2013.  I went on a streak of no concerts for a while (during my dark ages), although I did attend a "Best Coast" concert with my dad in 2012 during summer.  My dad mentioned a couple weeks before that "The Airborne Toxic Event" was coming, and I liked them, and I knew none of my friends would know them, so I went with my dad. We kind of stood towards the back and it was a great concert, even then.  Their violinist is this girl who looks like she'd be some type of hard-core rocker, and so she unexpectedly kicked-butt at violin. I love that they incorporate violin sounds into their very alternative music.  check them out, they're a really great band, and fun live. 
I discovered "Imagine Dragons" around early 2012 summer, and it wasn't because their song "it's time" was the soundtrack to the "Perks of being a Wallflower" trailer (great movie), but because there was this commercial with firemen in it and "radioactive" was the song in the background, and I thought it was AWESOME.  It took me a while to find the name of the song, so I had to wait for it to come on the radio (my family has XM radio so we don't have to listen to top-40 crap), and it did come on pretty soon and I literally screamed out of joy when I heard it.  Later that fall, I showed the song to my friends and I take pride in getting them on the Imagine Dragons bus (although they might not admit it). Anyway, my best friend and I (before I knew the "bandsintown" app was a thing) watched closely for when they'd be coming.  They finally came to our area (and it just so happened to be two days after the airborne toxic concert) and a group of about six of us went.  It seemed like almost everyone in my school was going, which i didn't like but whatever.  We got there and had lawn seats (cheapest tickets were on ticket master by the way) and then right after the opening band, it rained, and stormed and poured.  They came very close to canceling the concert, and I would have been PISSED.  But, they didn't, and they put on a FANTASTIC show. It was so great, even on the lawn (although next time I go, I want to definitely be in the pit, it would've been much funner). There are so many great light effects and the lead singer (Dan Reynolds) likes to fly through the air while playing drums a lot. They put on a very, very, good show.  Get pit tickets.
-Claire

links: 
"the Airborne Toxic Event "Timeless" 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyZ7S2rccsg&sns=em
"changing" http://youtu.be/59bLUwYONEI
also, check out "gasoline", "sometime around midnight", "wishing well" and "all I ever wanted" 

"Imagine Dragons" "night visions" album SAMPLER (not full songs) 
http://youtu.be/z2CimEi2M98

RED

I want to talk about one concert I went to in September.  This was Taylor Swift.  I know she annoys the crap out of some people and its really mainstream and to be honest I didn’t like her until her most recent album, “red” came out. Despite what anyone thinks of her, I am 99% sure that anyone could enjoy some aspect of her live show.  We bought the tickets a full year in advance and the tickets were quite pricey.  Over the year I kind of stopped listening to her music all the time unless I just happened upon it.  My mom bought the tickets on the day of the presale and in a matter of seconds the tickets had been on sale it was a sold out show.  After a year of anticipation the day finally came.  Ed sheeran, who I liked a lot before opened and he’s awesome live too.  And its not like he had a huge crew of back up singers or a band or anything.  It was just him, his guitar and the stage.  And he just sang in his cute little British accent.  And you could tell he just was going with the flow because he decided “I want to sing this tonight” and just burst into Britney Spears’ “hit me baby one more time”. 

There’s this thing that Taylor swift does, where she has people go search for girls that are decked out in fan stuff and they pick them to go to the pit and meet her (we just cut up red t-shirts).  Don’t get your hopes up though-we didn’t get picked.  Its not like we had great seats or anything, we were up in the top level of the arena, and still the scouts came up there with TAYLOR SWIFTS MOM.  We immediately ran down (so did everyone else) and hugged her.  And let me get this straight- she made eye contact with me and SHE initiated the hug, not me.  We were all really star stuck after that (after all, that women who just hugged us created Taylor swift).   

Anyway, she opened with “state of grace” which is one of my favorite songs to belt out in the shower passionately.  She mainly sang songs from her new album, but she threw some oldies in there too like “you belong with me”, “mean” (my all time favorite tswift song), and some others.  She is just such a great performer.  She moves around the entire show and the stage set up is just perfection.  Anyone would enjoy this.  She went to a stage in the back, which I recommend trying to get your seats there if you can.  This stage raised up and down and spun around and she sand “everything has changed” with ed. She also is on a pedestal and flies around the audience with nothing but an iron crowbar holding her in.  It was great.  She’s a wonderful person, entertainer and storyteller and I loved it, even being way up in the stands.  I promise, anyone, I mean anyone, would enjoy it.

-Claire

Links

“A team” by Ed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAWcs5H-qgQ

“You need me I don’t need you” by Ed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXvzzTICvJs

“Mean” by tswift: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYa1eI1hpDE

“Love story”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xg3vE8Ie_E

“You belong with me”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuNIsY6JdUw

"Red" album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8JyaNIMiSE

“Everything has changed” by Ed and Taylor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1oM3kQpXRo

Wynton?

It’s a little late but I’ll tell you how the Wynton Marsalis “concert” went.  It wasn’t really a concert at all and Wynton had a very small part in it.  It was kind of a jazz fused with gospel choir music orchestra thing.  I could appreciate the musicians and the gospel choir was great, but it’s just not my cup of tea.  I got bored after a while because it was kind of repetitive and I guess it just wasn’t as lively as I would’ve liked it to be.  Great concert for you low-key Christian-jazzies though!

-Claire

RELAX fellow people of earth

Yes, I’ve already blogged once today, but I finally have some free time. Anyway, the world is a very, very stressful and fast moving place to live.  Concerts are a great way to let it all go but if you don’t have time in your busy schedule, I wanted to attach some relaxing, instrumental music that I’ve been listening to lately when doing homework (if I listen to normal songs I have a really hard time not singing at the top of my lungs)

            By the way, I don’t really listen to jazz, (although I like it) but my friend asked me to go to a Wynton Marsalis concert, tomorrow, so I’m going to go.  It’ll be cool because I haven’t been to something like that and he seems like a pretty chill guy. It should be cool and I’ll hopefully be able to write about how it went soon. 

-Claire

The blissful, relaxing links:

“Meditational Zen” (my go-to for studying/longtime meditation): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9SCrpXN3EE

“Hindu Zen” (I'm a big fan of the sound of a sitar and India in general): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHNfR7Sey0A

“The winner is” (I love little miss sunshine, its one of my all time favorite movies)- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBraHI5DwJ0

The XX’s intro: (loved the XX since 5^th grade): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhnZkNj7kAo

macklemores “BomBom” (gotta love macklmore): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNZkN7k-7qg

Wynton Marsalis’s “Carnival of Venice” (first song I found): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu2f_-01BdE

WALK THE MOON

            Freaking school man.  It’s killing me.  I’d really love to blog everyday because it makes me so happy but chemistry and all that awful high school crap is ruining my life.  So if I don’t blog, its not because I don’t feel like it or I'm lazy its because of freaking school.  It ruins everything.  But, enough about that crap it’s messing with my Zen. This is what I typed Sunday before I had to get a bunch of homework done:

Yesterday, I went to the “walk the moon” concert that was sold out. I didn’t really know any of their songs other than “Anna sun” until later this week when I looked them up on MySpace after buying tickets.  I know what your thinking… MySpace is so lame and old-timey but despite popular belief it’s pretty cool. You can listen to full albums… (That’s how much I typed)

As I was saying MySpace is pretty cool despite it’s stigma.  But do watcha want I could care less. WALK THE MOON is awesome, and I mean AWESOME in concert.  They were playing at this place we have called the cats cradle.  I’ve been to enough concerts there to know it like the back of my hand.  So, when we walked in (my parents “granted me independence” and let me go with two of my friends by ourselves for the first time) and me, being the (slightly rude) assertive person I am, I go to the left (away from the bathrooms) and push a bunch of people to get to the front (second row) all the while pissing off multiple people along the way.  On a side note, if you don’t want me to take your spot, don’t let me… this is a concert… survival of the fittest man.  If you ever go to WALK THE MOON, paint your face, we missed the memo on that (tons of people painted their faces).  Apparently the deal is, when WALK THE MOON made their “Anna sun” music video they had a giant paint fight at the end and it was amazing so now they always paint their faces for their shows.

A band called “magic man” from Boston opened.  They were pretty good.  As my friend Nikki puts it “they’re a mix of walk the moon and Michael Jackson”.  It was cute because the crowd was pretty nice to them and clapped (a lot of opening bands get booed) and the lead singer got really, really pumped. It was then time for WALK THE MOON. Eli, the guitarist was closest to us on the left and Nick, the lead singer was in the middle (its best to get in the middle) and Kevin, their bassist, in his cheetah print pants, was on the right. They opened with “Next in Line” which was a really great song to open with.  They continued with songs from their latest album “walk the moon”.  After singing “Iscariot” they called the guy who designed their set (which by the way, was really cool with these trees that look like the ones on their album cover which lit up) and he proposed to his girlfriend! Afterwards they played my personal favorite, “I can lift a car” and had everyone do the same “lifting a car” motion.  They also played a couple of new songs they were working on, the only one I remember had a chorus like “do you have a boyfriend?” so keep a look out for that song because it was great. Nick crowed-walked (I WAS SO CLOSE TO TOUCHING HIM) and they ended with the first song I heard by them, Anna sun.  They played “Jenny” for their encore and they made an awesome speech about forgetting about how your supposed to act and just feel free to express yourself here, and (excuse my language) to “drop shit” on this last song, and take it from me, we did. This was definitely a great escape from the awful stressful real world and I will definitely buy tickets to see them again in a heartbeat. This was probably one of my all time funnest concerts. 

I love you, WALK THE MOON.

-Claire

Here’s a link to the whole "WALK THE MOON" album, which you need to listen to now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL6bYdQwbEI&list=PL452F833FFBA0A412

And magic man’s “Texas” link just for kicks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x51erJ7hnsM