Maroon 5

So, I've been lucky enough to go to a decent amount of concerts in my life; and, one of my favorite parts about going to a concert is talking to your friends or family or whomever who attended the concert with and reliving the best moments. This past week, I went to my first Maroon 5 concert and because of certain circumstances - I went by myself. Though at first the idea of me going to a concert by myself scared the living beejeesus out of me, (worst part? Finding parking, of course!) I actually found it to be quite liberating! It's so nice to scream and holler and sing along and be that obnoxious fan without having to worry that your friends or family are completely losing all respect for you. The only bad thing... I didn't have anyone to talk to about best moments, what I enjoyed, etc. So - that's what this blog post is going to be about... so, if you don't care about concerts or hate Maroon 5 or just don't want to hear me talk about how cute, sexy, or adorable Adam Levine is (and was that night), you can wait until my next post.

Owl City
Though I've never been a huge Owl City fan, I will say that the song "Fireflies" is insanely addicting and one of those songs that I can listen to over and over and over and over again and not really get sick of it. I mean, when it starts I'm like, "Crap, this song again." but I realize as the song is ending that I've listened to it yet again. So, Owl City is the first act and it was really cool since the lead singer is from Minnesota (the whole group may be, I'm not sure... I just know the lead singer is from Owatonna, I'm pretty sure.) So yeah, having a hometown boy opening for Maroon 5 was pretty awesome. I really enjoyed when they performed "Fireflies" cause they actually had everyone hold up their phones so it looked like there were fireflies throughout the entire Xcel Energy Center. Very cool. I didn't really know a lot of the other songs - just "Shooting Star" and "Good Time", which is always fun to sing and dance to, but considering the band mostly stayed in the background where you didn't really see them, the lead singer was able to keep everyone entertained by running our the stage (which was shaped like an "M").

Neon Trees
The next opening act was Neon Trees. I have their first CD, but not their newest - though, I will say I love, love, love "Everybody Talks". So, I would say I enjoy their music, but didn't really consider myself a fan. I was definitely more excited to see them than Owl City, but thought they would just be an opening act where I would know a couple more of their songs. One thing I didn't realize before the concert was that the girl is actually their drummer (I've seen pics of the band, but none of their videos or them actually performing.) That girl, I think her name is Elaine, is SO kickass. I adore her! She has an amazing voice and goes absolutely insane on the drums. Total props and admiration. Love her! Love the group! Love, love, love everything about them. The set was amazing and they were able to take their hits (such as "Animal" and "Everybody Talks") and add little inflections while being true to the radio version. I must say, the entire group was awesome, but it was really Elaine and the lead singer (Tyler?) who kept the crowd entertained. Tyler's dancing = jealousy-inducing. Yeah, it's that awesome. They also did a cover of "Don't You Want Me" which just made everyone's night - or, at least, should have.

Both of the opening acts did 30 min. sets with a 30 min. break between to redress the stage. Then, 30 min. after Neon Trees it was time for...

Maroon 5!!!!
Yes, there was ear-shattering screaming; and, though I have found that a lot of people aren't fans (I really don't get why not... but people make fun of my taste in music all of the time), I have been a fan since "Songs About Jane". I will say, until recently (and yes, perhaps by watching "The Voice" and finding that Adam not only has some amazingly good looks, but also has a pretty awesome personality made a big difference) I didn't have them on the top of my Concerts I Must Attend list, I have always purchased their CDs and love almost all of their songs. So, even though my expectations were pretty high (1. Because I haven't been to a concert in awhile, and 2. Because Neon Trees KILLED it just 30 min. prior) I was pleasantly surprised for sure. First off, Adam was great at giving the fans what we wanted - after the first song he stripped of his black (pretty sure it was) leather jacket and that just left him in a black t-shirt and (again, pretty sure) leather pants. Then after a few songs he took a towel to wipe of the sweat and threw it to the first row. (I'm pretty sure when he did that I heard the entire Xcel Energy Center collectively give a daydreaming sigh...) Their set was really well done - they started out with "Payphone" and then did a nice mix of old vs. new, ballads vs. upbeat. Near the end of their set they even had a bridge from the main stage to a mini stage in the middle of the floor were Jimmy V. (the lead guitarist) and Adam did an acoustic version of "She Will Be Loved"... this was done after Adam advised everyone that he thought men who attended Maroon 5 concerts were the smartest people in the world. (I believe his exact words after having all 18+ year old girls to scream were, "Gentlemen, start your engines.") Overall, I felt like they did a great job of making it feel like they were having a ton of fun and we were just part of the party. They actually performed "Stereo Hearts", too, and Adam even did the rapping normally done by Travie McCoy. I had a blast. They did the usual sing-a-longs and introducing of the band but their whole stage layout and everything just felt fresh to me (maybe I just haven't been to a concert in too long of a time.... luckily, I'm going to another in about a week-and-a-half!) It was fun. I haven't really been to a concert where it's an actual band. I have been to boy band concerts, singer-songwriter concerts, and my last concert was B.B. King. I guess the closest would've been David Garrett, but that concert was in a much smaller venue.

P!NK
So, as I mentioned above, I have another concert coming up in about a week-and-a-half and this is a concert I've been looking forward to for over a decade. (Yes, literally. I'm completely serious.) I'm actually going to this one with my mom and my sister so I'll be able to relive my favorite memories with them, but I may still document them... so, I lied. If you actually made it through this post, you may want to skip my next one, too cause I'm assuming it's going to be about the P!NK concert... though, I do have a few things from my life to update - but since I'm on a relatively long stretch right now (work-wise) I'm going to head to bed for the night... so maybe my next post with be about another concert or maybe I'll give you all a treat (yes, sarcasm) and write before then... only time will tell!!!

Night all of you boring people who actually read this stuff! haha. Just kidding. I do appreciate the support.

Peace and love!