My Year In Music: Concerts
Hey guys,
It's me again. This is the final article for the three part "My Year In Music." This one will focus on the concerts I attended during this calendar year. I had a goal of seeing at least one concert a month, or 12 in total. I finished that in June, so I upped it to 20, still making sure to do at least one a month. I ended with 22 exceeding my goal.
Out of those 22, I wanted to single out some of my favorite concert experiences. Remember, these are personal experiences, and some may have different reasons for being higher than others for me. Regardless, I enjoyed every show this year.
I plan on going through all of my concert photos and videos and adding a gallery at the end for everyone to see. I'll update when I'm able to do that.
But enough jibber-jabber. Let's get to the list, starting with some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions:
JoJo at San Diego Pride
I’ve been a fan of JoJo’s since the early 2000's and I’ve followed her journey, including her record label battle where she came out alive and released her first album in ten years, Mad Love. Now, JoJo is thriving with support from her fans and this was the second time I was able to see her. The best thing about this specific show wasn’t exactly the music, but rather the company. Don't get me wrong, JoJo can put on a damn great show, but I unexpectedly ran into someone I met at a concert the year before, sparking a friendship that really got me through the end of this year. Reconnecting with this person also allowing me to meet another friend who brought a positive impact to my life. So, I’m grateful to this concert for bringing me closer to others.
Kesha at Mattress Firm Amphitheater
Since the start of her career, I’ve been by Kesha’s side. I’ve always been a fan of her music, but with the release of her rock influenced album, Rainbow, I was able to appreciate her even more as an artist. This was my second time seeing her as well, and I was more excited this time to hear those new songs for the first time. Hearing “Praying” and my personal favorite “Learn To Let Go” live, was a huge deal because these were songs that Kesha herself didn’t think she’d ever get to put out into the world, so being able to sing along with them was a memorable experience.
Charli XCX at Horton Plaza Park
My experience seeing Charli XCX was one of the most unique. It was actually a free show that she announced maybe 3 days before it happened. I switched shifts with someone at work as fast as possible and showed up as early as possible. I was able to secure a wristband to allow me the chance to meet Charli, where she also signed one of my CDs. Then she gave us a performance right after. It was so much fun and I ended up meeting so many cool gays. It was definitely a day to remember.
Sabrina Claudio at The Observatory North Park
I heard about Sabrina Claudio from the friend I reconnected with at Pride. I think that day she told me about her and I listened not long after and I was hooked. Then Claudio blessed us with a new mini album that has some of my favorite tracks of hers, plus she announced she was coming to San Diego shortly after. She played a bunch of those songs as well as the old hits. I got to enjoy the show with my friends and I think this was a great show because of the company, but also because Sabrina Claudio has an incredible vocal range She was also very sassy, which I thought was great.
10. Billie Eilish at SOMA
As you know by now, I’m a hardcore Billie Eilish fan and have been since the beginning. I was super happy to finally get to see her. She had come to San Diego earlier in the year, but I wasn’t able to get tickets, which really pissed me off because I felt like I really deserved to see her. I told as many people about her as possible, so I felt like I helped all of these people know her. Or I’m just being salty.
Luckily, this time I snagged the tickets as quickly as possible. I knew that the show sold out fast, so I got there as early, meeting some really cool people. That was probably my reason for liking this specific concert, the friends I’ve made. I was able to talk music with them and we helped each other out if we needed spots saved.
Billie’s performance was simply fantastic. Finally getting to hear those songs that I’ve been listening to in my bedroom live was a special experience. However, the venue was filled with a lot mean little girls who would constantly push everyone else around. I’ve been to shows like that and I’ve tried to see the bright side of it. That’s why Billie lands at number 10 on my list.
9. Charlie Puth at Mattress Firm Amphitheater
I really enjoyed a lot of Charlie Puth’s music this year. I actually bought his album as well. My friend and I were discussing seeing him because we enjoyed both his sad boy hits and his groovey new jams. We would actually put off buying the tickets for a while because they weren’t too expensive.
I think I bought the tickets maybe a week before. The day of the concert however, I got a message from two friends of mine. They were from Arizona and I had met them at another concert earlier in the year. They told me that they would be in San Diego that day, so we were able to hang out. I told them that I had something to do later that night and they said they did too. That’s when I found out that we were going to the same place.
My experience probably stems from getting to spend the day with them. I didn’t get to sit with them at the show, but it was still a great one. Hailee Steinfeld was there and Charlie took his shirt off for most of it, so it was pretty rad.
8. Hayley Kiyoko at The Observatory North Park
Funny enough, this is the concert where I met my friends from Arizona. We just happened to be next to each other in line. I love it when things work out the way. We were able to talk about music and gay stuff and even standing outside of the venue, it felt like a safe queer space.
A week before the concert, my other friend and I went up to Hollywood to meet Hayley Kiyoko. We got a shirt and a picture and it just got us so hyped for the show. Her album Expectations was a personal favorite for the year, and she ended up performing every single song off the album. No complaints here.
Another great part of the show was that another one of my friends showed up. It was our first concert together and it meant a lot that we were able to have that experience. People are definitely one of the biggest factors in making or breaking concerts for me. Luckily, the crowd was not full of assholes this time.
7. The Aces at The Loft at UCSD
I actually wrote an in-depth article on my experience seeing The Aces. I think this was actually the only concert review I did this year. I used to do a lot on the previous platform I used, so that’s something I should consider. Here’s the link for that article:
https://rikopratt.wixsite.com/hazelnutcoffee/single-post/2018/03/09/The-Aces-at-The-Loft-Concert-Review
To sum it up, I got to meet half of the band members before the show and I was the very first person to arrive, standing front and center. Afterwards, I got to meet both the opener and the rest of the band, getting a picture and signed poster. It was a great intimate night with everyone just having fun and dancing.
6. P!nk at the Valley View Casino Center
This concert was special for a number of reasons. The first, and most important being the company. I didn’t actually pay for the ticket to this one. Someone really special to me was able to win free tickets and he thought of bringing me. It really meant a lot.
My next reason was that it was fucking P!nk. I had always been in awe of her performance skills. Year after year, I’ve told everyone that she’d be the perfect choice for the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Funny, since I didn’t give two shits about sports. But I’d watch for 20 minutes to see P!nk.
Regardless, she sang so many of her old hits and brought the new songs to life with her incredible vocal skills and bad ass attitude. P!nk was all over the place. I knew she wouldn’t stay on the ground for too long, but she was just flying around the stadium at the end, and it was just so great to witness her in real life.
5. Declan McKenna at The Music Box
To start this one off, I have to say that this was definitely the best crowd that I’ve ever witnessed at a concert. They were incredibly respectful and it seemed like everyone was having a great time. During the opener, especially, everyone would cheer for her and just make her feel safe and comfortable.
One of my favorite things about this particular show was meeting someone. I feel like everyone has the dream of meeting a potential significant other at a show, and I found someone who was special to me for a great part of the year. He was the one who actually took me to see P!nk.
Declan McKenna, however, with his gold pants, was able to get everyone on their feet and continue the dance party. The show was an overall fantastic experience and I didn’t want it to end. I would definitely see him again.
4. King Princess at The Music Box
I fucking love King Princess. I found her right when her debut hit “1950” was released. I was immediately drawn to the gayness and I had dreamt of the day that she would grace San Diego with her presence. And she did, during the summer.
As a huge fan, I absolutely needed to arrive early. There was no other choice. I was the third person to get there, which would normally piss me off, but I met two really cool music lovers who shared a lot of the same interests as me. Of course, they were still very young, so I wasn’t gonna grab a beer with them anyone time soon. But I’ve enjoyed staying in contact with them on social media and seeing their adventures.
The pre-show got even better when King Princess showed up and came over to talk to us. We got photos together and she said she was happy to “see all of her gays.” The show consisted of a few of her current hits, with the exception of my favorite song “Holy.” I still didn’t know why she didn;t do it. She did perform a lot of new material and it sounded really cool, which excites me for the future. Hopefully, next time she’s here we can hear “Holy” live.
3. Lily Allen at The Fonda Theater
I was so excited to see Lily Allen this year! She was going to LA, so I did need to do a little bit of traveling on the bus. It didn’t matter because this was one of my queens in high school. I would talk about her so much and recommend her and everyone would be like “what the fuck?” or “who?” since she was a bit bigger overseas.
When I arrived to the venue, I wasn’t first again, but I was able to meet the most adorable Australian guys, who turned out to be a couple. They were engaged and I wish them eternal happiness forever. Also, outside we met two more friends who I was able to talk music about and just gush over Lily Allen with.
The concert happened not long after and we got to hear most of the new tracks, but what really made me feel something was hearing those older hits that I would share with my friends in high school. I didn’t get the chance to meet her after. She had to leave pretty quickly, but I saw the next day that I was in the background of her Insta Story, so I took that as a win.
2. Maggie Rogers at The Observatory North Park
Every time I replay this night in my head, I can’t help but keep smiling the biggest cheesiest grin. It makes me so happy and everything that I wanted to happen, was able to happen. I don’t even know where to start. As I’ve mentioned before, I love being the first to arrive. And I was. By a long time.
I didn’t know how hardcore people were for her, but I arrived at 10. The next concert goers didn’t arrive until like 4 or 5. So, I was alone for a long time. I could hear her sound-checking every song and I was just so excited to get in there and experience her live for the first time.
Once inside, it all happened so fast, but I can remember each moment pretty well. Maggie Rogers just comes alive when performing and there were so many specials songs to me. I was able to snag the setlist and then meet Maggie in the flesh. She signed it and I got a photo and I actually cried. There was a part where I couldn’t talk because I was so excited to finally connect with her. She was patient and kind and it was one of the greatest nights of my life.
1. Lorde at STAPLES Center
Lorde is my absolute favorite artist. I just want to get that out of the way. I think everything she does is perfect. She knows music, she understands it and she takes her time with it. At first, I was upset that she left us with such a large gap between records, but once the final product of Melodrama was in our hands, I completely understood.
Pure Heroine is probably my favorite album ever and I remember spending years listening to it over and over again, and I still do. I can’t get tired of it. It just meant so much to me. “Ribs,” especially. It’s one of my favorite songs ever and I had a dream of finally experiencing it live.
Then I went to see Lorde, and she made my wish come true. There was an actual section where she played my three favorite songs from the first record right next to each other. “400 Lux,” “Buzzcut Season,” and “Ribs.” And I was a mess. I cried super fucking hard and jumped up and down and people probably looked at me weird, but I was just so grateful to finally hear these tracks live. Let’s not forget that Lorde is just a great performer who can put on a fantastic show too. So, there was no topping this night. It was everything to me.
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Remember, all of these are just my personal picks from the concert experiences that really spoke to me this year. As mentioned earlier, I plan on inserting a gallery with some pictures and videos of these concerts. If you wanna read more articles like this, I just released a similar one focusing on my favorite albums of the year. You can check that out here:
https://rikopratt.wixsite.com/hazelnutcoffee/single-post/2018/12/29/My-Year-In-Music-Albums