Concerts I've Attended (2015)

April: Nightwish
Support: Sabaton, Delain
Endless Forms Most Beautiful Tour

One does not simply miss a chance to see Nightwish after seeing the Showtime, Storytime DVD. Floor Jansen's voice is a force beyond human comprehension.

I had a lovely view of this show from start to finish, as I was at the very front of the little venue's second tier. Delain opened first, and I only knew two of their songs at the time, but I really enjoyed songs on their set like "Army of Dolls" and "Electricity" so I looked them up afterward, bought their album The Human Contradiction, and loved it. Sabaton performed next, and while I'm not exactly a fan of their music, they are fantastic performers. The energy level was borderline ridiculous, and they all seemed so nice! The Cleveland crowd certainly humbled them... It was the most energetic crowd I've been in so far. A couple of children were in the crowd and the Sabaton guys invited them on stage - it was really cute. The singer was so happy to see such a wide age range at the show: "Metal is for everyone!"

Then, the lovely headliner Nightwish took the stage. I was treated to a glorious setlist which consisted of many brand new tracks from their album Endless Forms Most Beautiful but also included a couple of their best pieces from Oceanborn, their 1998 sophomore album. Some of the highlights were expected, but even though it became one of my favorites from Endless Forms Most Beautiful quite quickly, I never anticipated "Weak Fantasy" to be as epic as it was in a live setting - what a rush! Between its general live sound and crazy lighting I was dizzy and happy. The crowd knew every word to "The Islander" and we seemed to truly impress Floor with how well we knew the words to their newer single "Élan." I was dancing along to the pipe-led folky tunes but by the time we made it to "Stargazers" I stood in awe - I feel so lucky to have seen that classic live.

The last song before the encore was "The Greatest Show on Earth" (parts two and three, "Life" and "The Toolmaker"), which became my favorite Nightwish song on the first listen... I may have gone a smidge crazy. Right as "The Toolmaker" begins when animal noises dominate the tracks I came to a startling realization: Most of the growling I was hearing (both at my show and performances I saw on YouTube just before my show) wasn't playback... It was Floor. I actually confused her for a lion - A LION, I TELL YOU. If that doesn't prove her power, nothing will. After the encore (consisting of the masterpiece "Ghost Love Score" and the perfect closer "Last Ride of the Day") the final instrumental sections of "The Greatest Show on Earth" played while the band took their bows. Nightwish's creator Tuomas Holopainen took the final bow before the rest of the group as "The Understanding" came to its final gorgeous chords. He looked so tired but passionate and proud of the band's performance, and I unabashedly screamed I loved him like a crazed fangirl.

Other associated memories: The person standing next to me was holding his signed VIP poster and tour book, so like an awe-struck fangirl I started asking him about how the meet and greet was and how Floor and the guys were. Well, he must have felt bad for me for not being able to get a VIP ticket because DUDE GAVE ME HIS SIGNED STUFF. His explanation: "I'm old. What am I going to do with this stuff?" But he wasn't even old. I was so gracious! 

May: Lana Del Rey
Support: Grimes
The Endless Summer Tour

As per usual when I go to non-rock/metal concerts, I saw Lana Del Rey with Nick at Aural Fixation Reviews. I was so excited to see her at the beginning of summer during her Endless Summer Tour since that's the season I have always associated her with, but she really could have changed it to the Endless Winter Tour for my show because it was forty eight degrees (Fahrenheit). I was freezing and couldn't feel my feet afterward, but it was worth it. Lana's live performances have improved significantly since her start in 2012, and honestly, she did a perfect job. I absolutely lost my shit during "Born to Die" and I love how she changed the chorus a bit. "Video Games" was the first song I discovered by her so of course hearing that beautiful track live was pretty wonderful too, and she played the lovely unreleased "Serial Killer." Being the hipster that I am, I was kind of expecting a lot of the people attending to be people who have only ever heard the "Summertime Sadness" remix on the radio, but all the fans at this show were diehards: This crowd collectively knew EVERY WORD of every song! Her live band was really energetic too and gave me a whole new appreciation for "Off to the Races," the last song of her set, and honestly the backdrops and props were some of the beautiful I've seen in a live artist's performance. We may have been freezing our asses off, but when I think of that show visions of summer still manage to fill my head. 

Still, a large part of the reason this concert will always be so damn special to me is that it led me to the spunky electronic artist Grimes, which is ironic considering I was initially annoyed that I wouldn't be able to see Courtney Love (she opened for the first half of the Endless Summer Tour). As I always say, I often end up liking supporting acts I didn't initially care for after seeing them live, but... Grimes is my spirit animal. I was intrigued after the very first song, "Circumambient," and then she grabbed my attention again with "Nightmusic" and "Go." My best friend Nick showed me some of her more 'normal' songs before the concert like "REALiTi" and "Oblivion," and even though I love those songs now, they just weren't the right entry point in her discography for me to take. I needed to hear the darker sounds first. Unfortunately, she didn't have a very energetic crowd (some girls in front of me were standing up so I couldn't see her and taking selfies... brats) but she was so incredibly nice and appreciative anyway.

I will most definitely see her again and I will unabashedly dance around no matter how dead the crowd is. And I will probably cry. (Sorry, Nick. Prepared to be even more embarrassed than you were when we saw the final Harry Potter movie.)

Other associated memories: Trying to find our ride home. Why is that always so hard for us? Also, me laughing at absolutely nothing on the way home because I was too tired to function like a sane human being.

Click here to see what shows I attended from 2012 to 2014.

Concerts I've Attended (2012-2014)

Over the years, I've been becoming a bit of an avid concert-goer. This has basically been a life goal for myself ever since I was little; the loud, energetic concert environment seemed to call my name. Granted, I don't go to too many shows: I see an average of one or two per year, but I've never really talked about them around here before with the exception of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, who I've had the pleasure of seeing five times. I'd never be able to review a concert because they all make me extremely happy, so I figured I can put up a post discussing my most recent experiences every so often.

August 2012: Evanescence
Support: Chevelle, Cavo
Carnival of Madness Tour

I had only ever gone to Trans-Siberian Orchestra shows before seeing Evanescence, so this is technically my first real concert where people actually stand up and whatnot. One of the perks of this specific tour was that I also got to see Chevelle. I had always liked Chevelle beforehand, but I never truly got into them until seeing them live; I was quite impressed and really enjoyed their set. They're great performers. (Cavo performed a small set before Chevelle, but I've never been concerned with their music, personally.)

 

But, of course, I was most excited to see my favorite band since I bought their debut Fallen in 2005, Evanescence... I fangirled so much to the point that I probably should have been embarrassed. I probably did a little too much rocking out... especially during "Whisper," my favorite live Evanescence song that I have always wanted to see and hear I person (thus convincing me I would fit in better with a metal crowd), and I literally cried during "Lost in Paradise" and the final song of the night, "My Immortal," which caused a group of guys to stare in awe and point me out: I probably looked like a hot mess. It was an emotional rollercoaster overall, really. Evanescence was my go-to band for the vast majority of my teen years. Sure, their music is fantastic, but they're also my angst in a way. If something would go wrong, I'd put on an Evanescence song and suddenly I'd feel better. I've listened to their songs a million times, but seeing and hearing it live was a reminder of every connection I've made with the music, every moment I've looked up to Amy Lee as a human being... And there they were, close enough that I could distinguish the difference between Amy's sweat and body glitter. I was starstruck. Completely starstruck. I had major post-concert depression afterwards. And probably suffered damage to my vocal chords.

Other associated memories: One of the workers at the venue let me move from row CC to M for Chevelle, and then to row I (that's the letter, not the number) for Evanescence! I went to Joe's Crab Shack after this concert... They serve food in a bucket. A freaking bucket. It was awesome.

May 2014: Lady Gaga
artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball

 

It took a little while, but I finally got to see Lady Gaga. My real-life bestie Nick at Aural Fixation Reviews and I were supposed to see her during the Born This Way Ball in 2013, but she had to cancel the tour a few days before our show due to injuries. Fortunately, Gaga became healthy again, released ARTPOP, and could go back on the road so Nick and I could see her. And she puts on one hell of a show! She has clearly moved on from the past, for she only played one song from Born This Way (the title track itself, acoustic) and a selection of the biggest singles from her first two albums. Everything else was from ARTPOP. I must say, her voice sounds even better live than in the studio, and of course, her dancing and general performance level were on par. Heck, I didn't even just buy my tickets for the performance, I also just wanted to hear her talk! She's such a sweet, high-energy person. Since she loves clothes so much, many fans were throwing some stuff they brought (whether they made it or not) on stage and she'd wear them all... She was like a small child excited to play dress-up, and it was adorable. She also read a fan letter aloud on stage.

 

However, if I ever go see her again, I'm dressing up. Everyone around me at this concert was so glamorous covered in glitter... And there I was in jeans, Converse, and a t-shirt. I looked dull in comparison to those around me.

Other associated memories: Nick and I were semi-stranded for a little while after this show and then we got lost in a scary-looking side of town.

October 2014: Within Temptation
Support: Amaranthe
Hydra World Tour

Within Temptation is my favorite band along with Evanescence, and their lead singer (Sharon den Adel) has been a vocal idol for me, so I was certainly counting down the days until I could see them. It seemed that they'd always skip my general region for every tour, but not this one! Furthermore, I was in an entire venue full of people who actually knew who they were... OMG! Amaranthe opened, and while I'm not exactly crazy about them, I enjoy a few of their songs. They did a pretty good job, but I think there was something up with their  microphones so it was harder to hear the vocalists.

 

Since the venue was completely general admission and didn't have seats (if you ever have to go to one, be very patient and don't be too polite so that people don't shove you out of the way), I got there early and was in the second row for Amaranthe. I was in the front for every Within Temptation song except for the last three. THE FRONT ROW. It was a perfect scenario. They are top-notch performers: They bring plenty of energy and the songs sound perfect! The screen backdrop was actually broken for a good portion of the show, but I didn't even notice until someone brought it up later. I headbanged my earplugs out during "Stand My Ground," was completely mesmerized by Sharon den Adel's vocals during "Angels," and went bananas during "Mother Earth." I was able to make eye-contact with all the band members (except their drummer) and can barely be seen in the photo the band took in the crowd when you zoom in at about 300%. It was fantastic; I was in such a good mood for literally days afterward.

 

Other associated memories: Traffic sucked on the way to the venue and brought on some major anxiety. Got home at two in the morning and went to university at eight in the morning... It was worth it!