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.

My Favorite Television Shows

Recently, I came to the realization that I rarely ever talk about TV shows on this blog. I must admit, I don't watch that much television, but it's impossible not to watch any shows at all. Sometimes, one can find a really good show and become hooked 'till the end. The main problem I end up having is the inability to stay committed and keep up with each and every episode; I rarely ever succeed. Still, I've discovered some seriously amazing shows over the years, and it's time I share them.

Gilmore Girls

Out of all the shows I've ever watched in my whole life, Gilmore Girls is the only series I've watched several times through in its entirety. I love this show. Everything about it makes it stand out, from the wonderfully-crafted characters, to the comedy they bring, to the plot (which is always bound to have some drama). It was, and still is, so different than anything else on TV. It was kind of... perfect. There will never be another Gilmore Girls.

The Twilight Zone
When I say that I love The Twilight Zone, I mean the original black-and-white classic with Rod Serling, not that awful remake of the show that made me want to vomit. This oldie has a lot of elements that I think are missing in today's thrillers, which aim to entertain by making audience jump in their seats. The original Twilight Zone was so subtle on the scare-scale in that sense, but it could be horrifying nonetheless. More than anything, though, it never fails to make me think. It explored so much more than science fiction; it explored real-world philosophy concerning subjects such as what beauty and difference really are.

Teen Wolf
*You can read my appreciation post here.
Oh, Teen Wolf. People don't always understand my continual fangirling over it, but how can I not love it? It's so fun!  The characters are so well-developed, and its been so cool to watch them grow over the past few years as the plot becomes crazier and more dramatic. It's so addictive! And the commercials for this season have been so tormenting, asking viewers "who will die?" or telling us "more will die" and "an alpha will die"; whoever they hired to market this did a little too well. Those commercials make me crazier than I already am with the plot's growing complexity.

The X Files
I'll admit, I haven't watched this show nearly as much as I always want to, but I've seen enough to call it one of my favorites. (Plus, it has the best theme song ever. FYI.) It's so creepy, full of mystery and intensity. And there's something quite meaningful about how it's all presented, particularly with how Mulder is presented. His personal backstory makes this science-fiction show into something more meaningful as he investigates odd cases that often involve extraterrestrials ... "I want to believe" is such a powerful phrase.

Kyle XY
When it first began, I was sort of opposed to Kyle XY; I thought it looked a little stupid. I don't remember exactly when I became so fascinated with it, it just sort of happened at some point. It was an intriguing series filled with mystery and drama, making it relatively easy to get addicted to. However, I must complain... The series finale was not even a series finale. It was hardly a season finale! It was so abrupt, right in the middle of a scene. Even now, I wonder if the writers were initially planning on having another season and were faced with the show's cancellation at the last minute.

The Middle
The Middle is such a cute family sitcom; it always makes me laugh. I love how quirky and weird the characters are. In fact, I don't think there's a single one I don't like. But seriously, what's not to love? Brick's a bookworm that whispers to himself, Sue is a very colorful and loud peppy teenager that is somehow invisible to everyone at school; Axl is a lazy, moody teenage boy that is somehow invisible to no one at school despite his laziness; and their parents, Mike and Frankie, are a happily-married couple that deal with an assortment of their own issues, from weird neighbors, to financial hiccups, to miscommunication hiccups, and everything in between. It all contributes to a life of real-world adventure.

 

Suburgatory
Sure, sometimes this show can probably be a little far out, but in some ways, it's incredibly realistic in the most hilarious way possible. Anyone who has lived in real-life suburbia will likely understand the humor of Tessa's neighborhood, and I imagine that there are a lot of teenage girls that can relate to Tessa's general personality, trapped in a 'suburban purgatory' of preppy Dalias.

Modern Family
I don't think I know a single person who dislikes this show; it's so hilarious! It paints such a comical picture of the reality of families today with Phil and Claire and their three children (the more stereotypical family), Jay and his much younger wife and their children, and Mitch and Cameron (a homosexual couple with a very outspoken adopted daughter).

Mob Wives
I don't usually watch reality television, but when I do, I watch Mob Wives. This show is pretty intense. When people think of the mob, they don't always think of the women that have to watch their men go in and out of prison and wait with one another. They don't think of people like Drita, whose husband had to do his time while she raised two children, and how emotionally draining and conflicting it can be. They also probably don't think of all the drama that goes on with these women. These aren't your typical cat fights, because these women are tough.

Heroes (the first season)
I kind of forgot about this series until compiling this list. I was unable to keep up with it after the second season, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but the first season seemed to really stick with me. It was so epic! The first season's finale blew me away! Hiro, Peter, and Isaac were my favorite characters.

Sailor Moon
*You can read my appreciation post here.
Granted, I still haven't seen all two hundred episodes, and I mostly watched this as I was growing up, but I still have a place in my heart for Sailor Moon. I always will. Ever since the manga has been reissued, I've been purchasing the books and watching the anime again, regenerating my inner fangirl. As a little kid, I was too young to understand all that it enforced, but now I realize how empowering this series is, how it is the perfect series for girls. Anyone could watch this anime (or read the manga) and pick out characters that they can relate to. Making connections with characters is great with any story, but this one is particularly special because it makes us feel like we can overcome anything, that the Sailor Scouts really aren't that different from us after all.

Another show I liked for a while was Wildfire, which was on ABC Family for a while. The first season really held my attention, but after some time, the love triangle became so crazy that I couldn't take anybody seriously. But while I'm at it... What happened to Happy Town!? Seriously? ABC pulled it off the air two episodes away from the season finale! I get it, not that many people watched it, but I highly doubt it would've been that strenuous to keep it going for two more episodes.

But anyway, these are my definitive favorite TV shows. The supernatural, the hilarious, even the dramalicious have ignited so much hype in me. I hope your favorite shows have done the same.