Yes, it’s true, I’m a self-proclaimed concert expert.
Qualifiers:
Florence & The Machine, Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Counting Crows, KOI Music Festival, The Tragically Hip, Rodriguez, Donovan Woods, Classified, Sia, Ria Mae/Coleman Hell, Walk Off the Earth (list of shows I’ve been to in 2016).
I go to these shows of my own free will and desire, usually on my own dollar.
Live music excites me more than anything else in this world!!
It’s definitely an indulgent hobby when factoring in the entire experience. Everything from buying the actual ticket, paying absolutely horrendous fees, taking time off work on the day of the show if it’s out of town, going for dinner beforehand with friends and fellow concert-goers, gas money and parking, buying an over-priced drink at the venue or marked-up artist merch....seems like, no actually, it’s in fact, an exhausting list of dollar signs.
But is it worth it?
For me, it’s worth it.
First of all, it’s such a thrill to hear and watch an artist’s passion and interpretation of the music. When I hear Florence Welch with my own ears, am in her presence as she climbs to her highest note without a fault, and watch as she explodes into a magical fairy dance and flutters across the stage, then runs and jumps into the crowd of 16,000 people, with sweat just pouring down her face and body, all while still singing, WOW. It just gives me this overwhelming feeling of excitement that I would never experience with my headphones on, you know?
However, it doesn’t all have to be an explosion to be exciting. Sometimes it feels like being a small, but significant, part of history. Rodriguez (aka Sugar Man), musician, politician, activist, and a hard-working, blue-collar, factory worker from Detroit, now age, 74, reminded us that you can never stop standing up for what you believe in and using your voice to educate others about world issues and real issues that we see here at home in North America.
Sometimes, I walk into an absolute surprise.
My most recent surprise and musical experience was with Coleman Hell, a singer-songwriter and music producer originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario. I originally bought the ticket to see his opener Ria Mae, another Canadian artist who I was completely impressed with when I saw her at the KOI music festival, in Kitchener. Coleman Hell would be a bonus, and I honestly thought I’d leave after a few of his songs since I wasn’t very familiar with his music, and being a responsible adult, don’t really love staying out late on a Wednesday night. The only songs I knew of his going into this were his singles on the radio; Two Heads, which I rocked out on my dance/workout mix, and Fireproof, which I had always thought of as a close resemblance to a country-pop song, which I dug, but not completely in love with. To be honest, I pictured a guy in a backwards hat to come out on stage and rock his arm out to the beat a bit, but nothing could have prepared me for the actual experience.
From the moment he stepped onto the stage, wearing a silky white Santa coat and Lennon glasses, his hair teased up into two giant horns on top his head, and carrying a fur trimmed key-tar, to the very end, when he encored with a giant big-head monster costume, I was enthralled, invigorated and throughly entertained. His two radio songs, although very catchy, were by far the weakest songs in his repertoire. I honestly think I missed the Coleman Hell movement...the rest of the audience knew his every song, sang along and never stopped dancing! Yes! Dancing!! Thank you London (London Music Hall) concert goers! Finally a crowd I could get down with (sorry Toronto concert goers, but sometimes your stuffy, pretentiousness really prevents you from fully embracing the music vibes within your own bodies). Boys, girls, women and men, and everyone in between, really got this guy’s vibe. So many times throughout the show my ears would perk up as I heard a comment in my ear “Isn’t he amazing!?” Then a strangers arm would come around my neck and embrace me with pure happiness. “Yes, yes he is amazing!” I would yell back, and then nod and smile my biggest smile because it was true, he was amazing. I had noticed earlier in the night that a lot of people were wearing flowers in their hair, and now I understood why! His followers, known as Flower Children, sang along and danced for a solid 80 minutes. Yes, it’s hippie and cliché, but I don’t care, I’m a Flower Child now too!
Coleman Hell sang, his voice a beautiful, full and deep sound, he played the guitar, the key-tar, the ukulele, the piano, and alongside him were two amazing percussionists and dj’s. It was the most epic, small scale show I’ve ever seen, and forever in my memory bank as the biggest musical surprise I’ve ever witnessed. I couldn’t stop thinking throughout the entire show that I needed to commemorate my experience with more than just a few blurry pictures on Instagram, and, therefore, this was the fuel to the fire of my first Tumblr blog and music experience review.
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