Discover Top Posts Tagged with #tipatinas

Lost Bayou Ramblers @ Tipatina’s #lostbayouramblers #ladyred #bayouperdu #tipatinas (at Tipitina's)

#bayouperdu #ladyred #tipatinas #lostbayouramblers

Lost Bayou Ramblers #lostbayouramblers #ladyred #bayouperdu #tipatinas (at Tipitina's)

#ladyred #tipatinas #bayouperdu #lostbayouramblers

Smoke something, a 4/20 set: Lady Red + Lost Bayou Ramblers #lostbayouramblers #ladyred #bayouperdu #tipatinas (at Tipitina's)

#ladyred #tipatinas #bayouperdu #lostbayouramblers

Best set ever: Lady Red + Lost Bayou Ramblers #lostbayouramblers #ladyred #bayouperdu #tipatinas (at Tipitina's)

#bayouperdu #ladyred #lostbayouramblers #tipatinas

I Found Joy In A Concert I Didn't Know I Needed

My soul was blessed by an amazing voice in a dimly-lit nightclub in New Orleans. Each word this goddess sang spoke volumes. Each chord struck vibrated through me, leaving me tingling all over. I was in bliss as Torriana "Tank" Ball, lead singer of Tank & The Bangas gave the crowd life at Tipatina's.

I first discovered Tank & The Bangas through a video someone posted on Facebook of their NPR Tiny Desk Concert submission. I watched their performance of their single "Quick" once, twice and many, many times after that. I was in awe of their energy. I'd been searching for something new in music for a while and this band had filled the void so smoothly. I instantly went in search of all of their music and I found ThinkTank, their 2013 debut album, and their 2014 live album, The Big Bang Theory: Live at Gasa Gasa. I played them more than I'm proud to admit. Whether, live or in studio, they are amazing. Tank leaves me breathless each time I listen to her music or watch her in a video, exuding nothing but confidence and excellence and just...ahhhh.

Since I've known of them, there have been two concerts prior to the one I recently attended and I unfortunately missed them both. The first was in New Orleans in March and since I was traveling back from Shreveport, LA, I was out of luck. My friends Brittany and Harmony went though and I lived vicariously through their stories. The second was a month later at Spanish Moon in Baton Rouge, literally a few minutes from where I live. I wanted to go so bad seeing as it was so close, but once again, work got in the way. Both of these concerts fell on a Friday, which was my downfall. This one came through for me by falling on a Saturday. I had recently gone through a small financial debacle and I was going back and forth with myself on whether the ticket was worth it. Then I remembered, I needed to do something for myself. I had been worried about everyone and everything else but was constantly neglecting my own personal health. So with that in mind, I entered my card number faster than I'd ever typed anything in my life.

Now I have to give credit to everyone who made the evening as great as it was. First up on stage was a man named Alfred Banks. He was so fresh and soulful. His lyrics were so raw and powerful. As he engaged the crowd, I found myself bopping and vibing with his music more and more. Last performance was from Big Freedia herself. When I heard the first bounce beats, I couldn't help the way my bottom half began to move. Most people see twerking as some sinful, distasteful act but to us down here, it's just a damn dance. In all actuality, I believe it's one of the reason our asses look so nice. But Freedia gave one HELL of a show. The dancers and the music had the crowd hype, and when she began to "throw that ass in a circle", I screamed to the heavens.

On top of all the fun and excitement, my friends and I also networked by accident. We met a man on a bench next to the club and after a few minutes of talking we discovered that he was a man from L.A. who loved Tank but was unable to get a ticket due to it being sold out. We felt so bad but we couldn't help. The guy disappeared after a while, and a few minutes later, a woman came to us and asked if we wanted a free ticket. In unison, we all scream "WHERE'S THAT GUY?!" Luckily, he was just a few feet from us, minutes from leaving actually. He even paid the woman for a ticket he was receiving for free. Thanks to this blessing, we learned that was a television producer working with Complex magazine. He gave bought a two rounds of drinks, exchanged numbers with us and, after telling him about our podcast dream, he told us to contact whenever we got things started.

A night that would've been just me sitting at home doing nothing in despair turned into a experience I'd never forget and crave more and more of. I met new people, learned exciting things about the friends I already have and felt all my built up anxiety and stress melt away. Blessings come in various forms and mine luckily came in the form of night of ass shaking and soul.

#tank and the bangas #music #npr #concert #tipatinas #new orleans #big freedia #alfred banks