I was recently given tickets to the Demi Lovato, Christina Perri and MKTO concert. Unfortunately, I had to give them away due to my work schedule but since I was given them to review the night on my blog, I was sure to pass them along to a friend who would enjoy them...Isaac. He has done a guest post in the past for me and since he's the only Demi fan I think I know, he seemed like the perfect choice. Here's his hilarious account of the event...
I’ll be honest: I’m not really a big “pop diva” fan. I’m not gaga for Gaga, I don’t listen to Katy Perry, and (looks around nervously)…I really don’t care about Beyonce. But occasionally I’ll make an exception and go to a big concert. One of those exceptions is Demi Lovato (it also helps when I get tickets from a friend).
Demi recently kicked off her world tour and one of the first stops was here in Pittsburgh, where she performed at the Petersen Events Center in Oakland. Due to some bus mishaps and general unfamiliarity with the Center on my part, my friend and I missed the opening act, a group called MKTO that seemed pretty cool for the 20 seconds I got to hear them. We were then taken to our lovely seats, which faced the side of the stage. We were close to the action but all picture attempts usually ended in blurriness.
Her second opener was Christina Perri, who I know of but don’t listen to. She opened with “Jar of Hearts” (“Oh, her.” I said to myself.) and then did her more recent songs. She sounded really great and the audience loved her. Even though I still don’t think I’ll be buying her albums anytime soon, I’ll give props and will openly testify that Christina Perri sounds great live.
Also before Demi came on she had a sort of motivational speaker. I forget his name, but he was a young man who’d lost his legs and told his incredible story of not letting that stop him from accomplishing things. He kept using the lyrics from Demi’s ballad “Warrior” as a mantra and kept telling everyone in the audience that they were warriors. Looking around at the crowd of teenage/college-aged girls taking duckface selfies, I have to respectfully disagree, but I get his intent.
Seriously, everyone in that crowd was so young. Which I had expected, but still it was jarring to look around at everybody. I am 25; I felt 47. The only people there older than me were the dads that had accompanied their daughters and looked miserable for 3 hours. By the end of the night I was frantically looking for my daughter, and then I would remember I don’t have one.
Anyway Demi put on one heck of a show. She kept things simple, with four backup dancers and two backup singers accompanying her. Unlike that Miley Cyrus with her “Look at this little person! Look at this bear! Look at my tongue! So much is happening!!!” routine. She had great energy for all her “dance” numbers, including the great single “Heart Attack” and “Let It Go” from Frozen. A surprise cover of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was also fantastic, especially since it took place after a quick costume change (girl was looking great all night).
But as fun as her fast-paced numbers are (my friend calls them “Club Demi”), my favorites are when Demi just sat on a stool with a piano and a guitar and belted out some ballads. Whatever jokes you want to make about a former Disney Channel Star (and you can make a lot), you have to admit that this girl’s got talent and she’s a pro. Her powerful voice soared above the audience during her power ballads like “Warrior” and “Skyscraper”, which never fails to move me in some way. I can’t remember all the songs she sang (girl has four albums) but she rocked them all and the crowd loved it.
So yeah, I’ve crossed “See Demi Lovato in Concert” off the bucket list I didn’t know I had. I’m very thankful to Chelsea for passing me along her tickets. I had a fabulous time at a concert that’s much bigger than the ones I usually go to. I’ve been told my hearing will return by Monday.
