That Time I Had To Give Away Concert Tickets

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.

Brooklyn Rider at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater

Johnny Gandelsman, violin | Eric Jacobsen, cello | Colin Jacobsen, violin | Nicholas Cords, viola | Sarah Small photo

Thanks to the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society, I was able to attend a concert last Thursday at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater as part of their Just Summer series. Although before being offered these tickets, I had never heard of Brooklyn Rider, I am so happy that I was a bit "out of the box" and headed out to hear them.

Brooklyn Rider is a pretty well known string quartet. Now, if you know me at all, you know I'm a huge music fan, but that doesn't mean I know anything about string quartets, except the absolute basics, like which instruments would be in one. But, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Brooklyn Rider quite possibly tops the charts in this area.

They were obviously well trained and talented, but they also played interesting pieces (they described each one before) and they seemed like great guys in general. They were fun to watch, which might seem strange to say but the way they were enthralled by what they were doing and how they interacted with each other during each piece was wonderful. They made it seem like playing typically classical music should be extremely entertaining.

I will mention that if you are being torn between going out one night and the urge to stay and and be alone with your thoughts, go out and see a string quartet. Or really, go see any type of music that does not involve lyrics. I was so lost in my own feelings of the music and what I was thinking that I never once was bored, what might be a "typical" reaction to a concert like this for my particular demographic. Although I admit that most of my thoughts did circle around whether or not the friend I took with me would want to go out to eat after the show, I also was choreographing a modern dance number in my head during the last song. So that's almost legit.

As for the theater, I had never been to the Kelly Strayhorn before and was overly excited to check it out. Somehow, despite being one of those theater-goers I hate who get there 2 minutes before showtime, I got a parking space right out front and was surprised to see how big the actual theater space is. Though it could use a bit of TLC, it was the perfect space for a concert like this, big enough to hold the crowd but intimate enough to make everyone feel closer to the performers. My favorite. 

So, if you see an event like this being advertised around the city, especially by the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society, because I expect great things from them now, I suggest that you give it a try and check it out, even if it isn't something you would typically go to. That's one of my favorite things about Pittsburgh, there is always something new to try because there is something for every one's taste.

This is a sponsored post, I received tickets for this event, but all opinions are my own.