Katy Perry Tour

The Californian Dreams Tour - April 29th 2011

Supports: Zowie and DJ Skeet

I had wanted to see Katy Perry since year nine, however it was not possible until this year when she did her first arena all ages tour.

I went into this concert expecting it to be bright, colourful, loud and fun! And I was certainly not wrong!

Katy Perry came on a little past 9pm and played for just over 2 hours. She played almost her full first and second albums as well as one full cover song, and a mash up for four other cover songs. I was glad that I knew every song she performed as I hate not knowing a song that is being played!

Walking into the arena, Katy Perry was successful in making it smell like cotton candy, I have to say, I was a little blown away by this. It was awesome!

I have been to many concerts at Rod Laver Arena, and this concert was the first concert that I have been to where the crowd was able to sing (not scream) louder than the music and vocals of the performer. This was an incredible moment for me to hear 15,000 people sing the lyrics to a song so loud.

Vocals: When Katy Perry first started out, performing on TV she wasn't that great and her vocals lacked, I wasn't expecting them to be that great. But the entire time she was performing, her voice was near perfect and notes were the same. She didn't miss a beat and sounded great!

Costumes: Katy Perry's costumes were the brightest, cutest costumes I have ever seen! They were funky and very her. She changed her costume every few songs which was good to mix things up a bit. During one particular song she was able to change her dress six or seven times by climbing through things and coming out the other end having them changed, having a barrier held up and put down resulting in a change and finally her dancers threw confetti in the air, so much that she was able to change her dress without the crowd seeing how it was done.

Stage: Her stage was very brightly coloured, mostly with pinks. Towards the back center of the stage was a raised section with coloured stairs coming down either side with the drummer in the centre. To one side of this was her back up singers and her key board player, the other side was more key boards and a guitarist. The front of the stage had 2 giant cupcakes with stairs up the back so it appeared she was standing in the middle of them. At the back secured up on the wall were three huge screens which showed different footage or images throughout the concert.

Dancing: Katy Perry danced at various parts throughout her performance and with at least some amount of dancing in most of her songs she performed. There was always at least someone dancing on the stage at any one time (excluding the ballad and her acoustic set). She only really did basic dancing but it was enough to use a lot of energy and creativity.

Set list: Her set list contained virtually all songs from her first and second albums, as well as one cover of a dance song and a mash up of four covered songs.

Crowd interaction: For the first half of the concert, Katy Perry did not interact or speak much to the crowd. However she made this up during the second half, particularly when she came down off the stage into the standing area and then she got people up onto the stage, she happily would pose for photos with the people who came up on stage with her. She was entertaining with much of the thing she said. Some of the things she said did sound very scripted, however most came across as natural and made up on the spot.

Support acts: I missed Zowie performing, however I haven't heard any positive feedback on her performance. I saw half of DJ Skeet's set, he really only put on a remix and then walked around the stage and talked through the microphone over the top of the music he was playing - not very good!

Overall I rate this concert five stars out of five - one of the best I have seen!

 

My next concert is Kylie Minogue and is in June.

Peace

ConcerGoer93 x

Good Charlotte Tour

Cardiology Tour - April 13th 2011

Supports: New Empire and Short Stack

I did not have high expectation about this concert.

A boy band, hitting the stage for a show, honestly, I expected them to stand there and just perform. 

My gosh was I wrong!

Good Charlotte came on and played for about 90 minutes, playing both old and new songs. I have to confess that I only knew about half of the songs they played as I mainly went to this concert to see Short Stack. Benji and Joel are nuts!!!!!! These guys are full of energy, crazy on stage. They are funny and great at performing live. They sound exactly like their CDs sound. A downside to this concert was that a few times the vocals got drowned out due to the volume of the music.

Vocals: amazing, almost near perfect with their CDs, drowned out a few times due to the volume of the music. 

Costumes: so these guys didn't have 9847683 costume changes. They did not have any, they remained in the same clothes the entire time. These clothes were very fitting to their music and suited them very well.

Stage: the stage was a basic set. It had 4 lights at the front of it which allowed 4 members to stand on to perform, the drummer was in about the centre of the stage, with a huge back drop of the 'GC' in their font they use.

Dancing: these guys didn't dance. But they jumped around like maniacs! Crazy guys!

Set list: they played many of their older and newer songs, with many songs that I didn't know prior to seeing them live, but they did play all their best songs they have had.

Crowd interaction: one of the best bands when it comes to their interaction with the crowd, they talk and it doesn't come across as scripted.

Support acts: starting with New Empire, a band I have never heard of, these guys were just incredible! The singers voice is amazing, and this band is amazing, go and check them out on iTunes! New Empire played about 5-6 songs as their set.

Main support was Short Stack. This was the 7th time I have seen them and thought it would be just another Short Stack gig. But this was the best gig that they have ever played. Can't believe how good they were, full on energy from start to end of their 40 minute set. Although they only played the songs they have released, they were incredible!

 

Overall I rate this concert three and a half stars out of five!

My next concert is at the end of the month and is Katy Perry, followed by music festival Groovin' The Moo the next day!

Peace

ConcertGoer93 x

Rihanna Tour

The Last Girl On Earth Tour - March 7th 2011

Supports: Far East Movement, Calvin Harris (with a special appearance from Alexis Jordan)

This concert was just amazing!

Rihanna took to the stage for a little over 90 minutes, performing all her best songs, with 4 off her latest album Loud (Only Girl In The World, What's My Name, S&M and Love The Way You Lie Part II).

Opening with one of her best songs, Only Girl In The World, from the start it was obvious that this was going to be an amazing show.

She danced, she sang, she may as well have gotten it on with her female back up dancers during S&M, yes... Whips and chains involved!! She took to the stage wearing a bright colourful dress, just singing one song in this dress before stripping off wearing a gold leotard with large shoulders molded into it.

Vocals: amazing! Better on her slower more down beat songs, occasionally was drowned out in her louder, more dance songs as the music was over powering for her voice volume ability.

Costumes: bright, colourful, brief. Like Lady Gaga, she didn't wear much, and hardly had her legs covered. No issue with her, she has the body for it. Her costumes were great for the show and really suited the theme of it.

Stage: her stage was the normal shape with a runway that came out the front of it. She didn't use this runway to the best that she could have, only using it a few times throughout the show. Her stage had her entire band and her back up singers always on it, with some of her set being on a large hot pink army type tank. The main part of the stage she used well, constantly moving from side to side and focusing on the entire crowd, not just one area.

Dancing: she danced almost the entire show. She didn't dance to the slow songs (for obvious reasons) however her dancing would have been exhausting. She hardly ever stopped for her whole set. It was great to see someone who has the ability to sing and dance and also have her vocals up to scratch!

Crowd interaction: she interacted with the crowd, however it was very obvious that what she was saying was standard at all of her shows. For example: 'You're the best crowd' 'I'm living my dream' etc!

Support acts: although I missed Far East Movement, I am not particularly a big fan of theirs, so I didn't see it as any major loss. I did however see Calvin Harris (DJ), he was amazing, walking into the arena was like walking into a huge dance party. Definitely the best way to get the crowd pumped up and read for the concert. Calvin Harris had special guest Alexis Jordan (singer of 'Happiness') on stage to sing her debut single, she sang this with so much power, and sounded near perfect when compared to her CD.

Overall I rate this concert a four and a half stars out of five.

My next concert is in April and is Good Charlotte featuring Short Stack :)

Peace

ConcertGoer93 x

Update / first post

So as my first blog, I have no idea what to write!
I have made this blog for the purpose to write concert reviews as I go to many many concerts... And under the advice of my best friend.
As this is blog number one, I feel I should be writing about concerts I have been to already and a small part about them. Let's start at the beginning.


2006
The Veronicas
Twins from Brisbane just starting out in the music industry, I was just 13 at the time and this was to me the best thing in the world! These two tiny girls on stage, singing their hearts out for their fans, at a small concert. The best way to start an obsession, had I have gone to a concert with 15,000 people, I would have been very overwhelmed as a first concert and probably been too nervous to ever go back.

2007
Pink
There isn't really much else than to say her name. One word to describe this girl AMAZING. Her performance that she put on was not a concert, it was a full show, acrobatics and all! This was to be the best concert I had seen until she came back 2 years later with an even better show. Definitely worth spending the $20 to buy the DVD of it. No fails with this, a performance that can be seen many many times.

2008
Kelly Clarkson/Sean Kingston
This for me, was an amazing concert, obsessed with Sean Kingston, I teared up when he came on stage. He was just amazing. Kelly Clarkson was very good live, but compared to Pink, not much of a performance went on during this, virtually her strutting around a large stage, singing her songs. She is really good to see live, but not one that I would see again.

Panic At The Disco
A band that both me and my best friend loved, before they broke up. This band were amazing to see live, their songs are incredible! Being the first actual band I had seen live, they were really good and went over what I expected. The boys were all equally involved with crowd interaction and played pranks on each other. The highlight from this concert was the bubble machine, who doesn't love bubbles!?

Kylie Minogue
Being in her late 30s, I had no idea what to expect. This woman has so much energy! Recovered from breast cancer, this tiny lady runs around the stage in sneakers with high heels and manages to dance and sing live while doing so! She was incredible and was on stage for three full hours, with no support band, a rare event in the 21st century!

2009
A huge year of concerts!

The Veronicas/Metro Station/Short Stack
The Veronicas were worth seeing again, not to mention what I thought were amazing supports... Until the night. Metro Station are better off broken up and no more, they were terrible live which goes to show really how much their vocals on their records were messed around with so they sounded perfect - not one to waste money on! And the obsession with Budgewoi band Short Stack began. They basically had just started out in the industry, releasing their first single Shimmy A Go Go and going on a nation wide tour with The Veronicas. This was incredible for them to be able to play with them and gain so many fans from this tour. No regrets!

Short Stack
This band I first saw with The Veronicas, and they were worth seeing again within a month! A small intimate under 18 gig, sold out with just 300 people there. Possibly one of the best gigs I have ever been to because of its intimacy and the ability to meet the band after the gig. These guys, before their huge egos, are some of the nicest guys out there. This gig showed us who they are.

Pink
Ahh the Funhouse Tour! Best. Concert. Ever. An artist, hanging upside down from the ceiling, being dipped in a pool of water, spinning around, singing live. Got that image? That's how she closed her show. This concert I could have seen 8765824578 times and not be sick of it. This girl has taken over Australia! You must buy the DVD if you didn't see it. You are missing out on something amazing. Do it, go and buy it.

Wes Carr
I personally was not a big fan of this guy, but my mum and auntie loved him, so I tagged along too! They decided to sit up the back in seats while I was up the front, right up at the stage, moshing, by myself (lol). I do not regret this one bit. He held my hand and sung to me. A night worth remembering forever. Worth seeing, yes. Would I see him again, probably not.

Short Stack (x2 - same tour)
This band was ruling my life by now! Seeing them twice on one tour was one thing, but being able to go backstage with them was a completely different story - not only did I go backstage, it happened to be the day before my birthday. So this band with three boys in it, still hadn't released an album, but all their screaming fans knew every word to their songs, that's pure loyalty right there. A band that are incredible live and were still developing into who they are now.

Beyonce
A huge name artist, with yes, a very big booty. Third row back at this concert meant I could not have had a better view, and with Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise in view. Beyonce had just arrived in the country the night I saw her. So naturally I expected her to be crap due to jetlag; this did not impact on her performance at all. She danced, she sang, she interacted. She was incredible, if this were on DVD, I'd buy it! She also did the Single Ladies dance... Ah how can you not love that!?

Britney Spears (x2 - same tour)
She came, she lip synced, she sent the media into a frenzy. I had waited 10 years to see her in concert, I grew up with Baby One More Time and Oops!... I Did It Again. Yes all my friends and family thought I was stupid for spending so much money on seeing her in concert. But she danced, her stage, set and props were incredible, not to mention her costumes. Just seeing this woman in the flesh would have done it for me. She began by coming down from the ceiling in an oval shaped object; she left the stage by fireworks. This tour should have always been brought to DVD as she would have made a killing from it, but it wasn't.

Short Stack
Yep, I saw them again. This tour was with the release of their album. To think that they were playing sold out shows at the start of the year to 300 people to playing sold out shows to 3000 people by the end of the year. This band has come a very very long way in the space of around 10 months. They really know how to market well and hit the right age groups with their music and promotion.

2010
Taylor Swift
A very very country artist to see live. She tells the story of almost every song she performs, and has this creepy look as she walks off stage. She was a great singer and great live. But flicks her damn hair too much! Not one I would personally see again, but I would recommend her if you are a fan. But she is so weird!

Short Stack
I don't think there is much left to say about this band from a live perspective, other than the fact that they are improving so much since the beginning, and they have finally cut their hair off! They now cover my walls with posters! I will keep seeing this band until the day they break up. The downside to seeing Short Stack is that their fans are becoming younger, which means we always feel so old at the concert; these girls need to learn to scream... not squeal!!

The Sundance Kids
A day I will never forget, what an adventure my friend and I had. This was a very small concert with just 110 people there. Great to be able to meet them after it, with their drummer knowing who I was which was incredible! They are great live, but not a band I would see again headlining.

Jason Derulo
Boy can he dance! I expected him to do nothing but sing on stage. But he danced nearly the entire concert, with heaps of crowd interaction. His voice and entire band are as good as they are on records. One I'm glad I didn't miss! I'd see him again.

Amy Meredith
I was iffy about seeing this band live as some of their live stuff had been crap that I had seen on TV. They ended up being amazing live but weird when we met them. They seemed to be very pissed off with their fans - not a way to treat them if you want them to like you and spread the word about you! Learn from this guys!

Lady Gaga
Her support band (Semi Precious Weapons) we sooooo weird! There are no words to explain how weird they were. This girl, she was just amazing. Expecting her to be not very good, seeing this live show with her huge set, all of her dancers, and endless numbers of props! She was just amazing, I don't know why I didn't see her when she was in Australia (I saw her in Portugal) but I am so glad I ended up seeing her. My love and respect for her grew so much within two hours.

So I hope this has brought you up-to-date at where I am at the moment! As I am currently in year 12, it will be a hush year for concerts for me, but coming up I have Rihanna, Good Charlotte and Katy Perry which will all be written about as they have been!

Enjoy
ConcertGoer93
Peace x