My favorite concert of 2009 was Keane at the Hollywood Palladium (with Mat Kearney as the opener). My “bosom friend” Esther treated me to my ticket for my birthday, and we met up with my friends Kathryn and Elizabeth in Hollywood for a night we’ll never forget last May. I was recently going through my pictures of 2009, and realized that I never blogged about my experience meeting Keane after the concert, nor had I mentioned other “celebrities” I met in the past year.
The Palladium is a fantastic venue, and I was excited to actually be there for a performance (after being a lifetime closet fan of The Lawrence Welk Show.) It underwent a very extensive renovation that was completed 6 months earlier in 2008, but it still had the retro charm. Mat Kearney, who has become one of my other recent music obsessions, performed a stellar opening set (and Esther and I saw Mat again in SLC in October). Keane’s set was phenomenal…the best performance I’d seen of their three concerts I’ve attended (Coincidentally, all in LA). After the show, us girls were DETERMINED to meet our favorite band. We waited out on the street by the door, shivering in the cold next to the tour bus, for over an hour until the boys from Battle came out to greet their adoring fans.

Missy Higgins (I was 5 feet away from her at the merch table, but Taylor didn’t want to wait in line to meet her) I DID have a wonderful 5 minute conversation with her in 2005 in SLC.

 

Rosie with Peter Breinholt (I could write a whole blog post about these two…)

Rosie and I with Ryan Shupe (of Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band)

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir – obviously, I didn’t meet the whole choir, but I have several friends and relatives who are in MoTab, or the Orchestra on Temple Square

 

Waiting in line to meet David Archuleta at his Christmas CD signing in November

This goofy Archie kid went to Murray High, where I graduated, and used to hang out with my sister Mary. When she came with us to the CD signing, he said “Hey Mary, I like your hoodie!”

Rosie with HER favorite (American) Idol

Top 9 Bands I discovered in 2009
Elizabeth and the Catapult
Phoenix
Owl City
Greg Laswell
The Bird and the Bee
Vedera
The Airborne Toxic Event
PlayRadioPlay
Fleet Foxes

Top 9 Live Performances I attended
Keane , Mat Kearney – Hollywood Palladium
Jersey Boys – Chicago, Bank of America Theater
Missy Higgins, Justin Nozuka, Lenka – Atlanta, Center Stage
Mat Kearney, Vedera – Salt Lake City, In the Venue
Imogen Heap – Salt Lake City, In the Venue
Justin Nozuka, Elizabeth and the Catapult – Pomona CA, Glass House
New Kids on the Block – Greenville SC, BiLo Center
No Doubt, Paramore – Atlanta, Lakewood Amphitheater
Peter Breinholt – Salt Lake City, Rose Wagner Theater

Top 9 Websites I Visit Daily
Gmail
Google Reader
Facebook
Twitter
Chase
Gadling
iTunes App Store
Wesabe
Amazon

Top 9 TV Shows I Watched and Loved
Glee
The Sing Off
More to Love
Private Practice
Grey’s Anatomy
90210
Chopped
The Office
Drop Dead Diva

Top 9 blogs I discovered that I love (to stalk)
PostSecret.com
Confessions of a Mormon Bachelor Pad
How Could You Not?!
Feminist Mormon Housewives
Fail Blog
Dooce.com
FreezerBurns.com
SellPartyOf.com
TheSpohrsAreMultiplying.com

Top 9 CDs I obsessively listened to
Muse – The Resistance
Imogen Heap – Ellipse
Elizabeth and the Catapult – Taller Children
Missy Higgins – On a Clear Night
John Mayer – Battle Studies
Vedera – Stages
Mat Kearney – City of Black and White
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
U2 – No Line on the Horizon

Top 9 YouTube Videos
Slapchop Rap
JibJab’s 2009 in Review
All You Need Is Love Starbucks Project
Lenka “Trouble is a Friend”
Ingrid Michaelson “Maybe”
Jim and Pam Wedding (Forever)
United Breaks Guitars
Tweeting on a Jet Plane
Owl City “Fireflies”

Top 9 Favorite People to follow on Twitter
@mishimmy
@jcloward
@wahlee_98
@summerfred
@TweakerTweets
@FunkyValentine
@Li77ieJ
@MsSerendipitist
@hizzeather

9 Favorite Places to Shop
Trader Joes
Amazon.com
Ebay.com
Ulta.com
Buy.com
KSL.com Classifieds
Mitsuwa Asian Market
Savers
Ross

Last week, Esther and I saw Mat Kearney in concert at In the Venue in SLC. We’d seen him open for Keane in LA earlier this year, and were impressed by his stuff. I’d heard some of his music prior to that show, such as his radio hit “Nothing Left to Lose.” but this year I’ve been getting into more of his albums. We started our night out with dinner at Zupa’s, then headed to In The Venue in SLC.

Waiting for the show

The opening band was Vedera, and they did a short, but sweet, set. Their style was reminiscent of Paramore, and I’ve had their CD in heavy rotation all week. After tiring of the poor view from the back of the main floor, we headed up into the loft and sat on a six-foot high bench. We called it the crow’s nest and loved the view. Mat started around 9 pm and did a solid 2-hour set. Highlights were “Breathe In, Breathe Out,” “Undeniable,” “Closer to Love,” “Crashing Down,” and “City of Black and White.” I was particularly impressed with how crisp the percussion was…so much more defined than listening to the album. It enjoyed coming to the show with a greater appreciation of his music than his pre-Keane set in May. Esther and I are now certifiable “Kearneyheads!” (in addition to our Keane obsession…oddly enough the two acts share a lot of the same letters)

At the end of the show, Vedera came back on and did the final song with Mat and the Band. There was a great synergy between the two bands….you could tell that they were having fun on the tour. They barely made it to SLC, as the prior show was in Denver just as it was being slammed with a bunch of snow. We were glad they made it, because it was a show that was unforgettable…

It’s undeniable how brilliant you are
In an unreliable world you shine like a star
It’s unforgettable now that we’ve come this far
It’s unmistakable that you’re undeniable

Post-concert afterglow

Last night was the NKOTB concert in Greenville. I went with Rosie and my friend Mariesa. We stopped by Five Guys for dinner on the way there. We completely missed the opening act, but we’d never heard of the band either. When we walked in, they upgraded our seats from first row balcony to lower bowl. The show was similar to the one in Detroit (the opening set was different) and we had better seats. It was fun having an adult friend come with me…one who remembered the glory days of Jordan, Joe, Donnie, Danny and Jon. Rosie got her gigantic NKOTB button that she paid for with a gigantic handful of ones and change. She also decided that Donnie is her favorite New Kid…which I hope doesn’t mean she’ll go for the rappin’ bad boy types of boyfriends in the future. If you don’t want to wait for my picture mega-post, feel free to look at the album on Facebook.

Tonight Taylor and I had a bit of a tough emotional day. We made sure we had some alone time to eat some dinner at Chick-fil-a and walk around Target. I decided it’s no fun to go to Target when you feel guilty buying even a $5 DVD that you’ve been looking for for years. There’s some cute spring stuff right now that I just had to walk by without gazing at.

Tomorrow night is a big event for work. I’ll get to help set up, meet a lot of important people, eat good food, help clean up, and hopefully be out of the venue by 10 pm. It’s going to be LONG day.

I have been getting back to my musical roots this week…like the stuff I grew up listening to before I had my own specific music tastes. My dad was my biggest musical influence growing up, and this is what I’ve been reaquainting myself with: Beatles, Monkees, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Neil Diamond, James Taylor, Dave Clark Five, Wings and Crosby Stills and Nash.

Lately I’ve been getting LOTS of requests from marketing and promotional companies who want me to mention their products and services on my blog. I usually decline (I don’t get any compenation out of it) but occasionally one seems like a worthy enough cause to bring mention.

Today’s featured good cause is the Fresh Air Fund. Every year, The Fresh Air Fund gives thousands of inner-city children the priceless gift of fun – and opens the door to a lifetime of opportunities. Whether its a two-week trip to the country to visit a volunteer host family, or a fun-filled and educational stay at one of their camps, our programs make for unforgettable memories – and open a world of new friendships and fresh possibilities. They are a not-for-profit agency and depend on tax-deductible donations to keep our vital programs flourishing. For any of you interested Mid-North Atlantic folks, you can host a Fresh Air Kid. All others who would like to donate, you can do so through this link.

A few months ago, I bought an extra ticket to the New Kids on the Block concert on March 17, 2009 in Greenville, SC. The friend I hoped would join me has decided not to go. It’s a GREAT seat…first row balcony. I’m selling it for $50. My plan is to drive to Greenville from Atlanta after work, and caffienate myself to drive back the same night (it’s about a 2 hour drive). If you’re interested, comment or email me at cuteculturechick@gmail.com .

If you’re skeptical about going, it’s worth going. I took Rosie in Detroit back in October, and they put on a PHENOMENAL show (and this is coming from a girl whose been to dozens of big concerts) When they announced the next leg of their tour, Rosie begged me to take her. She’s paying for her own ticket this time (the running tally of what he’s earned is posted on my fridge). These guys can sing and dance. Seriously. I’d much rather go with a friend than Craigslist it.

Would any of you Utah-ites go to this with me if I came out for this concert? I just read about it on Spencer‘s blog. I’m going to the NKOTB concert in March in South Carolina, and this is just right in line with my music tastes of the 1989 era. Now to find tickets to Tiffany and Amy Grant.

If I went, I could also fit in a trip to the Draper Temple open house.