Music Favorites: February Edition

We all crave music. Old or new, discovering music is something I do in my free time. This ranges from re-discovering beloved songs/albums to uncovering new artists that are just starting out. Weekly, I like to share my latest music obsessions with others via social media. Below are music artists/ albums/ songs that I have been listening to for the month of February. Maybe you will make some new discoveries for yourself. Happy listening!

1. Suddenly Seymour // Little Shop of Horrors Broadway Cast
2. Who Do You Love // The Chainsmokers (with 5 Seconds of Summer)
3. I’ll Cover You (Reprise) // Rent Live!
4. i’m so tired… // Lauv, Troye Sivan
5. Bad Habit // Ben Platt
6. Day Dreaming // Jack & Jack
7. Into You // Julia Michaels
8. Flicker Featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra (LIVE) // Niall Horan
9. Stand in Your Love – Live // Gateway Worship
10. I Won’t Let You Go // Switchfoot, Lauren Daigle

4 Reasons To See Niall Horan Live.

On November 13th 2017 Niall Horan played his show, Flicker Sessions, that the Ryman Auditorium. We all know and love Niall from his past performances with the band One Direction, but this was the first time (at least for me) that we saw Niall perform as ‘Niall Horan’ and not ‘Niall from One Direction.’ Throughout the entire concert I could not help but smile because I was happy. I was happy that Niall finally made his dreams come true, and produced one heck of a first album. I’m happy because his show was not over the top, but was just enough to sweep everyone off of their feet. It was THAT good that I came up with four reasons why everybody should see him live at least once in their lifetime.

1. His Compassion

It is no doubt how much love Niall has for music, and it is expected that most music artists should have the same amount of love, but it was something about Niall and how he easily proclaimed his compassion through his songs and performance. I mean y’all he had the whole room go silent during the song ‘Flicker’ so we can all listen to the lyrics through his perspective— if that doesn’t show compassion towards his music then I don’t even know what is.

2. His stage presence

Along with his passion for his songs, his entire stage presence during the show is what made it amazing as well. He never made it over the top, or just plain boring, but he had just enough where it was like a raw stripped version of his songs but with his band. His goofy self was never hidden as he talked in a country accent, said the word ‘y’all’ here and there, played along with band mates, and of course his signature laugh that makes us all smile from head to toe. It was calm, cool, and collected that you felt like you were at home having a jam session with your friends.

3. His music

Good music is what makes a great concert to begin with right? Well the set list of course is what makes it perfect, and Niall’s set list was definitely on point. While he opened up with an up beat tempo song, he slowly made his way through the slow songs where he took his time and made sure that we felt the magic of the lyrics like he does every night. He wanted us to experience his songs the same way he does every time he performs them, and I mean it is bad enough the record alone can make each song special, but seeing and hearing them live is a whole new ball game that makes the songs ten-times better.

4.  Just Niall himself

Of course the last reason has to be because it is Niall James Horan. The Irish boy that we all know and love. The man who is worth spending 2-3hrs of your time listening to live. The person who melts our hearts whenever he walks in the room and gives off his signature grin. Need I say more?

I promise y’all that if you are given the opportunity to see Niall Horan live in concert please go! The concert is worth your money, and he is THAT good that he is worth seeing again. Trust me, I’m planning on seeing him again in July for his Flicker World Tour, and if others are planning on seeing him again too then you know his concerts are good. I promise it will be worth your while. And for those who are not able to see him live, check out his first album ‘Flicker’ and listen to it with your eyes closed… it will feel like he is there right in front of you.

Types of concert goers.

Hey guys, so I wrote an essay about types of concert goers for a college english class and thought I would share it because we all know at least somebody that falls in one of these categories right? Anyway, hope y’all enjoy this little read.

 

Growing up, concerts were a daily thing to attend. Starting at the age of ten, my eyes were exposed to a whole new world that I just fell in love with. I went to many more throughout the years. Everything would be new from the band, the venue, and even the merchandise, but one thing that never changed were the people. Yes there are different people at each event, but how they acted were the same. No matter what kind of concert you attend there will always be at least three types of concert goers: the fake fans, the overly obsessed criers, and the “my daughter made me come” dads.

Do you ever go to a concert and see people stand still with their mouths closed until that one particular song starts to play? Those are called the fake fans. These are people that only know one song. Fake fans also call the artists by their fictional character they portray on a tv show. For example, the band R5 has produced two albums and several EPs of beautiful music, but every time I go to their concerts, I always see the fake fans who only know the song ‘Smile’, ‘Lets Not Be Alone Tonight’, and ‘Loud’. Also, the lead singer Ross Lynch, stars as Austin Moon in the show ‘Austin & Ally’. The fake fans only know him as that character instead of his own self, so they will never know how different he really is.

Next we have the overly obsessed criers. These are the ones that I will never understand how they can produce THAT many tears over one person. These emotional fans are deeply in love with the artist/band, and will cry for hours when basking in their existence. If you asked a fangirl about her feelings towards One Direction, she will say that she will cry a river if she ever met any of the boys in person. Some claim they cry of happiness because of how far the boys have gone in their career. Others say that One Direction has saved their lives through their music. These are just a few out of the numerous reasons why visible tears pour from a fangirl’s eyes, and that is just over one band!

Lastly we have my all time favorite fans that deserve so much credit as a parent. The “my daughter made me come” dads are the fathers who were forcibly dragged by their teenage daughters to a concert full of mostly screaming girls. As a daughter I have been known to drag my dad to multiple girl type concerts, and sometimes it turns out to be a good thing. When I took my dad to see R5 last summer he thought he was preparing himself by bringing ear plugs to block out the girl screams. He downloaded their songs so he could listen to them before the concert, so he would know some of the words. It sounds pretty silly, but now he actually likes R5 and listens to them all the time. Dads like these deserve so much credit because whether they like the artist or not, they survived a blood bath of obsessed teen girls who could blow anybody’s ear off with their screams and off key singing.

Being a concert goer, like myself, you will encounter multiple types of people, but that is what makes the experience even more memorable. The different kinds of concert goers are what makes a concert night fun and exciting. For me, I have made a ton of friendships through concerts too. I have never regretted one to this day either. Some may dislike the fact that these type of people exist, but in the end they all have one thing in common, their love for live music.