This summer I have been very fortunate to see a lot of shows and concerts! Since my last post I have seen Boyz II Men, Keane, Ernie Halter / Tonny Lucca, and Ludacris in concert, and the shows LOVE (at the Mirage), Crazy Horse Paris (at MGM Grand), Viva ELVIS (at ARIA), and KA (at MGM).
On Sunday, July 11th, Zach, Maile, Chris, and I saw Boyz II Men at the Orleans showroom. This venue was nice because it's pretty small and intimate. Zach hooked it up and got free tickets. Even if they weren't free, I think they would have only been like $30, which is really cheap for Boyz II Men if you ask me! The concert was seriously soooo good. I have seen a lot of concerts in my day and this was one of the best vocal performances I've been to. They sang most of their hits, like "On Bended Knee," "Water Runs Dry," "End of the Road," and of course, "I'll Make Love to You" (such a classic!). When they started singing "I'll Make Love to You," most of the women in the audience, including Maile and myself, rushed up to the stage because they were giving away roses. Unfortunately we weren't one of the lucky ones, but we stayed up there for the rest of the concert and managed to touch all 3 of the members' hands (!!!!). They also talked about their latest album "Love" that came out last fall. It's all covers and they performed some- Bonnie Rait's "I Can't Make You Love Me," and Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris." They also told a story how they got offered a song a while back and decided to pass on it. A country group took it and it ended up being VERY successful and it was nominated for Grammy award. The song was "Amazed" by Lonestar from 1999/2000. Boyz II Men said "this is how we would have done it..." and performed it. It was really good. Maile and I both agreed that it wouldn't have been as successful with them, though. I think part of the reason why it was so big is because it was a country song. I had never seen Boyz II Men in concert before this, and really only knew the music from their Legacy album. But after this, I became a bigger fan and was sold. The next day I went out and bought the album "Love." :)
After the concert the 4 of us went to TGIFridays in the Orleans to get appetizers / drinks. Zach and I each got sangria to "celebrate Spain's World Cup victory." Felicidades a Espana, btw. I was so happy for my host sisters, family, and the other people I met while I was over there. And REALLY wished I could have been in Madrid that night para celebrar con ellos!
On Thursday, July 15th, my family and I went to see LOVE, the Cirque du Soleil show at the Mirage set to the music of the Beatles. I was expecting a lot because it is clearly a favorite among Vegas show-goers I have talked to. It was amazing! My favorite parts were the skaters, the rain boot tap sequence, and the "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" acrobat. I liked how they mixed it up with Beatles hits and other songs that aren't as well known. I do wish they would have incorporated "Let It Be" in there, since that's one of my favorites, but I guess it has some religious undertones in it that maybe they didn't want to mess with.
Friday, July 16th: Zach and I went to see Crazy Horse Paris, the topless show at MGM. I got free tickets. It might have been the couple drinks I had before the show, but I really liked it a lot! It was very classy and I liked the special effects- lights, sets, costumes, etc. 100 times better than "Fantasy" at Luxor. Surprisingly it wasn't crowded at all, even though it was a Friday night.
Friday, July 23rd: Keane @ House of Blues, Mandalay Bay. Ali came for this concert / to celebrate her recent birthday. They are her favorite band / musical artists of all time and as far as bands they are up there for me. We have seen them twice together. That was my 3rd time seeing them and her 5th! haha We ate at House of Blues before, so we got to skip the line and go into the concert hall before the majority of the people. That meant basically front row center standing room!! Ingrid Michaelson opened up for them, and I thought she was great! I have some of her music but became more of a fan after this. She has a really pretty voice and on stage she is such a badass. I'm really feeling her song "Maybe" right now. After some technical difficulties and about 45 minutes of waiting, Keane finally came out. They sang a mix of old songs and some from their latest EP. Stand outs for me were "This is the Last Time" and "A Bad Dream." They omitted one of my favorites, "Spiralling" due to their tech problems. :( During the encore, a man jumped onstage and got really close to the lead singer! Security clearly weren't really doing their job as they could barely catch up. Someone who was backstage ended up grabbing him and taking him there. That was a highlight for us!
Thursday, July 29th: Ernie Halter / Tony Lucca @ House of Blues, Mandalay Bay: I've seen both of these acoustic, singer / songwriters twice before in concert and they were great again. I brought my friends Kelli and Kristen. Ernie Halter is my favorite of the two and the last song he played was one I requested via Facebook! :) Nerd, I know... It's called "Beautiful Ache." Both artists are really so talented and you should check them out!
Thursday, August 5th: Ludacris @ Palms Pool. I went with my intern friends Zach, Tucker, and Trey, Chris, and my high school friend Jamie. It was a good mix of people. It was cool because it was my first rap concert and Luda is my favorite! He did most of his hits, including the recent "My Chick Bad."
Friday, August 13th: Viva ELVIS @ ARIA. I was so impressed by the newest Cirque du Soleil addition to the Las Vegas strip. It was amazing! I felt that there was something for everyone. The show has live music and the two girl vocalists are soo good and soulful. The sets were ridiculous. The one for "Jailhouse Rock" was so cool. There was a storyline about Elvis' life, a step number, a trampoline number, a few sexier routines, and of course, an elaborate performance of "Viva Las Vegas," complete with a bunch of colorful showgirl costumes. My mom thought it was good, but still liked LOVE better. After the show we went to the Julian Serrano restaurant, which I had been dying to try all summer because of its authentic Spanish tapas and sangria. Serrano is originally from Madrid. I got a glass of sangria and I can honestly say that it was the most authentic I have tasted since I have been back in the U.S. We also got patatas bravas (sooo good), chicken croquetas (very good as well), and 2 other very small plates. It was a great night out with my mom. :)
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