Jamee, my best friend, shared with me that every year she has held her goal of going to a minimum of three concerts a year. Since she told me that, I have tried to follow that goal as well. 2018, has thus far been the year I have seen the most concerts. I get such a rush from being in the concerts and singing my heart out and dancing to every song possible! I thought it’d be fun to share my concert experiences but also a playlist of all the songs they either performed and/or are my favorite song from these artists.
In June of 2018, to kick off the concerts I’d be attending, it started with the one and only, Jenny from the Block! I had a general admission ticket, which I was definitely ok with but the day of the concert my sisters upgraded my ticket to be on the floor. Front row. And center! Thank you girls, for one of the most amazing shows I have ever experienced! I legit cried 5 times. I was so close that I could touch her…although I wasn’t allowed to touch her. Just so you guys get the gist of how close I was, I could see every drip of sweat on her. In that moment, I forgot the world and sang my heart out to every J.LO song with Melinda, my sister-in-law! There was a moment where she looked at Melinda and me in the eye and sang to just us, it was incredible!
Concert número dos of the year but número uno for the month of September was Leon Bridges, again great seats! My friend had an extra ticket and asked me if I want to go….one thing about me you should know, I never say no to any experience let alone a concert! Leon Bridges was such a great performer! FUN FACT: Tanner, Jamee’s boyfriend, told me that Leon Bridges originally went to LA to be a dancer. Believe me when I say, groove is in his heart! He had me up “twistin’ and a groovin’ shakin’ and a movin’!”
Miguel, oh Miguel! My first concert ever, was Usher’s OMG tour back in 2010 and his openers were Miguel and Trey Songz…let that sink in! I was a Freshman in high school who was obsessed with R&B and I was surprised with tickets to an Usher concert. He who was not only my first love, but was about to be my first concert! Later, I came to find out Miguel and Trey Songz would also be performing. I died and came back to life. At this time, Miguel was still fairly fresh on the scene and he had just come out with All I Want Is You. So to see him in 2018, to see how he has matured as an artist and as a performer was so impressive. His concert lingered with me for weeks after it was over. My playlist “For the love of Miguel” was on non-stop! Easily, on my top 5 best concerts ever.
Lauryn Hill’s concert in September was…something else. This was my second time seeing her, but this time was a bit more special because I took my niece, Victoria. I introduced her to Lauryn’s music and she is now obsessed with her! The doors opened at 6:30 pm and we waited four hours for her to come on…FOUR HOURS! We had heard she was notorious for canceling shows last minute and showing up late but this was outrageous. She finally came on stage, and my niece loved every minute of it…but she only played for an hour. Overall, it was a bit of a bummer that she began her show so late and was not on long enough, but I am glad I was able to take Victoria and that she still loved it!
In November, I saw Jorja Smith and she was truly magical! Her opener was Ravyn Lenae and at the time I had only heard a song or two, but after seeing her perform I became a HUGE fan. She had a sultry, funky vibe that was killer. Spice and The Night Song have definitely made their way to multiple of my playlists. I can’t get enough of her! The moment Jorja came on stage she had this presence about her that captivated the audience. Not only did she sing and perform so beautifully, she is even more gorgeous in person! I was truly hypnotized. We were up on a balcony enjoying her show and the couple in front of us left before her encore, so we were able to get closer for the last few songs. She closed her set with On My Mind and the crowd went nuts. I cannot wait to see her again! Did you guys hear that Kali Uchis and her are going on tour together as the self titled, The Kali & Jorja Tour?!
The church of CHILDISH GAMBINO was out of this world. Even though he was sick, he was still a fantastic performer! His opener was Vince Staples. The concert begun at 8 and at 8 on the dot, he busted out with Norf Norf! We had got to the concert a bit late so we were running (out of breath and everything) to see his set. FUN FACT #2: Tanner also told me that Big Fish by Vince Staples has no curse words, which in the rap world can tend to be rare. His comment was “Yeah! You can play this in front of your family and not have to worry about changing it due to cuss words!” We had planned to attend this concert earlier in the year but Childish had to reschedule to December 15th, which is Jamee’s birthday. Tanner, my sister Debbie, Jamee, two of her other friends, and myself had such a thrilling, uplifting experience. I may not know every word to every song of his but if y’all would’ve seen me wildin’ out, you wouldn’t have known the difference. We were a bit far away from the stage but as soon as he came out, it didn’t matter! When he sang This is America, the crowd got so hyped up! The lights, song, the company…all so amazing!
Two days after Gambino in a spur of the moment, Debbie and I got tickets for H.E.R.! Her singing, performance, and hair were stunning! Why can’t my curls be as luscious as H.E.R.’s?! I loved her, she was truly breathtaking. It was such a soulful concert! All the songs she performed live were great, but hearing her play Focus, Every Kind of Way, and Lights On made me love her even more! Her encore was Could’ve Been and it couldn’t have been a more perfect song! Which, she just won 2 Grammy’s this year for best R&B performance and best R&B album. Ironically, she won a Grammy for best album which was actually released as an EP.
2019, started out with Vince Staples and this last Friday I saw Ella Mai. Up next is Justin Timberlake, baby! Keep it right here on beccaamariee.life to stay in tune with the upcoming concerts I will be attending. Leave a comment below with your favorite concert or a must see… or both!
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