Overall, the concert was great. Mat sounds amazing live, and totally delivers in concert. He probably played all of his songs from his first album, as well as his new album (which is amazing, btw). I couldn’t have wished for a better performance.

I got a lot of great pictures of Mat, and even a few good ones of his crazy hot guitar player that was to the left of him; in fact, all of the backing band members were cute and bearded (which was definitely an added bonus). You can check out the whole set on flickr.

One cool thing that happened during his set, was when he was singing a song, and started to get down off of the stage to lean over and touch people’s hands: surprisingly, instead of just shaking hands and what not, he jumped off the stage into the crowd and ran right past us!! You could tell that no one was expecting it, because instead of rushing up to him, people just ran away from him. It was kind of funny, actually, because you would have expected the opposite. I managed to get a very paparazzi shot of the moment he was closest to me. Neat stuff indeed. I think it added to the whole concert, because he was clearly having fun because of the crowd. I did think that he was a bit cocky with expecting everyone to know the words to all of his songs, because near the end of the show, he pretty much just held up the microphone to the crowd for like 15 minutes. While that was a little annoying, it didn’t distract from how good the rest of the show was.

Since it was at a standing room only venue (Center Stage), I just knew that I would encounter some of those “we are entitled to walk to the front and stand in front of you because we are better people just because we are” people, and low and behold, about an hour into the show, they tried to push their way up in front of us. The best, though, was that they ended up in front of the people in front of me, and they were very vocal about their disapproval; they left after like 2 songs. I just don’t understand why people have that sense of entitlement. If you want to stand in the front, do like we did; get there early, and wait it out. If not, don’t complain when someone doesn’t want you to come up in front of them and stand there; we put in the time, so we deserve to be up front… you don’t. /rant

2. I would use the fucking lights, and not play in the dark.
As much as I love going to concerts, I love taking concert pictures just as much. I like to get a neat shot of the person that I payed to see perform, which for me, is a major keepsake, and a memory of my experience. However, and this is a big however, when they perform in the dark, it is not only hard to see them with my naked eye, but it is damn near impossible to get a decent picture. So for my show, you would see me flooded in light, actually performing for a crowd; not hiding in the dark while I sing on stage. I would also make sure to have a little stage presence; she was bent over or had her back to the audience most of the show.

Looking back at the night, I thought I had more things that I would do if I were in the band, but I guess the other gripes I had about the show had nothing to do with the actual performance. First of all, I may sound like an old codger, but it was way too fucking loud at that show. Those of you that have been to the Loft know that it is a small space, and it really doesn’t need to be EAR BLEEDINGLY loud for the show to be good. I want to be able to continue listening to the good music that I came out to see after the show ends, afterall.

Also, after Bat For Lashes finished their “1st set” (you know, the fake, “goodnight!” before coming out to play basically the second half of your show), I was pretty tired of standing in the front, so I asked James and Broderick if they were ready to head to the back, and maybe even home (my feet were hurting because we waited forever for her to take the stage, afterall). While walking through the crowd, this guy that was several rows of people behind us says to me as I pass him something to the effect of, “hey big guy! you are so freaking tall! you were blocking us all night! glad you are leaving!!!”. Being who I am, I couldn’t let a bitchy remark go without retort, so to that, I leaned into him, and made sure to say loud enough so his short ass could hear me, “Well, now you’ll know to get here earlier next time, so you can stand up front, won’t you?”.

Seriously. You came to a standing room, general admission concert, and you are bitching because someone 6′1″ is standing in front of you?! Go fuck yourself, munchkin; it isn’t my fault that a) you are shorter than me, nor more importantly, b) that I got there earlier than you and found where I wanted to stand, and did so because I knew that it was standing room only, general admission. I honestly couldn’t believe he had the nerve to bitch about it, especially when there were several people around me that were the same height as me, but I digress.

Overall, the show was great, and I can just add these to my “general gripes” about things in life. Ah, first world problems… so much fun to bitch about, eh?

Death Cab For Cutie – My Mirror Speaks
[See post to listen to audio]
After seeing Death Cab for Cutie last week, I have been listening to them almost non-stop, and I am constantly reminded of how much I love this amazing band. Seriously, Ben Gibbard’s voice and his diction are both amazingly delicious, and are a total treat to my ears. I have been a Death Cab fan for a few years now, and with each subsequent release, they only get better, in my opinion. The recently released EP, the Open Door, is where this fantastic track comes from, and was released to coincide with them beginning their tour. I love every song on that EP, and I was pleased that they played almost all of them at the show. They are amazing live, and I am glad I got an opportunity to finally see them perform.

Matthew Barber – Easily Bruised
[See post to listen to audio]
This was a free mp3 download from Amazon (as of this writing, it still is, so go and get it!), and I am glad that I checked it out; it’s a beautiful track. I’ll admit that I was initially drawn to it because of the bearded beau on the cover (what can I say… I am a sucker for beards), and I was pleased that he had the musical prowess to really draw me in past a simple glance at the album art. His sound reminds me a lot of Ryan Adams, with just a touch classic rock, updated for the hear and now. This is one of those songs were beautiful music, rugged vocals, and eloquent writing all come together to make some really great music. While this is the only song of his I have currently heard, I am definitely going to check out his recently released album, Ghost Notes.

Great Northern – Story
[See post to listen to audio]
As a fan of Great Northern’s 2007 debut, Trading Twilight for Daylight, I was excited when I saw that they were releasing a new album a few weeks ago. While I regrettably haven’t had a chance to give it a proper listen, the first track really struck me instantly, and I really liked it right off the bat. Perhaps what struck me most, is how it has a harder, edgier sound than their previous softer stuff. The marching beat coupled with the distorted guitars, and the lead singer’s haunting vocal make this a fantastically “darker” opener for their new album. It has definitely gotten me excited to delve deeper into the rest of the album; which if it is anything like this, I am sure I will enjoy.

Little Boots – New In Town
[See post to listen to audio]
Little Boots is one of those artists that everyone is shouting about how wonderful they are, and for some dumb reason, I just roll my eyes and move on. In fact, I think that I ignore songs like this out of spite. Maybe it is the defiant side of me that just won’t give in? Who knows, but I think it was because I heard a Little Boots track a while back and I wasn’t blown away, so I just moved on; clearly, I must have thought, that it was truly just hype. However, she is back on my radar, because this is an insanely catchy track that is tearing up the radio waves in the UK, and I found myself falling for it after all. It has a little bit of the energy and feel of some of Ladyhawke’s work, which definitely bodes well for Little Boots (especially in my book), because of how great Ladyhawke has proven to be. I don’t know if this one will make a big splash on this side of the pond, but I know that a bunch of my readers will really like this one (that is, if they haven’t been enjoying it already, while I was being stubborn).

Well, there’s your Friday five, what did you think?! I hope that you enjoyed these tracks, and with some of them, you really should do yourself a favor and check out the rest of the album. Elizabeth and the Catapult is definitely one of those discoveries that I am beaming about lately, and I highly recommend the whole album. As always, let me know what you are spinning, and let me know what you think about my choices for this week. Have a great weekend!

I will say this; I have been to Center Stage MANY times. Most of the time, it is sold out. I have never, however, seen as many people there as I did the night of Lady GaGa. It was insane. Speaking of which, people need to be more respectful of others. You can’t save 5 seats. You can’t get all assholish when someone in the standing room only area accidentally bumps into you. People really need to learn how to be nicer. Anyway…

There were 3 (!!!) opening acts for Lady GaGa, and I really enjoyed Chester French (who I have featured on the 5SF in the past), and I also liked White Tie Affair (who’s CD was on my ipod, but I have never listened to it). After much anticipation, and some shuffling around trying to find a great place to watch the show from (IT WAS PACKED), the curtain fell, and Lady GaGa emerged from a funky looking set up in the middle of the stage. What followed was a full hour of costume changes, dance routines, and killer vocals from Lady GaGa. She completely delivers live, and she owned that stage like a seasoned professional.

A few songs into the show, she got more intimate, and put on her now famous bubbles outfit, and played a bubble filled piano. She played a new song, which I think is called Future Love, and it was, to quote the Lady herself, marvelous. It seems that Lady GaGa has a lot more great music to give us in the future.

Overall, the show was energetic, and the crowd was totally into her. I will admit that she is a bit “out there” with her fashion and her style, but I think that it makes her unique in that she isn’t afraid to be different, and do something funky. The result was a sold out show full of people clamoring for more of the newest, and biggest, pop diva to take hold of the reigns of pop music. I can say that I was really glad to see her again, and whenever she comes back to the ATL, you can bet that I will be there.

Check out the pictures on flickr.

Leslie Hall, mother gem.

The EARL.

Hell yes.

After Kameron left the stage, it wasn’t long before the amazing Adele took the mic. While I was watching her perform, it was really difficult to believe that she is only 19 years old; she commanded that stage like a seasoned professional. She was so cute, and adorable in the way that she genuinely had a great time performing, and I love seeing someone who genuinely seems to be having a good time while they are performing. She giggled and laughed in between songs, waved to the audience, and proclaimed her gratitude for everyone coming out to see her; she seemed surprised that so many people knew who she was. She even told of how she acquired her “drag queen eyelashes” earlier that day in Little Five Points, as well as how much she enjoyed seeing Atlanta for the first time. I thought it was a bit strange that someone in the front held up a CD for her to sign, but she did sign it between songs, and was very sweet about it. Overall, she came across as a beautiful person as well as a beautiful singer.

One of the things that I like most about Adele, is her beautiful voice, and fantastic song writing skill. I love how she uses her voice more as an instrument, which takes her songs from being simply sung, to truly performed; which translated amazingly live. Also, she played both the guitar and the bass on several songs, and did so effortlessly.

It is rare that you see someone live who is arguably better than they are on their CD (even though, she is pitch perfect, and fantastic on her CD), and Adele definitely falls into this elite category. Her voice was flawless, and her live singing ability was very impressive. She has a powerful gift, and I feel privileged to have gotten the opportunity to see her in such an intimate venue. As I mentioned to Jason after the show, this is the reason I love going to concerts; sometimes, you have an opportunity to see a truly amazing artist who’s talent just blows you away. Adele’s performance was nothing short of amazing, and after seeing her live, I definitely consider her amongst my favorite singers. She played a bit of a new song last night as well, and it was beautiful; I can’t wait to hear more from this beautiful Brit. Overall, it was an amazing night, and an amazing performance, and I am glad that I was able to be a part of it.

(to see all of my pictures from the show, click here.)

We started off the night by getting dinner with my buddy Stu (who was just as excited to see Britney as I was) after which, we headed to Phillips Arena. I decided that driving would be better, because I knew Marta would be utter madness for this event, so I was fully prepared to pay out the nose for parking. We managed to get close by for $20, and in our excitement, James managed to lock us out of the car as we headed to the stadium. However, the car itself was still running at the time. Nice. So, we had to wait for AAA to show up, and then we made our way into the show. No harm, just 30 more minutes of anticipation, really.

Opening for Britney were the Pussycat Dolls, and they were actually very, very good live. That Nicole Scherzinger can fucking sing, and she made it apparent that she is definitely still the head Doll. Those other girls can DANCE, but Nicole has got the pipes that puts the dinner on the table, and she made that point known at the show. After a decent set, they exited the stage, and Britney’s crew set up the stage (which was a theater in the round set up), and the anticipation grew. Would she blow us away, or just disappoint? I was about to find out if my pop princess still had it in her all these years later.

Britney came out with a bang, and performed Circus right off the bat, which I thought was brilliant. Song after song, she danced, and worked all three of the stages; the main center ring, and both smaller rings on each end of the stadium. She must have danced her way back and forth through Philips Arena a good 15-20 times, and she remained full of energy the entire show. It was impressive how she commanded the stage, and it was amazing to see her perform. All of the performances were very well choreographed, and while I am certain she lip-synced a lot of them, it didn’t matter to me; I wanted to see her perform, as she sang the original song anyway. The show was a feast for the eyes that I doubt I will see the likes of again any time soon.

She ended the show with a bang, releasing confetti in the arena, and as we exited back to our car, we all agreed that what we had seen was an amazing show. Is Britney back for good? I guess only time will tell for sure, but I can say one thing with certainty, she was definitely in top form that night, and going to see her live was worth every penny. Since then, I have had Britney fever, and have been re-enjoying music of hers that I haven’t listened to in ages. Britney is definitely the princess of pop, and I hope that she just keeps on bringing us the goods; because I am certain that pop music wouldn’t be the same without her. This show most certainly ranks amongst the best concerts I have ever had the privilege of seeing.

Britney – When I Found You
[See post to listen to audio]
You know you expected this; of course I had to post a Britney song, I still have Britney fever!! However, instead of just posting something off of Circus, I wanted to post one of my favorite B-side/unreleased tracks of hers, and a song that many of you have probably never heard. This song was released on the deluxe/international version of her self titled 3rd album, Britney. I haven’t heard it in quite some time, and yesterday, in prep for the show, I was listening to lots of Britney, and this song popped up, and I instantly remembered how much I loved it. This is such a sweet pop ballad, and it makes me wonder why I wasn’t on her official release of Britney. Either way, this track is fantastic, and I’m glad that it came back into my life. Britney fever continues!

Natalie Bassingthwaighte – Why Do I?
[See post to listen to audio]
I discovered Natalie randomly through one of my many music blogs that I follow, and after listening to her recent release 1000 stars, this is by far my favorite track from the album. At my first glance of the title I thought it was a cover of that Liz Phair song, but I was extremely surprised and elated that it turned out to be something totally different. I love the beat and the haunting synth that pops and moans throughout the song. I do have to comment on her last name, which is somewhat of a doozy; how do you even pronounce it? Any Aussies that can help me out (Natalie’s from down under)? Well, regardless of how you pronounce her last name, Natalie has released a decent pop album, and this track struck me, and as such, I had to get the word out about it. It really reminds me of a great early 90s track that has been refreshed for today; and the result is music to my ears.

BBMak – I Can Tell
[See post to listen to audio]
I was riding in the car the other day, and BBMak came on the radio. I instantly got out a pen and wrote BBMak on my hand, because I have completely forgotten about this amazing boy band for far too long, and I wanted to rectify that as soon as possible. When I got home, I put both of their CDs in the computer and ripped the mp3s for my iPod, because I have missed these guys, and didn’t even know it until I randomly heard them on the radio. I had a serious love affair with BBMak back in the day, and I was very sad that they disbanded after their second CD. Both of their albums were very great, and each one of these boys is very swoon worthy. I did some scouring for info on the internets, in order to find out what they are up to these days, but didn’t find much. I hope they are well, and are still making music, because they are just far too talented to let it end with BBMak. I wish that I would have gotten the chance to see them in concert, because I have a live DVD, and they are amazing; they all played like 3 or 4 instruments, and their harmonies are just incredible. Welcome back into my life BBMak! I’ve missed you!!

Katharine McPhee – Love Story
[See post to listen to audio]
I guess this continues the “blast from the not so distant past” theme of this week’s 5SF, and I am glad to keep it going; there is so much great stuff that I have in my music collection that has been collecting dust for absolutely no reason. I read that Katharine is working on a new album due out later this year, and I hope that she has more success with her sophomore release. I have no idea why her self titled debut didn’t do much better than it did, because it is an impressive pop album, filled with fantastic vocals and very well produced songs. Katharine was my favorite on her season of Idol, and I was glad that she got through to the final two because I knew it would mean a record deal. Her debut album is great, and actually made my year end list in 2007. After listening to it again this week (I have to say, I am glad that I am going back through my massive music collection and dusting off some old favorites… I have no idea why I didn’t do this before!!), I am still scratching my head and wondering why this album didn’t make her an instant superstar. Katharine McPhee is arguably one of the most beautiful women on this planet; both in appearance and voice, and I would have thought that to be enough to propel her to the stardom that she deserves. Here’s hoping that her next album will allow her star to truly shine.

Siobhan Donaghy – Don’t Give It Up
[See post to listen to audio]
Yet another album that I have been wrongly ignoring is the amazing Ghosts, by ex-Sugababe Siobhan Donaghy. This was another album that made my favorites list in 2007, and deservedly so; it is an interesting electro-pop record with haunting vocals and infectious rhythms and song arrangements. This song is just so beautiful and unique that I couldn’t help but love it, and it makes me long for more great stuff from Siobhan in the near future. This is one of those songs that you hear, and you think to yourself, “self, that is a weird, beautiful, strange, and interesting song, isn’t it? You know what self, it is… and I LOVE IT!”. Well, that is at least what I said to myself when I heard it the first time… what do you think?! The whole album has a similar weirdness that this track possesses, and that makes it unique, interesting, and actually very good!

As a result of going out last night to see Ms. Spears, I managed to re-aggravate my bad head cold, and as such, and hacking and miserable today. However, it was worth it, because as I said, she was amazing, and I am glad that I FINALLY got the chance to see her live.

I am glad that I have been giving some ignored music in my collection newfound attention lately, because I have been “re-discovering” some of my favorites, and it is like getting reacquainted with an old friend that you haven’t seen for some time. It just feels good to get back in touch and catch up! I hope that you enjoyed this five song Friday, and as always, let me know what you think, and what you are listening to as well. Have a great weekend!

We arrived early, so as to make sure we had a great view, and ended up being in the front “row”. After waiting a couple of hours, the white limo pulled up outside, and the tension in the room grew; we were ready for our diva to take the mic and turn out the beats. I have to gripe here for a second, though, because people who think that they can just come up to the front, and stand in front of people that have been patiently waiting for two hours can get a freaking clue. Seriously, no less than 3 people tried to do that, and I told them to shove off… I usually just deal with it, but I was NOT going to stand behind someone at this show. After waiting for a while after the limo pulled up, and after telling several people to move to the back where there was plenty of room, Lady GaGa busted in, and seriously brought down the house. Just before she came out, her dancers came down to make sure they had enough room, and the one dancing in front of me said, “make sure to keep this area clear; there will be a LOT of dancing right here”. Hell yes.

She was full of energy, dancing and gyrating through several of her major songs, like Just Dance, Beautiful Dirty Rich, and her current single, Poker Face. After an energetic performance filled with complicated choreography, a dance with a disco stick, and acrobatic routines, the Lady treated us to one of the songs that was included on the American release of her record (which was finally released earlier this week), Starstruck (which I absolutely LOVE).

The beats were massive, the sound was booming, and her vocals were flawless. I consider myself extremely lucky to see someone as hugely talented as Lady GaGa in such an intimate setting, and I enjoyed the concert thoroughly; as did everyone else in the place by the feeling of all that energy. I was also completely happy that Stu, John, Michael, and Broderick were there… we all had a blast. GaGa came in, completely delivered, and even stuck around for autographs after her show (which was incredible, considering that she opened for the New Kids earlier that night before playing for us!).

Overall, it was a massive show, and it was amazing. When I met her after the show, I excitedly told her that I loved her, and she simply told me that she loved me as well. *squee!* This is definitely a show that I won’t forget for some time. I’m glad that I had the chance to go out and “just dance” with the Lady that is GaGa.

Be sure to check out the other photos that I took on flickr; you can get there by clicking on the one above. I got some freaking great shots, and I am so glad that I defended my up front position so that I could get them!! (note: a post similar to this one is posted on Jiingo as well!)