Last night was Acoustic Christmas that 107.5 The River puts on every year, but this is the first time I've won tickets. Here was the line up:
Hot Chelle Rae
Miranda Cosgrove
The Ready Set
Dev (from Far East Movement)
Plain White T's
Natasha Bedingfield
Robyn
Jay Sean
Mike Posner
My would-be boyfriend Bruno Mars was on tap to perform but got sick and had to cancel. That has put a damper on our relationship, but I suppose I can forgive him since he was sick. They told us
The thing about Acoustic Christmas is that the only way in is to win tickets (unless you buy them from some d-bag who wins tickets just to sell them on Craig's List), but they give out more tickets than there are seats so that if you win and can't come, there won't be empty seats. I totally get that, but it also means there is a chance you won't get in at all. People had been in line since 6:00 Friday morning! We didn't get there until around 5:30 (in the evening, obvs) and the doors were to open at 6:00. IT. WAS. COLD. Could have been worse, but I'm glad it wasn't! Once we were finally in, we had balcony seats, which was 110% fine with me since after seeing Paramore at Nashville Auditorium, or should I say after seeing the back of some super tall dude's shirt while I watched the Paramore concert through camera and phone screens around me. Anyway, each act did about 4 songs; the show started at 7:00 and we left about 12:30 am.
I am very big on artists sounding good LIVE, sans autotune, and their live performances being entertaining. I'll give Taylor Swift props for playing guitar well and for writing her own material (even if I don't care for it, she is doing something many other artists don't do, or aren't able to do - songwriting is not for everyone!) but ol' girl can't sing. Remember that infamous performance with Stevie Nicks? YIKES! So, that being said I was excited to see how everyone sounded in an acoustic setting without all the technology so many artists rely on.
Up first was Hot Chelle Rae, some local (to Nashville) guys and their song Bleed has been doing well at least in this region. They sounded good live and put on a decent show. It will be interesting to see how that band grows and develops their stage presence.
Second was Miranda Cosgrove. While I am afflicted with the curse of being over the age of 17, and therefore unable to listen to copious amounts of songs that have the letter "U" instead of the actual word "You" in the title, I will say I was pleasantly surprised with her. She sounded good (but did use a backing track on at least a couple of songs), had some back up dancers that were adorable and I liked her boots. I don't know that she is one I will go see again, but I'm not really in her age demographic.
When The Ready Set took the stage, I stood up and "woo'd" as any seasoned concert goer would do. I love their song "Love Like Woe". I was disappointed that they relied on backing tracks as much as they did but I will let it slide because I think their song is catchy as *$%~!
Dev, from The Far East Movement, was a pleasant surprise. The "acoustic" band was a guy with a laptop, keyboard and who knows what else, and that was all. Still, she was great. I loved her attitude, energy and songs. I will definitely buy her album when it comes out! Of course, she did "Like a G6" for us and the 808 bump made us put our hands up.
When the Plain White T's took the stage, they looked like they had robbed a bunch of Mennonites and stolen their clothes; except for the drummer. He was dressed like a hobo on a train. I'm pretty sure he had his lunch wrapped in a red bandanna and tied to a stick somewhere backstage. Aesthetically pleasing, they were not (well, that one blond guy would still be cute, no matter what) but if you closed your eyes and listened it sounded a little like bits of musical manna from heaven falling on your ears. Props to Plain White T's for embracing an acoustic show and playing it stripped down. Would I see them again if the opportunity arose? You betcha! Musically they are an amazingly talented group.
If I could only use three words to describe Natasha Bedingfield they would be as follows: AH. MAZ. ING. She was such a phenomenal vocalist that even as I type this, twelve hours after seeing her, I still have trouble finding the right words to describe her. I had always liked her work, but she was never a stand-out artists to me until last night. Now I am going to dig out her CD's I have and get them on my iPod. I already downloaded her new song "Strip Me" from iTunes. She had an acoustic guitar player, a percussionist on a thing she called a cajone (I had never seen one before but it was really cool!) and a back up singer. No backing tracks, no laptops, no synths - just one of the very best vocal performances I have ever witnessed. Go see Natasha Bedingfield, you will not be disappointed! She is definitely on my list of artists to see when she goes on tour.
I'm not sure what to say about Robyn. I think I missed the whole allure of her, but so many others enjoyed her. The world would be a very boring place if we all liked the same things. So, I give her credit for being out there, doing her thing and getting such a great response from the audience.
Jay Sean... what to say? He could have just stood up there and talked for his entire set and I would have been just as happy. Everything sounds better with a British accent, doesn't it? There was some delay getting him out on stage and I'm not sure what was going on but his band (aka - one acoustic guitar player and another guy at the keyboard, laptop, etc) was starting to lose my interested until he finally came out. I think he relied unnecessarily on electronics. When he sang by himself, he did an outstanding job but his vocal talents got lost with all the backing tracks and extras. I would have liked to see a real acoustic show from Jay Sean because I think he would have rocked even harder. He's got a new album coming out in 2011, so it will be exciting to see what's in store for him.
I think the artist that surprised me the most was Mike Posner. By the time he came out on stage it was late and the crowd had really thinned out, so we went down to floor level and I got some good pictures. Again, it wasn't an acoustic show but felt more like I was at a rock concert than any of the other performers. Experiencing his show had me pumped up (which was nice for the drive back) and as soon as I got home I downloaded a few of his songs. I really didn't expect to like his music at all, I mean, on the radio it's ok but has never been my favorite. He kind of had that just-got-out-of-jail look to him, but I was pleasantly surprised with him and have officially been converted to a Posner fan!
Did I mention that I was crushed Bruno Mars wasn't there? Oh well...
So, that is my Acoustic Christmas '10 recap! Everyone who was able to attend should send a HUGE thanks to 107.5 The River for putting on such an amazing show as a gift to their listeners. Also, support these artists! Buy your music, don't download it illegally, and buy tickets to the concerts! As Natasha Bedingfield put it so eloquently, once the artist puts out their music, it is ours now. I believe we should treat the gift they have given us as a treasure.
