Kelly Clarkson Concert

Last night, Kelly Clarkson came to town for her Stronger tour and it was incredible! It was so much more than I ever could've imagined. I've looked up to Kelly for as long as I can remember and this was the first chance I'd actually been able to see an actual show of hers. She was the first American Idol that really got me hooked to the show (and first American Idol period) that just really reminded me to keep singing and to believe in myself, no matter where you came from. We had amazing seats-3rd row and it was so surreal being RIGHTTHERE in front of Kelly; I can only imagine what front row would've been like, but honestly I think this was better because we weren't looking straight up. We were smack dab in the middle pretty much.

Super dark haha....

Matt Nathanson opened for her, but I was not impressed at all. I just felt really awkward for most of his set, to be honest, especially for parents with younger children in the audience. He's a talented musician, but the topic of his songs are a little too descriptive for my taste. I had heard a couple songs of his, and one ("Wedding Dress") was actually featured in season six of One Tree Hill, which I thought was pretty awesome. At one point in the show, he wanted everyone standing up, but my mom and I were just ready for him to be over, so we kept sitting, and then he called us out on it. He's like, "What's the matter with you guys? You don't want to get up?" or something like that, so we pretty much felt obligated. I was just glad when intermission came.
Finally, the moment we'd all been waiting for came...KELLY! She started off with Dark Side and killed it. From there, she just got more pumped up and the crowd was rocking with her. She sang all of her hits, including, "Breakaway", "Since You Been Gone", "Miss Independent" and her more recent hits like, "Mr. Know It All," and "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)". Kelly also did a lot of promoting for other artists as well, mentioning the covers and artists that she did, such as Florence and the Machine, Radiohead, and Carrie Underwood. It was such a fun time! I love how candid she is on stage. She isn't rehearsed and doesn't have everything down to a science. As far as the music goes, she knows exactly what's going on, but with talking in between, it's different every night. I think it makes the experience that much more special when it isn't all planned out. I seriously felt like we were all just hanging out with her, because she seems so relaxed on stage.She's so sarcastic and feisty, and that totally shows in her music.  You can genuinely tell that her heart is in the music and isn't about all the other stuff that goes with it. She had a few costume changes and a really cool set, but not so much that it took away from what everyone was there to see...her and her amazing pipes. She is truly an artist that has proved she is here for the long haul and isn't just "someone who was on American Idol."

(A couple of the collages got cut off for some reason. That's why there are band members randomly thrown in LOL). 

I kept holding up my sign that said, "Kelly, Can we duet?" on it, which is her new show coming out this Summer, but it didn't work out :/ I think she did finally see it one time. She sort of leaned in closer to read it  and just kind of winked/nodded a couple times, so that was cool. At least I know she saw it...and maybe, further down the line, I'll get that duet ;).

I got a few videos (she gave us all the okay to "YouTube away" which I was happy about) that I'll hopefully be able to edit and post sometime this weekend! If you ever get a chance to see Kelly in concert..DO IT! She's fantastic. And it's not as loud/rocker as I thought it would be.

That's all for now,
Shelby