IN LONDON!!!

Dreams. They really do come true. Mine for instance came true on March 6, 2012 at the John Labatt Centre in London Ontario. I had the privilege to meet the one and only Kelly Clarkson. Who would of thought I could win tickets through Twitter just by stating the fact that I am a fan of Kelly Clarkson. (wrote more than that though…check here kelly-fricken-clarkson) I sure didn’t, and I still don’t believe it. But I am happy to share my experience with you ☺
The evening begins with the long drive from Hamilton to London, soo worth it though. Once there, I was given my two tickets and meet and greet passes….yes that’s right, meet and greet passes. Totally awesome!! I only waited a short time, until i was brought backstage. Kelly wasn’t ready yet, so the meet and greet group and myself got to watch Matt Nathanson (opening act) perform. We were literally right beside the stage. Matt was just amazing. Vocals were great and the band sounded phenomenal!!! I was totally digging the drums. To enjoy Mr. Nathanson to the fullest, you need to see him live. The little grove he does while he plays guitar makes me soo happy (the next axel rose?). Also Matt seems to have quiet the dirty sense of humour. Thanks to him i will never be able to watch the Little Mermaid so innocently like i use to. He had analysed the lyrics to ‘Under the Sea’, and this is what he said “under the sea, life is better, down where it’s wetter, take it from me. All sung by a crab.” Thank you Matt, thank you -.- But like i said before, he was amazing and i bought his album at the merch table and listened to it on the way home. You are officially in my top 10 buddy ☺
Now I am back in line, waiting to meet Kelly. I was third in line, and when the first person went up all i heard was “hey, so nice to meet you” in that familiar Texan accent. Man she really is southern, and i wouldn’t have it any other way. My turn came up, she gave me a hug and the first thing she said was that i had nice eyes. HA! Awesome, no one has ever said that to me. I joked around with my cousin after the fact saying that no guy could ever compliment on my eyes, i’d just say, tell me something i don’t knw ahahah, nah i would never 😛 I handed her a drawing i did, with lyrics from her songs, adele, reba and the names of her band mates. She said she liked it, and pointed out the lyrics from Einstein, which she later performed (greatest version yet). It was such a chilled moment. Surprisingly i wasn’t nervous, which i still don’t understand, but it is definitely something to cross of my unwritten bucket list ☺ thanks again!
I have seen Kelly Clarkson live before at Massey Hall, which was so intimate. Such a great show. But this one blew me out of the WATER! This concert wasn’t just about the music. Lots of time was spent on the visuals. Lights galore, different colours for different moods. She had visual effects on screens and light pillars. It was beautiful. The show started with a screen flashing news articles, with words coming up in red…Fat, failure, Album leaks, single? Then behind the screen, Kelly appeared in red lighting singing Dark Side. This made me happy because i can relate to this song so well. It’s a theme that i have tried so hard to explain for myself, and here she is, singing words i just couldn’t find. Thank You! She performed all the classics, from breakaway to because of you, and since you been gone to MISS INDEPENDENT! Always a good time when that song is performed.

Her band is incredibly talented. They are so much fun to watch performing and Jason (musical director) is a genius behind those keys. They performed the classics, but with a new twist to them. They kept it fresh and exciting. The crowd was still able to sing along, but got to enjoy a brand new song at the same time. My two favourites of the remakes would be Never Again and Already Gone. Never again was stripped to piano and vocal, which came off, eerie and even more emotional. Already Gone, reminded me of Queen, with the all vocal beginning, with the band singing the chords. Very cool. Jaw was on the floor by this time lol. Kelly Clarkson also covered three songs. Heavy in your Arms- Florence and the machine, Perfect – Pink, and I Know You Wont- Carrie Underwood. I loved them ALL, even more than the originals especially I know you wont. Now i love Carrie Underwood, and i adored this song before. But when she sings it, the vocals are so powerful. Kelly makes it softer, with the lyric “i know you wont” just falling off of her lips. The emotion becomes so much more real and really hits you. It was just beautiful. Like i mentioned earlier, my jaw did fall a couple times in this concert 😛 including the acoustic session. It was just Kelly and her band around her, jamming out. So intimate and the renditions they did were GREAT!! I think that was the best part of the show! Im a sucker for stripped down, acoustic, intimate songs where the gig is just a jam sess.
The last thing i have to mention is the song she wrote about the kids at Houses of Hope. Many songs have been written about Africa, and the poverty it goes through, but i have never heard a song like this. She picked the right words, ones that hit the heart hard. She didn’t worry about making it sound nice a pretty, but instead used words that would matter, that told the truth. Like the one lyric “you haven’t seen the ghost that i’ve seen” i really hope she records this song, and puts it on itunes where the proceeds can go straight to Houses of Hope. When this song was being performed, a video of her trip and the kids was playing on the big screen behind her. It was a very beautiful and emotional moment for me. I have my charities that i support and Houses of Hope is one i want to add. I think you should look into it yourself.

Kelly Clarkson remains my favourite artist out there. She proved the point i always say….she is real. Real in the sense of being truthful to herself and to what music is suppose to be. Her lyrics actually mean something. She doesn’t follow the rest of the top 40 that have meaningless lyrics, with overused riffs and blaring bass. Her catalogue of music varies in pump up music, to just sitting by yourself and being absorbed by it. She finds the words i have troubles finding myself. She writes songs that help me know im not the only one with this kind of feeling. Kelly says that Reba’s voice sounds like home to her. I get that saying because it’s the same for me when it comes to her voice. Its familiar and comforting. Some people like to call her their idol. I like to think of her as my role model, my mentor or my person. It’s her music and her story from rags to riches is what keeps me going in tough times. Her lyrics help in situations i come across in life. She even said that your twenties are the hardest, because its your searching years. I just turned 20 and im excited to see whats out there.

THANK YOU John Labatt Centre for this opportunity! It will never be forgotten. THANK YOU Kelly Clarkson and band, for being awesome!
in the words of Joe Dirt “keep on keeping on!”

Kelly and me 🙂

the drawing i gave her
matt nathanson