Kate Voegele & Natasha Bedingfield

Last night, Sunday, June 12th, 2011, I saw Kate Voegele open up for Natasha Bedingfield at the TLA in Philly, PA. I initially got the tickets because I am a huge Kate Voegele fan. Not only is she an amazing musician, but she also has a role on one of my favorite TV shows, One Tree Hill. I've actually seen her a few times, and I've seen Natasha once before, so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. My friend and I were really happy that we also got to meet Kate after the show. She signed her CD for us and then took a picture. :-)

Kate's set was a little shorter than I would have liked, but I guess that happens when you're one of the opening acts. She played mostly songs from her new album, Gravity Happens, which came out last month, and then played one or two songs from her other two CD's. I shot video of her performing one of her new songs, "Sandcastles," (which I included the link below) because I really enjoy the lyrics to that specific song. That's one thing I do love about both of these ladies - they write fantastic lyrics that you can really relate to.

Set List - Kate Voegele - TLA, Philly, PA - Sunday, June 12th, 2011
Say You're Mine
Impatient Girl
Enough For Always
Heart In Chains
99 Times
Sandcastles
Kindly Unspoken

Natasha's set was filled with a good mix of songs from all three of her CD's. She's another musician with a great voice, and she's fun to watch on stage. She gives off a positive, carefree energy, and it reflects in the lyrics of all her songs. She loves to move around on stage, too. I don't think she really gets enough credit for her music. Most people think of her as the artist who's song "Unwritten" was the theme song to The Hills show on MTV. But you should really look into all of her music. Her lyrics are very relatable. I shot some good video with my camera of her performing the song, "Single" and I shot some video with my iPhone4 of her songs "Soulmate" and "Bruise Easily."

Set List - Natasha Bedingfield - TLA, Philly, PA - Sunday, June 12th, 2011
Neon Lights
Little Too Much
These Words
All I Need
Message in a Bottle (SOS) - The Police cover
Single
Bruise Easily
Strip Me
Run Run Run
Can't Fall Down
A.N.G.E.L.
Soulmate
Wild Horses
Try
Purple Rain (Prince Cover)
Pocketful of Sunshine
Love Like This
Put Your Arms Around Me
Weightless
Recover
Unwritten

Kate Voegele's Official Website
Natasha Bedingfield's Official Website
Kate Voegele performing "Sandcastles" (at TLA)
Natasha Bedingfield performing "Single" (at TLA)
Natasha Bedingfield performing "Bruise Easily" (at TLA)
Natasha Bedingfield performing "Soulmate" (at TLA)

Miranda Lambert

Friday, June 10th, 2011 my friend, Joanna, and I went to Atlantic City, NJ at the Borgata Event Center to see Miranda Lambert perform. This was a birthday present to myself (my birthday was Saturday the 11th) and it was the perfect way to celebrate because Miranda is one of my favorite country artists. Anyone who hasn't seen Miranda live is missing out on a great artist. She's been out for awhile, but it hasn't been until the past year that she has finally gotten the recognition she truly deserves. Not only does she have an amazing, strong voice, but she plays guitar (as most country singers do) and she really knows how to work a crowd. She's got a bad ass personality and I really appreciate the fact that she doesn't look like all the other stick thin female singers out there. Miranda looks like a real woman and she's proud of that and doesn't try to change for anyone.

Josh Kelley and Justin Moore opened up for Miranda. They did a great job getting the crowd ready for her. The venue was really cool - it was actually a ballroom and was pretty small, so anywhere you stood you could see and were close to the stage. Miranda performed all of her hit songs that have been on the radio, plus some other's that haven't been as popular, but are just as great. In the middle of the show, she brought out two other singers to join her, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley, who make up her new group, Pistol Annies. They performed a few of their songs to an album that has yet to be released. Although their first single, "Hell on Heels" was released today, and I have included a link to buy that single for $1.29. They have amazing harmonies, so I definitely recommend that you buy the single and the CD when it comes out. I included different links below, along with some video I shot on my phone, and I posted the set list below, too.

Set List - Miranda Lambert - Borgata Event Center, Atlantic City, NJ - Friday, June 10th, 2011
Only Prettier
Kerosene
Famous in a Small Town
Small Town Saturday Night (Hal Ketchum cover)
Dead Flowers
More Like Her
Maintain the Pain
Love Song
New Strings
Hell on Heels (Pistol Annies)
Better Days (Pistol Annies)
One's Drinking One's Smoking One's Takin' Pills (Pistol Annies - don't know the official song title yet)
Hit the Road Jack (Pistol Annies)
Heart Like Mine
Stay With Me (Rod Stewart cover)
Somewhere Trouble Don't Go
House That Built Me
White Liar
That's The Way That The World Goes 'Round
I Love Rock 'N Roll (Joan Jett cover)
Gunpowder and Lead

Miranda Lambert's Official Website
Pistol Annies Official Website
Link to download "Hell on Heels" by the Pistol Annies
Miranda performing Heart Like Mine (taken with my iPhone)
Miranda performing Rod Stewart's song, Stay With Me (taken with my iPhone)
Miranda Lambert's YouTube Channel
Pistol Annies Live Debut "Hell on Heels"

NKOTBSB

When I started this blog, I warned everyone, I'm a lover of all music. Last night my childhood memories from elementary school and high school came back to life. On June 5, 2011 at Wells Fargo Center in Philly, PA, I saw the New Kids On The Block and Backstreet Boys Tour (NKOTBSB). While some people might make fun of me for attending this show, I still think these two boybands are geniuses for putting this collaboration together. It's not really the music I'm into these days or the kind of show I usually go to, but just hearing their songs always bring out the little girl or teenage girl in me. I'm pretty sure I'm always going to be a huge fan of NKOTB and BSB as long as they keep touring and making music.

The show started with both groups on stage performing a mash up of "Single" (by NKOTB) and "The One" (by BSB) to the music of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida." As expected, the crowd was filled of females screaming for their old teen idols. For the next set of songs, the groups performed their own uptempo songs, while the other group exited the stage (an NKOTB song, then a BSB song). After that small set of uptempo songs, then each group came on stage to do a few ballads each. When BSB performed "I'll Never Break Your Heart," each member brought someone from the audience up to serenade them. Then both groups continued to do a few songs at a time, this time mixing it up with ballads and uptempo numbers. NKOTB did a mash up of Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison" and their own "Favorite Girl" (which was awesome). Then during their song, "Tonight," each member of NKOTB went to the front of a lower level section to serenade the crowd (Donnie Wahlberg was right in front of my section). BSB performed "As Long As You Love Me" and "All I Have To Give" with a bit of an old school Motown feel to the music, which was cool, and then they went into a short rendition of Prince's "Raspberry Beret" (one of my favorite Prince songs). Eventually both groups came on stage together to perform their latest single (that they recorded as a full group, NKOTBSB), "Don't Turn Out The Lights." After "Lights," they had an encore and BSB came on first to perform "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" and then NKOTB came on stage to perform "Hangin' Tough" (in Boston Celtics jerseys - with Donnie wearing a Phillies hat). Then BSB came on stage in Orlando Magic jerseys and both groups did a sort of song battle singing "Everybody" and "Oh oh oh oh oh." And then the show ended with both groups singing "We Will Rock You" together.

Below I've included the full set list, a link to my pictures from the show, and links to my personal videos I took during the show.

Set List - NKOTBSB - Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA - June 5th, 2011
Single (NKOTB)/The One (BSB)
Summertime (NKOTB)
The Call (BSB)
Dirty Dancing (NKOTB)
Bye Bye Love (BSB)
You've Got It (The Right Stuff) (NKOTB)
Larger Than Life (BSB)
Didn't I Blow Your Mind/Valentine Girl (NKOTB)
If You Go Away Girl (NKOTB)
Please Don't Go Girl (NKOTB)
Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely (BSB)
10,000 Promises (BSB)
I'll Never Break Your Heart (BSB)
Drowning (BSB)
Incomplete (BSB)
Step By Step (NKOTB)
Cover Girl (NKOTB)
Poison/Favorite Girl (NKOTB)
Games (NKOTB)
Tonight (NKOTB)
Shape Of My Heart (BSB)
As Long As You Love Me (BSB)
All I Have To Give (BSB)
Raspberry Beret (BSB)
Quit Playing Games With My Heart (BSB)
I'll Be Loving You Forever (NKOTB)
I Want It That Way (BSB)
Don't Turn Out The Lights (NKOTBSB)
ENCORE
Everybody (Backstreet's Back) (BSB)
Hangin' Tough (NKOTB)
We Will Rock You (NKOTBSB)

My Photos from the concert

BSB performing "Bye Bye Love"
BSB performing "The Call"
NKOTB performing "Dirty Dancing"
Donnie Wahlberg in front of my section
NKOTB performing "Right Stuff"
NKOTB performing "Please Don't Go Girl"
NKOTBSB performing "Don't Turn Out The Lights"
NKOTB performing "Hangin' Tough"
Ending of the Show