A few things to know about me...

1.    I love concerts. If I love you as a musical artist, I want to see you live. In my mind, concerts are an interactive experience. I love singing along with the artist because I’m part of the band. (Don’t question the crazy, people). Plus, being around thousands of other people who share the same enthusiasm is such a rush.

Wanna know how much I love concerts? I’m cheap and am always on the lookout for a better deal. But not when it comes to concert tickets. They cost what they cost and I’m good with that.

2.    My family loves music videos, so BET and Video Soul were constants in my household. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a shock that I grew up loving Michael and Janet Jackson.

My mom’s maiden name is Jackson, so we would always make jokes about how we were related to those Jacksons. I’ll never forget the time my cousin recorded Janet’s performance on an awards show on the VCR (lol) and memorized the choreography only to be devastated when my mom accidentally erased it. Oops.

These were major reasons I wanted to see Janet. Michael also played a role. When he died, I was happy to say that I’d seen him in concert. For no real reason that I can come up with it, I’d never seen Janet before, but I was determined to rectify that. Thanks to my amazing boss, I was able to secure tickets on the floor.

And I saw her Saturday night!

It was fantastic! The show wasn’t elaborate - just Janet, her backup dancer, singers and band. But that’s all we needed. The woman has had a TON of hits over her 25+ year career. One hit led to another to another to another. The whole audience (including me) sang and danced the entire time.  The rush of energy from the audience when the opening notes for a song like “Control” or “Rhythm Nation” were played was amazing.

And she’s still got it at 44. I would’ve collapsed on the stage after the first verse of the first song, but she kept going for almost two hours.

Funny moments: During a break, she showed clips from her acting gigs from Good Times to For Colored Girls. As soon as the Good Times clip came on, I started yelling, “Not the iron. Run, Penny.” I haven’t seen that episode in Lord only knows how long, but I still remember.

In a quest to make sure I remembered all the song lyrics, I looked up the words to several songs, including “If.” Now I know why she mumbles the verses of that song.  The second verse is all kinds of dirty. I called my BFF and was like, “They played that on the radio!”

The guy behind me kept yelling, “I love you, Janet” the entire time. He looked so crushed when she invited a girl sitting in the front row backstage after the concert.

Bonus: I actually managed to get a few decent photos. :)

So yeah, two thumbs up, five stars, three snaps in a circle and all that jazz for me.

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I don’t listen to bands, but I love Maroon 5. 

I got into Maroon 5 in 2004, I’m guessing. I was working at my old job and “Harder to Breathe,” the band’s first single, was out. It was hard and loud and angry and I loved it. Every time I heard it on the radio, I would crank it up and sing along. But I was reluctant to explore the band’s music further because, like I mentioned, I don’t listen to bands. I’m not a rock person (not that M5 is rock, but they’re as close as I get). I like pop and R&B.

Anyway, one day, while in a co-worker’s car driving to lunch, I started looking through her CD Collection. Guess what she had? The Maroon 5 CD! I asked to borrow it. She let me, and it was love at first sound. The CD, Songs about Jane, and I connected. The soul-infused album contained songs about a toxic relationship that was unhealthy for both participants. It was real and honest, and I “got it.”

That album was the only CD I listened to for months. I could be exaggerating, but I’m not. I knew all the words and the riffs Adam, the lead singer, would go off on.

I’ve been lucky that Maroon 5 likes to tour and I’ve been to three of their concerts. I get to see them again next week, and I’m beyond excited. I’ve been listening to their new CD Hands All Over nonstop, and I love it.

This morning I was thinking how grateful I am that I get to see them. If they’d been touring last year at this time, I would have had to miss the show. Last year, I had no job and no money. I had to miss several concerts of artists I adore, like Pink and Kelly Clarkson, because I was BROKE. And I LOVE concerts. I love being in the atmosphere and listening to my favorite singers and singing along. It’s so cool.

It sucks not having money. It truly does. I was so grateful last November when I finally got a job. I’m even more thankful now that I have my new job because I can see Maroon 5 in 10 days without obsessing about whether or not I can afford it.

Life throws us so many curveballs, good and bad.

I've learned that when you have the opportunity to do something you love (without being irresponsible, stupid, or bankrupting yourself), do it because you don’t know what the future holds.

 xoxo,
Jamie
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