Author: Alexandra Will

Julia Michaels at House of Blues San Diego

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If you want to have a great time at a concert dancing and singing the night away – Go to a Julia Michaels Concert!

You truly won’t regret it. Both Julia Michaels’ energy and her audience’s energy filled the room. I can honestly say that her concert was one of the most fun ones I’ve been to simply because she had the loudest crowd.

Julia Michaels performing at House of Blues San Diego

Julia Michaels sold out her 9th headlining show for her Inner Monologue Tour at House of Blues San Diego on April 20, 2019. She is a very busy artist as she is also currently touring with P!nk on her Beautiful Trauma Tour at the same time as her Inner Monologue Tour.

Many of you may know Julia Michaels. However, if you’ve never heard of her, then you’ve most likely heard her hit single, “Issues.” Before that, Michaels was writing hit singles for other artists such as Justin Bieber’s “Sorry,” Selena Gomez’s “Bad Liar,” Nick Jonas’s “Close,” and many more.

What is interesting about Michaels is she’s an intricate person – I’d describe her as a beautiful badass with her signature feminine floral dresses and her tattoo sleeves and nose ring. She has a very distinctive and different sound than most artists and her voice is easily recognizable.  Michaels is also a very open musician, which was the concept behind her “Inner Monologue” – those thoughts that she has that people don’t see from the outside. The stage represented what you see on the outside – everything is happy with smiley faces and flowers, but you listen to the lyrics and realize everything isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

Michaels attempted to make her tour relatable by letting her fans know that it’s okay to go through depression or anxiety.

Julia Michaels made it clear that it was a judgement free zone and safe space for everyone to let go and sing and dance. Her music has a feel good vibe to it, and it was so much fun letting loose and relieving stress by screaming along to her songs. Additionally, her songs hold a lot of emotion and truth, so it naturally felt as though this was a place to just let everything out.

Julia Michaels has such a strong connection with her audience, she wanted to get as close to them as possible.

At one point, Michaels’ security carried her into the audience as she finished “Happy,” followed by a cover of Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You,” and then a ukulele rendition of her own song “Apple.” She also sat on the edge of the stage pointing out her audience’s posters and making eye contact with fans. I even heard from some fans that the meet and greet took two hours because she’s so genuine and her conversations with each individual were long and personal.

I love how you could tell the audience truly admires Julia as they all had matching floral dresses and sneakers similar to Julia’s. But despite their elegant appearance, they were definitely one of the loudest audiences I’ve ever heard in a venue. Sometimes, you couldn’t even hear Julia because the audience had so much passion and energy! It’s amazing when songs from concerts become your new favorites because of how amazing and fun they sound live – and for me those songs were“Into You” and “Happy.”


I loved getting the opportunity to see Julia Michaels. Her message she imparted that you shouldn’t be afraid to be yourself and let your feelings out deeply resonated with me. If you want to have one of these fantastic nights with an amazing artist, make sure to go see Julia Michaels on her Inner Monologue Tour.

Review By: Alexandra Will
Photos By: Alexandra Will

We Can Survive at the Hollywood Bowl

Alexandra Will

Each year during mid-October, radio station 97.1 Amp Radio hosts a benefit concert at the Hollywood Bowl for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

They collect donations and $2 from each ticket sold benefits the Young Survival Coalition, which is an organization that supports young women diagnosed with breast cancer. This year was the Sixth Annual “We Can Survive” concert with performances by Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, Ella Mai, G-Eazy, Khalid, Marshmello, Meghan Trainor, NF and Tyga.

     

        

The concert lasted approximately four and a half hours, with nine artists scheduled to perform. Altogether, the performers spanned multiple genres of music, including rap, pop, R&B, EDM, and more. Instead of focusing on the artists individually, I want to tell you more about the experience of sitting front row at such a large venue.

I’ve been lucky enough to attend this amazing concert four years in a row, and the past three times I’ve won upfront seats on the radio. The first year I won, I had third row seats and access to a private pre-show to watch the radio station interview the artists. Last year, I had front row seats and got to meet Harry Styles. This year, I had first row seats, which situated me in front of the barricade, where I could physically touch the stage and reach all the artists. And let me tell you – once you’re front row – you really can’t go back. But regardless of where you’re seated, this remains one of the very best concerts of the year. Even experiencing the concert from the back-most row is worth it, as you’re still able to witness all these extremely talented artists.

Meeting Bebe Rexha at the 2016 We Can Survive Pre-Party

 

Meet and Greet with Harry Styles at We Can Survive 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While sitting front row at a concert, you get a completely different experience; You get the chance to personally interact with your favorite artists, including making eye contact, or even being serenaded to. And if you’re lucky enough, you can even catch a guitar stick from Brad Paisley’s drummer, or snag a setlist after the show.

The first thing you’re surprised about when you’re sitting up close at a concert is that you can see ALL the features on the artists, including the sweat on their face! It’s harder to notice these fine details when you’re sitting far away, or looking at them through the screen. However, if you’re not jamming out and having a good time, the artist may not notice you. During Khalid’s set, after he stopped right in front of me, I got his attention through singing “Another Sad Love Song” as loudly as I could. I knew this tactic would be especially effective, since other people at the concert weren’t likely to know the song as well as some of his bigger hits. Fortunately, he noticed, pointed to me, and sang to me directly.

          

Another way we got attention was by putting our hands up and throwing our energy out anytime they came anywhere near us – through this we were able to touch nine different artists (Charlie Puth, Meghan Trainor, Shawn Mendes, Tyga, Chris Brown, G-Eazy, and Anthony Russo)! The thrill of being cut after touching Chris Brown’s  hand since his ring was so sharp was a moment I’ll probably never forget. The excitement of being cut by hundreds of thousands of dollars of diamonds is an immense one! I also managed to catch G-Eazy’s sweat towel (which sounds gross, but I like to think of it as a souvenir from this experience) and make eye contact with many of my favorite artists.

        

Finally, it’s so cool to see these people who you look up to and listen to in person, where you can see their every move on stage, when suddenly, the realization that they’re actually real people too comes. Overall the front row experience is surreal, and easily ranks among one of the best night of my life, making the experience something I’ll never forget. I would recommend everyone be in the pit or front row at some point in their lives, as long as they are truly passionate about the artist they’re seeing, since it’ll make the experience way more fun and memorable.

I would also highly recommend the We Can Survive concert for everyone; they always have surprises and a variety of artists, the Hollywood Bowl is one of the nicest venues in LA, and it’s all for a great cause. Overall, you can’t beat that!

     
   
Review By: Ally Will
Photos By: Ally Will

Miguel at the Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheatre

Alexandra Will

With an incredibly smooth and sexy aesthetic, there’s no wonder Miguel sold out his show at the Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheatre.

On Monday, September 19, Miguel came to the SDSU campus for his War and Leisure tour, alongside Dvsn. With two songs reaching the Billboard charts this year, “Skywalker” and Kygo’s ‘Remind Me to Forget”, expectations were high for Miguel’s performance. Thankfully, he was outstanding.

Miguel’s music consists of a very smooth, sultry sound with hints of raspiness and rock intermingling with a Spanish flare. He gives off a Michael Jackson vibe through his dance moves, as he effortlessly moonwalks and slides across the stage. Influences from Prince are apparent as well, with Miguel’s bold outfits, confidence, and passion all coming across in his performance. Although Miguel’s inspiration from these two artists were prevalent throughout the show, it’s very clear that Miguel has his own unique music style.

Amazingly, there was never a dull moment in the show. Despite the audience standing throughout the concert, set and costume changes remained entertaining, as the audience was treated to guitar solos from his band. Miguel had complete control over the audience as he performed and had everyone singing along with him, swaying their hands in the air. The crowd favorites were definitely “How Many Drinks?”, “Waves,” and “Pineapple Skies.” He talked about how he loves San Diego and how it feels good to be back at the beach which inspired his song, “Come Through and Chill.” Miguel additionally got up close and personal with the crowd during his medley of his past top songs.

After witnessing his stunning performance, I cannot physically restrain myself from listening to his music! It’s as though someone is forcing my brain to release endorphins anytime I hear one of his songs. Not only are the songs catchy, but their surprisingly all positive. Miguel reinforced this message as he gave several speeches regarding how society puts pressure on us to act different and be other people, which had everyone cheering in agreement. Miguel made it clear that he believes in loving ourselves and being honest as he introduced his new unreleased song “So I Lie.”

A little caveat; I had previously seen Miguel in 2016 at the Hollywood Bowl, where I witnessed him opening for Sia. This performance served to remind me of what an amazing vocalist and dancer he truly is. I’ve been to many concerts and I’d have to say Miguel is one of the best live performers. It’s difficult for an artist to sound as good as the studio versions while performing live, but Miguel pulled it off. The impressive high notes he was able to hit, while also dancing across the stage and shredding the electric guitar, shocked not only me but the entire audience as well. If you’re looking for an artist who knows how to mesmerize an audience with their smooth vocals and outstanding stage presence, then I definitely recommend that you go and see Miguel on his War and Leisure tour or any of his other performances in the future.

 

Review By: Alexandra Will
Photos By: Alexandra Will