I know it’s been a while, but I have been very busy. But I am back and ready to write a few blogs before I leave again. Anyway, for my birthday this year Sheryl got me tickets to see Britney Spears. I was SO excited to see this show… I love Britney! Anyway, working for Live Nation I was hoping I could work this show. It was at Conseco Fieldhouse, a venue that I don’t host shows at. However, I wasn’t able to work.
Sheryl spilled the beans a couple of weeks before the show. That gave me plenty of time to get excited! I haven’t been to a concert in a long time, and while Live Nation has totally ruined my ability to enjoy a show, I was able to get pumped for this one. She hasn’t played Indianapolis in a long time, if ever, and I was ready to rock. I got all dressed up, did my hair (as my good friend Andrew calls it, “show hair”) and headed downtown.
Parking & Getting In
We got there early. To save some time, we decided to park at the top of the Conseco Fieldhouse parking garage. It’s only $6 (for events anyway), which was cheaper than most other lots around the city. We also couldn’t find a meter… we looked too. So we grabbed a spot, headed in, and grabbed our tickets from will call. Sheryl had purchased these tickets online. Live Nation is working with Groupon this concert season in an effort to sell more tickets. We got a great deal, and while our seats were not on the floor, we had a great view of the stage. It helped me enjoy the entire experience even more that way.
Fist Pumping Opening Acts
We grabbed a couple of beers and got comfortable. (Beers at Conseco Fieldhouse are expensive… two drafts cost us $20.) That’s when I realized that the lineup had changed. The original lineup had Nicki Minaj and DJ Pauly D opening up for Britney. However, when we got there, we quickly learned that Nicki was no longer on the tour. Destinee & Paris would open for Britney.
Who in the world is Destinee & Paris? I had never heard of them. But to be on tour with someone as big and as talented as Britney, they had to be good… they weren’t. They were terrible. They performed for a few minutes, and did a handful of covers. I was blown away that something this horrible could be on tour with Britney. I knew that Pauly D was in town, as he had performed the night before. (I can’t remember where he played, but it was some bar downtown.) The local pop radio stations were also tweeting that he had been spotted at the Circle Centre Mall.
After Destinee & Paris finished, DJ Pauly D came out… and I have heard some of his original stuff. It’s not bad. He got famous on the Jersey Shore… that, and his horrible haircut. Have you seen this haircut? It’s bad. It’s like a box cut on top of his head. And being from Jersey, and on a hit TV show, you know he’s tan! He just looks dumb. But I dig his beats. Too bad he didn’t play any of his original stuff. It was a HUGE stage in a HUGE venue… and him spinning records for thirty minutes. It was funny, as Destinee & Paris did a cover of the new Adele song… so did Pauly D. So we heard the same song… twice.
Another funny moment in this set was when he explained his infamous fist pump. That is sort of what he is known for… his style of dancing. Well, you can’t call it dancing really. It’s just jumping around and throwing his fist in the air. If you have not seen his fist pumping, check it out. It’s hilarious. But he stopped the show to explain how to do it. But wait… there’s more. About fifteen minutes later he stopped again. It was time to take the first pump to the next level. That is when he explained how to do the open palm fist pump. Same motion… but this time, your hand is open. Dumb.
Anyway, I enjoyed his set as it was all cover songs, so we knew the words to most of it. That, and he had a really impressive setup. Of course, if you are on the road with Britney Spears you have to have a fancy setup.
Britney Takes the Stage
When Pauly D was one, it was time for Britney! This was the moment I had been waiting for. When she started, I felt like a little girl… I hadn’t been that excited to see a performer in ages. It was just a really cool feeling, having been a fan of her for as long as she has been producing songs. I liked her through the good times and the bad. (We all remember the bald Britney… and the tirades she used to go on. That’s all over now. Well… for now.)
It felt like she played a lot of songs… but not really. She only played for an hour and a half. I was thinking someone with a catalog as big as hers could play all night long. But of course, you are not really hearing her sing. She is lip-syncing to nearly every track. There were several times where you could tell it was really her, but most of the time it was obvious that she was lip-syncing. That’s not news… a lot of people know she does that. But it didn’t bother me. Her performance was spectacular. She changed clothes every few songs, and the entire set changed every few songs as well. She kicked things off with Hold It Against Me and from there just kept the beat going.
Dancing Leads to Spilling
Her show was incredible. It wasn’t about the music as much as the dancing and the atmosphere in which she performed. The stage was massive, and blew me away from one song to the next. Of course, she was playing over a mix, so it was her songs and her original voice… so it didn’t bother me too much. The guy behind us liked it too. He was drinking a beer (having already had a few too many) and dropped some on me. At first, I was like, “Hey, can you please be careful?” He smiled, apologized, and said it wouldn’t happen again. It did happen again.
This time it was on my shirt. I looked back and he had the same reaction. It wasn’t until he soaked Sheryl with beer that I got upset. He didn’t dump the entire cup on her, but it was enough that she was dripping when she stood up. She ran to the restroom, and I grabbed security. That is unacceptable, especially when we are trying to enjoy the show that we paid money for.
The security guards came up and asked him to settle down. They didn’t kick him out, but he did continue to make unnecessary comments all night long about how we were “”topping him from having fun” and how he “can’t dance now due to the people in front of him”. I am sure he just wanted a reaction. He seemed like that type of guy.
Anyway, we finished the show and had a great time singing along to songs like Gimme More, Big Fat Bass, Trouble For Me, Toxic and If You Seek Amy.
Grabbing the Setlist
This summer I have been working part-time for Live Nation. I am running their iPhone app here in the Indianapolis market working at Verizon Wireless Music Center, The Lawn at White River State Park, and at two rooms at the Old National Centre. It’s been a VERY busy summer, that’s for sure. Anyway, part of my job running the app is to secure a set list for the show. I confirm the set list as the night goes on.
Since I wasn’t working this show, I wasn’t going to get a set list. Of course, Sheryl was able to secure me one! She is great, and was working a show at Verizon Wireless Music Center the next night. (She works for Live Nation as well.) The next night was double booked, and I needed to be at a different venue. She was there, and was able to secure me one. It was SO cool! I am staring at it as I write this for motivation.
Maybe I should frame it…
Til The World Ends
The show was great. I am SO glad that I got to see her perform. I have to send a HUGE thank you to my girlfriend Sheryl for getting me the tickets and the set list. I think I am going to have them all framed with a photo from the night… I think that would be so neat. Britney is one of my favorite performers, and seeing her live is just like checking off another band from my musical bucket list. I am humming her tunes right now… and as long as she keeps releasing music, I will keep singing along… til the world ends.
Click here to follow Britney Spears on Twitter.
Click here to “like” Britney Spears on Facebook.
Click here to watch Britney Spears on YouTube.
