When my friends asked me if I would like to go to see Kelly Clarkson, I thought it would be fun, but I was not as excited as I have been in the past to see other concerts. I used to be a huge fan of hers, and knew every lyric to her early songs. Lately, however, I had not listened much to her music or considered myself a fan. In the end, my decision to go to the concert ended up being the right choice because I had the time of my life.
Matt Nathanson opened for Kelly, and although I only knew his two most often played songs, “Come on Get Higher” and “Faster,” I loved the other ones he sang as well. Not only was he an amazing musician, he was also hilarious, and his wit reached even the highest balcony where we stood in Row X. Among various hilarious sexual jokes, he also made comments such as “Don’t be that person who gets annoyed at the person standing up in front of you—stand up!” This gave me the push to get up and dance, and I remained standing for the rest of the concert.
When Kelly Clarkson came on stage, I was surprised by the amount of excitement I felt; I was almost in tears! She played songs from the 10 years she has been a known singer, one of which was a medley including at least one song from each of her five albums. I especially enjoyed her old songs, as they are the ones I knew and loved so many years ago. Her new songs were great, too, and she even sang a few covers, including Florence and the Machine’s “Heavy in Your Arms,” Carrie Underwood’s “I Know You Won’t” and Heart’s “What About Love.”
I was enjoying the concert so much that I found myself singing along to every song, whether I knew them or not. This often meant making up lyrics to the songs I did not know very well, or at all, which was quite a chunk of the concert. My friends laughed but I was just so happy, and I found myself smiling the whole time.
What was interesting and different from other artists I have seen was the variety of genres she sang. Her concert ranged from pop to rock to country (her duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay” featured a giant projection of Jason Aldean). She was so sweet and thanked us for allowing her to sing so many types of songs.
I would have to say that all of Kelly Clarkson’s comments were cute. She told us long, run-on stories that really had no plot but I loved it because I do the same thing. It made it easy for the audience to relate to her on a personal level. One example was an adorable remark about her new shiny, red microphone, which she was so excited about.
The newest song I actually did know was “Stronger,” which I hear on the radio almost every day. I absolutely loved it live and sang along as much as I could. The songs I recognized included “Walk Away,” “Mr. Know It All,” “Already Gone,” “My Life Would Suck Without You,” “Breakaway” and “Since U Been Gone.” I was pleasantly surprised that she sang “Miss Independent,” one of her very first songs. I loved hearing it, because it brought me back to my fifth-grade days when I first started listening to her.
She started with “Behind These Hazel Eyes” which made me freak out, since it is one of my favorites! Still, I was waiting the whole time to hear “Because of You,” another song of hers that I love. Finally, as one of her encore pieces, the music began to play for “Because of You,” and I started jumping up and down, squeezing my friend’s hand next to me—she was going to sing it!
I have rediscovered my love for Kelly Clarkson, and now want to listen to her all of the time. I went home with her songs running through my head, as well as amazing pictures of my friends, the stage and Kelly (unfortunately not all together). Additionally, I now have “Walk Away” set as my ringtone. I am excited that she is singing the National Anthem for the Super Bowl. Now I have to watch it, even though I admittedly do not like football. For those of you that do, I should let you know what she told us at the concert: She is a Patriots fan! If Kelly Clarkson is ever in the area, I highly recommend you go see her. She is truly an amazing artist.
