Taylor Swift

We went, we saw, we enjoyed.

Yes we made it to the concert with the 50 thousand other screaming young girls.
I think this concert was 'the man upstairs' way of showing Steve and I why we are truely blessed with the 2 little boys we have. Our boys don't scream, well Alex does but minor detail now when we think about it, man can girls scream and I mean high piercing, get right to the middle part of your brain type scream.

The concert itself was a wonderful stage show, she really thought about how to give the crowd a show.
The stage was well designed and the costumes well planned.
It was obvious that we were seeing a brave well brought up 22 yr old because the whole show had a young feel to it, but it was delightful to see.
Yes, as mentioned in the press, she had many changes of clothes, and yes she played many an instrument along the way.

Highlights
The way she was able to make the audience scream just by standing there and looking first left, then centre and then right. She did it with a simple smile on her face and made sure she looked in every direction. It was effective and simple.

The trap doors all over the stage. Several times throughout numbers, she would start on the stage solo and then suddenly her dancers would just spring up to life from underneath, with quite a height too. Again very effective. There were many acrobatic sequences within the show and the dancers had great range of style that was effective.

Twice she brought the show to the back of the venue from the stage. The first time she actually walked off the stage and wandered down an aisle past the pit, this caused total bedlum, but I got the feeling that people loved that she came close to them. She then sat on a platform with a tree lit up behind her and sang 2 songs at this end of the venue. It meant all who were not sat close to the stage actually got to see her closer and it too was effective.
The other time was in the finalie when she sang her Romeo and Juliet Song and she actually got into a balcony shaped basket and floated around the venue, with limitations, over the pit crowd and just to the edge of the seated areas. The people at the back were very happy she came forward to them.

I guess the other time that made all happy was when she came up on a settee, singing a song in this beautiful pink dress but the top half was covered with an All Blacks Rugby shirt. The crowd went wild. When she had finished the song she again just sat there with that simple smile on her face looking in all directions again, getting the reaction she intended to get for it. Simply done and very effective, very well planned on their part.

The boys, well they were some of the only males in the venue. Ben got into the show a lot more than Alex did but they both sang along to songs they knew.
There was never really a time when the whole venue was stood dancing, it just wasn't that type of show, although there were those that did stand and sway to the whole show.
There were the ones who, when it got quiet, yelled out 'we love you Taylor!' however what made this really funny was in one of the quiet moments, someone yelled this out, and someone else in the area was able to fit in "we love you more" it was a perfect moment that everyone laughed at.

The show finished quite late, we got back to the car for about 11pm. Alex started to slow right down at about 10pm and Ben started complaining about a headache not long after this, however I soon realised that he winced when the girls screamed more than when the music was actually playing, but then I was wincing when they screamed too. So whenever I could tell they were about to scream within the audience I quickly put my hands over his ears, just wish there had been someone there to do the same for me!
We were sensible and took their pyj's with us and a blanket, so once back at the car we got them changed and they were both asleep in the car before we had left the last Auckland suburd on the motorway.
This was useful because I wish we could say we had an uneventful journey back.

I will post about this later.......!
I do have some pictures that I took in the arena on the night, but nothing fabulous, I will add them to the post later

Music

Steve and I both brought a different aray of music to this relationship.
We both have different taste although we also have quite a lot in common.
The boys don't really stand a chance of not liking something we both like.
We listen to Classic Hits on the radio, quite a gentle radio station in that they play hits from 70's, 80's, 90's and today.
Steve, I know, would prefer to listen to something a little more heavier, More FM or The Rock, but I can't say that the presenters language etc are really great for the boys at this stage. Yes I like the songs but not the other areas.
However we seem this year to not be depriving our boys of listening to live music.

It use to be The Funky Monkeys we took them to and now suddenly we are on our way to Auckland to see Taylor Swift.
Yes you read correctly, we are one of those lucky people to have tickets to her world tour in Auckland on Sunday evening. In fact I have just read somewhere that this concert is in fact her very last of the tour. I think we are going to be in for a rather spectacular evening.
Her show has been described as:

"A two-hour theatrical presentation reminiscent of a Broadway experience, featuring elaborate costumes, dancers, aerialists, changing sets, innovative choreography and instrumentation on a multi-level stage."

Apparently she moves around the venue and uses different stages, giving every audience member a great view and she plays five different guitars in the show, including electric, acoustic and 12-string. She also plays two banjos, the ukulele and the piano, and changes costumes nine times.

When I brought the tickets last year (in August) I knew the boys would enjoy it, but we never told them about it until about 2 months ago. For a little while I thought maybe it was going to be too overwhelming for them, but now I think we are in for an amazing night out that will go in their memory bank for a little while to go.

It turns out that in the last few months they have managed to go and see the following people live in concert:

• Gin Wigmore
• The Mutton Birds
• Avalanch City

They have sat (more times than I wish to count) and watched my DVD I have of Celine Dion's concert in Las Vegas and we are for ever playing Lady Antebellum on the stereo and also Adele, Bruno Mars, Def Lepherd and Guns 'n' Roses.

Lady Antebellum actually came to New Zealand this time last year. I got myself a ticket and actually drove up one evening to watch them and then drive home. Not really Steve's cup of tea but I think the boys would have loved them, however it was way loud but then no louder than Taylor Swift is going to be on Sunday evening! I loved their concert and had a blast, in fact I could rate it as one of those nights I will remember for a while.

So our boys are getting a rather varied mixture of music played to them and I think they are doing well with it.
Although we still have the teenage years to go through with them in their own rooms and listening to their own music. Maybe ask me again in 10 years time whether I am happy with what they are listening too then!!

Celine Dion

Many years ago (like maybe 6yrs), Steve brought me the dvd of Celine Dion's "A New Day" Las Vegas Show.
This is a 2 disc set. On one disc you have the whole show & song selection and on the other you have the back stage pass (the whole show from behind the scenes) and Show secrets.

Now everynow and then I get the whim to watch this dvd, or more to the point, put it on whilst doing something else in the house and having the volume up loud so I can sing to it whilst working.
Last week I put the disc on to listen to the show one evening, Ben got into it really well. He loved watching her dance and sing, he loved all the Cirque de Soleil dancers and even all the flying stuff up on wires.

Then he had the pleasure of watching how everything happened from behind the scenes. He is now hooked.

It is his dvd of choice to put on in the evenings. On the way to school he will even ask me if we can maybe watch the disc when we get home, after doing homework of course!

He is slowly learning the songs and will happily sing along to it all.
Luckily for him she is one of my favorite singers, so he has no worries about getting to know her work as mummy has several cd's of her music.

When ever he hears people talking on the radio about concerts he now asks me who I would like to see in concert? Adele, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars? He always manages to come back to Celine and ask if I want to see her, yes I always say, he then agrees and says 'ok mummy but could I come too?'

Music and Lyrics

Song always amaze me.
People get so much from a song and mostly they always get different things from it.

I heard on the radio the other day that girls will hear the lyrics whilst boys will hear the music.
Girls will try to figure out what the song is about and boys will sort out the beat and rythme.

If you turn your volume on now, you will hear a song on my blog.
It is 'Grace Kelly' by Mika
I love this song, have done since the first day I ever heard it on the radio.
I think it is catchy and fun.
I also had no idea what it was about but always presumed it was about love.
So imagine my surprise when I find out it is actually about him trying to secure a job, worrying about the job interviews and what is wrong with him, that he is unable to get a job and what he would be prepared to do to enable him to get a job.

Now that I know this about the song, I still love it, but it makes me sing along listen differently!

Songs on the Radio

I have the radio on at every possible moment, sometimes I do like the quiet, but I enjoy hearing the songs etc and also singing along!
As with anything a new song will come on that I am taken with and so I get into it and am always singing it when ever it is on.
Now of course Ben has grown up with Classic Hits on the radio, although Alex has as well, and I remember the day early last year when Ben sang along to the theme ad for the radio station, it had Steve and I in fits of laughter. He had been hearing it since before he was born!

Well Ben now knows that mummy sings along to certain songs (well all songs really) and therefore when they come on the radio there are suddenly big shouts of "it's your song mummy"
The first song for them to do this too was Mika - Grace Kelly, don't ask why I liked this song, but I fell for it from the first moment I heard it, it was catchy and fun and I now even have the album.
This last few months my song has been Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry.
I was even lucky enough to see her sing this live at the Police Concert in January, as she was one of the opening acts.
Of course I know the words to these 2 songs rather well so singing along in the car is easy, but what makes it even more fun is when you have a 4 year old in the back seat attempting to sing along with you.
Ben has only done this twice so far, once when he was with just me and then yesterday on the way to work. Steve of course had never heard this and was wetting himself with laughter at Ben squeaking along to Fergie.
He doesn't know all the words, just some of the chorus and the last words on some of the lines. So you hear him mumbling something and then saying the last word.

It is so cute. Definitely one of those feel good things that your kids do.

Early or Late...you decide

The house we are renting is wonderful. It has a seperate living room to dining room and kitchen. So the boys etc can be in the living room and I can cook in peace etc in the other room.

Only thing is the peace, have noticed lately that it would be great to have some music playing or something. We do have a small tv in the dining room but I don't always want to watch it, plus there is usually nothing on anyway.

So I treated myself to a little present. Whether this is an early / late Birthday or Christmas present well that can be decided later, although I think it is a present I have brought myself 'just because' and I am sure we are all worthy of those types at some stage or other.

So here is my simple cheap unit, cost me all of NZ$69 from The Warehouse.

Hey I only want it to play CD's and the radio, probably turn out to last us for years and be the best thing we ever brought!