So I did. And I got an email back telling me I had won two tickets! I was so excited!!! I never win that kind of things, so this was doubly exciting for me.
So my friend Tammy and I make our way to the Revival Bar - absolutely gorgeous venue. Small, with a long bar on the side, the stage at the very back of the room, brick walls, archways, middle-age-kind-of-looking chandeliers, curtains hanging low and heavy. We couldn't believe how small the stage was, how unbelievably close we were going to be to the performers. There were about 150 people in the bar, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. Probably not much more, as they were giving away 50 double passes for the contest.
We grabbed a drink, hang back a bit, but soon made our way to a prime spot at the stage, front row, just a tiny little bit off center. We were not aware that we were going to be treated to an opening act! Out walk some musicians I didn't know. One guy had a beautiful guitar - a brand spanking new Gibson, he told me, with nacre engraved in the neck and a red, flowery insert on the front. Totally gorgeous. I found out later it is a Hummingbird True Vintage. I'm in love with it.
My pictures suck, sorry. My friend Tammy will have some for me later that I'll post.
Back to the band... Turns out those musicians on stage in front of us were Colbie Caillat's live band! She's beautiful and has a great voice. The sound mix was a bit off, so her voice was drown out by the band at first. But it got better after the first song. She played, in no particular order (only because I can't remember the order properly!): Oxygen, The Little Things, Feelings Show, Realize, Bubbly, Battle, Tailor Made.
The band really ROCKS. The songs on the album are pretty mellow, but live, on stage? Really ROCK. The drummer is fantastic, the bass and keyboardist are great, and the two guitarists are amazing. Both their voices compliment Colbie's really well. And they are great musicians! Very cool. Colbie engaged the crowd a bit, telling us about her songs, and what they were about. Loved it. I'd go see her again in a heartbeat.
In the meantime... Go buy her album, Coco!!!!!
After a little bit, the guys from One Republic started setting up their gear. Damn there are a lot of things to plug in and bring on stage! Ryan did his sound check to the polite, intermittent screams of some fans. His guitarist was having a good time answering them by screaming, too. Ryan seemed to be in great form last night. There was a lot of playful banter with the crowd, especially with us, who were literally standing a foot away from him. Ryan was mentioning that their song "Apologize" was #1 in Germany, and here in Canada, too. Isn't that amazing? They did about 10 songs - I don't remember them all, but they were all gorgeous and great and amazing and rocked the hell out. The titles I remember are Apologize, of course... They also did, Stop and Stare, which will be their second single. That song really is AMAZING live. They also did a song called Home (I think), which is about a guys who's been deployed in Iraq.
I was VERY impressed by One Republic. I mean, I knew they are great musicians, and I also knew that Ryan is a great songwriter. He's collaborated with a lot of people recently, including Timbaland, obviously, and Blake Lewis. But I didn't know he was such a great front man. He's truly mesmerizing. He gets into the music, into the lyrics, and it electrifies his whole body. Beautiful. His voice is clear and gorgeous - too bad the sound mix was a bit off again, as Ryan's voice was drowned out a bit at times. And I didn't know the band would rock out so much. I was wondering how the songs would translate in a live setting - they come across loud and clear and rocking the fuck out. Lovely.
Will I have their song "Apologize" in my head for a week straight? Oh yes. Will I buy the album when it comes out on November 20th? Damn straight. Will I go see them again when they come to Toronto. HELL YES!!!
One Republic's album is available for pre-order at amazon.com. Go pre-order NOW! You know you want to.
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