Marina + The Diamonds NYC Concert Review

Like Florence and the Machine, oddly enough I discovered Marina off the same blog or several blogs and both shows were basically only a few weeks apart from each other. I saw Marina first in March, then Florence in early April. Marina didn't have as much of a band as Florence did, yet they were completely different. Marina dips more into pop music slightly more than Florence and Marina also has a more 'electronica' sounds than Florence who is more hard drums.

But they are both extremely unqiue in every way possible. Instead of making this blog entry a compare + contrast essay, I will write about my experience with Marina. When I first discovered Marina, the first song of hers was the music video I saw called "Hollywood." Right away I was taken back by her beauty and voice that resembled Gwen Stefani. The other songs I admit took a few listens to become obsessed, but when I did it was over.

She is so mesmorizing to watch in person between her looks and the way in which she sings/performs I had to see her twice. I saw her in Brooklyn which was more of an intimate venue which in my opinion was better than the show in nyc and it was also different in several ways. The one in Brooklyn marked her first show in the US and in NYC so there was a lot of press there and photogs. She just looked flawless, compared to the one in the city, she still looked nice but def not the same. I would say she was more serious at the Brooklyn concert and the one in the city she was way more friendly and talkitive to the audience.

My fav songs are: "Guilty", "Hollywood" "Roothless" "The outsider" "Oh no" "Robot" "Shapaign" and sooo many more. I think I liked Marina more than Florence but it would of been diff if Florence actually had more volume added to her mic. I can't wait till she comes back to the US this summer hopefully! Her album hits the US in May!

Oh No



Hollywood



Roothless



I am not a Robot



Guilty (u can hear me singing lol)



photo 5/9 from according to g blog.

Florence & The Machine Nyc Concert Review

Edit this setlist | More Florence and The Machine setlists

I discovered Florence on 1 of the blogs I visit prob the brillant "hits from another planet" blog I always visit with some of the best new and up+coming inde artists out there. I was taken back by her soulful and strong vocals that seems to have gone right through me. Little did I know, Florence is actually only 24 my age, but appears to look 40 in utube videos. It might be because she has pale skin and bright red hair... The range in her voice was magnificent.

What is special about her sound is that she is one of those artists described as 'real' she's not 'unreachable' as the type of concerts she performs in really touch you and a relativness is felt. The Le Posion de Rouge venue in the city is very small, yet I am starting to like its intimate atmosphere, especially after I saw Marina and The Dimaonds there. I think that the fact that Florence's mic volume was so low and all the instruments she has were so loud, it killed her powerful voice, so unforuntually compared to the Terminal 5 show, I didn't get to hear her voice in its entirely the way I wanted to and the way it should of been. Even though her sold out show at Terminal 5, the mic was at a normal volume so her full range could be heard, that concert lacked the intimacy that my concert did that I saw.

Her interaction with the crowd too was rather funny, and she was very close to doing a stage dive. There was this drunk annoying girl that kept giving her shots over and over again until a point where she was thrown out. Yet Florence kept taking the shots, she is insane when it came to that, like there could have been drugs in the shots.

My fav songs from Florence are definitly, "Betweeen two Lungs" aka "lungs," "Hardest of Hearts" aka "hearts" and "You've got the Love." Those 3 songs in my opinion jusify that she is going to become huge. Some notiables are def "Drumming song" which is the first song I discovered of hers and I was instantly addicted, and "Blinding." New and upcoming talent named Florence with her wonderful band called the machine which consisted of every single instrument ever thought possible.

Drumming Song



Blinding



Hardest of Hearts



Blinding



Rabbit Heart



Hurricane Drunk*




Hardest of Hearts 2



MY FAV BETWEEN 2 LUNGS

KELIS Nyc Concert Review

I knew Kelis was playing in the city to promote her upcoming album "Fleshtone" and I also knew it was an event I couldn't miss with her soulful voice and her partnership with David Guetta. I left work early for the front row and my manager was not happy because I didn't give her advance notice which is unlike me, but I didn't realize it was going to be more of an actual concert vs. a club event of her just performing like at Splash.

When I got there thankfully, there was a line outside and they seemed to have not let that many in by that point. I felt a side of relieve as I was worried I wouldn't get the front. When they finally let me in, they still didn't open the room she was performing in because she was still rehearsing. They then proceeded to open the room within a 15 min delay of waiting. I ran up the steps to claim my spot by the front as I waited 4 yrs after Kelis' previous record to see her live as in 2006 I was 20 and couldn't go the the clubs where she was promoting simply because I wasn't 21.

I managed to grab front row center like I usually do :) and low and behold, I met Raul, the owner of the "Popatemyheart" blog, 1 of my fav to read. He has an amazing selection of music that I always go to. I also saw my fellow madonna fan Camille there from Miami, shes a consistant concert goer like I am. The night opened up with a performance from "Maluka" a cross between Kelis and something or other that I havent seen before. She sang with an echoing mike with big house beats from the 90s kinda interesting.

Then 2 hrs late Kelis finally comes on, but her performance was so brillant, everyone mostly forgave her for her tardiness. The performance had everything, opening with rain coming down from the cieling which poured into metal grates that separated us from the huge gap between the stage. Then midway bubbles come out which went over the entire room, and last for "Acapella" confetti exploded from what it seemed the floor and ceiling to a point where it was so much, that everyone was covered which was quite funny.

Her set was as follows:
Intro
22nd Century*
Millionaire
4th of July*
Home*
Trick Me
Milkshake x Holiday*
Lil Star (Remix)
Brave
Acapella**
Get Along With You (Encore)

I stared my favs as what do you know, the 'Home' track leaked the next day which is also brillant. Its was just such a good show with a great crowd filled with the same amount of energy that Kelis gave us. It got to a point that the room seemed as if it was 80' and everyone was sweating, good thing I wore my neon fishnet tank. haha

What is special about Kelis is that she has this amazing voice that with her new sound sings over these brillant dance tracks that get the entire crowd going. It was definitly a concert to remember and most of all, I was so happy that I got there in perfect timing before I lost the opportunity to be up front. :) Timing is everything.

Acapella Brillant! Fea Live Drums!



4th of July



Home



Millionare

Upcoming AHA Concert May 6/8th

So I've liked this band since I was a little girl esp when I would hear the "Take on Me" song play over the radio, and the hook of the lead singers high pitched vocals really drew me in... I didn't find out who sings the "take on me" song till years later however when I finally had the internet in 7th grade lol!

I am most excited to see the Thurs night show w @ Sheri and then maybe w Judi or perhaps a new friend... I am def gonna buy tix for the 2nd show, I am still kinda nervous however about money etc... but I REALLY want to see them twice, I mean I downloaded their greatest hits and discovered about 15 songs I LOVE of theirs and for 1 artist, thats a tone. I know the lead singer because he has such strong vocals and because of the fact that he hits such high notes, hurt his voice recently in feb so I know I read somewhere that they had cut their setlist in half, but then I read that he had recovered so they are back to the org setlist. Below I am going to post and list my fav songs thro utube. Enjoy them whoeever reading this! <3 Concert review will come directly following show!


Foot Of The Mountain



Analogue



Stay on these Roads



Take on Me



Summer moved on 2



Scondrel Days



Shadowside



Shadowside Music video



Take on Me Music Video



Summer Moved on Live

Edit this setlist | More a-ha setlists

Meeting Michelle Rodriguez

So I went to the Go Mag awards in the city Tues night. I know there was no need to leave work early for this one, esp since I could care less of lesbian awards for parties, mostly because you can find me at the gay boy parties instead; mostly because there is actual music thats amazing+ dancing going on. Even though the socializing at the girl parties is nice too, but the problem is is that you never know whos single and who is taken...

I was supposed to meet a couple friends there, but by the time I got there, it was overpacked and we never made a meeting spot which was pretty dumb. I decided to try my luck and get ready for when MRod came on to DJ, who knew?! Its not lik her acting career is over, she is just dipping into another area of expertise I guess... So somehow with my see through neon fishnet tank I recently bought, I snuck past security on the steps none the less, mostly bc I am a pro at this point w sneaking and slipping into parties and where I am not supposed to be. I just simply acted like I 'belonged' and walked rite past security.

Michelle didn't come on until after the awards were all handed out and 2 really horrible acts came on stage and performed. I kept checking out the DJ booth in case she was up there. Of course it figures she walked into the booth the moment I wasn't there checking lol... There were a few other girls there with their gfs of course who were also big fans. As usual, I was single and by myself.... which I didn't give a damn at that moment, bc I came there with a mission; and that was to meet Michelle and get my photo w her.

I am not a celebrity person, yet I like a few woman out there such as Madonna of course A Jolie etc who have inspired me through out the years. Michelle to me has always resembled 'toughness' and a badass chick. I first discovered her of course when most people did after the "Girl Fight" movie she was in, but in "Fast and the Furious." I immeditly thought she was hot shit the fact that she could be both badass, touch, and chick at the same time. I saw her personality right through her acting, just like Angelina. She has always been 1 of the people on my list that I have wanted to meet in my life.

So the security were assholes and I managed to get into the DJ booth, but unfor they kicked everybody out except Michelle's friends and the Creaters of GO Mag. I still had a little bit of hope and waited around the DJ both for the remaining hour she was on... These girls and I were being so silly, that we thought michelle would leave thro the back doors so it was my idea after they kicked everybody out of the vip area eventually when she was about ready to finish her set to wait back there. Then 1 of the girls has the idea to hide in a garbage can, that got rediculous bc we got caught and I managed to be slick and pretended I was looking for my ATM card as the machine was in that back alley way area of M2 lounge.

So thats the moment we thought our chance was over, we thought she had left, only to find that she indeed didn't and the next thing we knew, she finished her set and called US up to the DJ booth. She said, "Hey, you 6 come up" There was still enough people at M2 to bombard her so instead of her coming down to greet us, she invited us up to her, even better...

I was the first of course to run up the steps, as the security at first STILL against her wishes wasn't letting us go up until she started yelling at them lol... I waited till the other girls met her like I was a little kid again waiting to meet Santa, and then it was my turn.

I told her how she inspired me to do triathlons and push myself in everything in my life to the limit as I always viewed her as a symbol of 'toughness.' She thanked me and shook my hand and I gave her my private training card and told her I was a pt. She checked out my arms and bas body and told me to make a muscle, that I found to be funny. She then proceeds to lift up her shirt to show me unwillingly her 'six pac' I still had a better 1 sorry Michelle ... lol. But she is def in great shape and very pretty. Her energy is amazing and I felt it right when I met her, she actually is very similar to myself in the fact she is adventours, as risk taker, and loves skydiving, even though by this point I consider the skydiving my past time bc I have been 3x unless Pam Paige really wants me to go with her...

So yea, what a nite that was, I def felt that high in the same way when I met Alicia Keys there in Dec. Was def a cool moment and I am glad I went. :D

When I signed up for this race 2 yrs ago, there was some kind of major storm that hit the city w treential rain. This yr, it rained but not poured which was good. I didn't race to years ago because I went out stupidly the night before with my fast paced lifestyle when I lived in the city in campus. It was cold this morning and I went to bed late because I was anxious about the wet slippery conditions for my bike, yet I was xcited because a major BX highway was to be shutdown just for my race which only happens once a yr.

I think last yr because of the nice weather, the race was closed out. Everything seemed to work in my favor day. Got to the race in plenty of time, got in a good warmup, was able to check in properly, and made enough bathroom stops bfore the start. I ended up running to the start just in time because I always cut the bathroom down to the last sec so I dont have the urge to go... I ate Peaches and cream Oatmeal with grapes and strawberrys mhmmmm. :) Power gel was strawberry banana and lime gu. I wore my purple 2XU tri suit which I lov and even cut the built in bra out of it bc its not supportive enough anyways and rather wear my own...

So run 1 I pred w 20 mins even tho it wasnt exactly a full 5k, it was 2.8 miles... but funny enough, the 1st and 2nd place woman were at 18, 19 and I was 20 mins for run 1. Then we transitioned onto the bikes, I had such a good and fast t1. I had to be careful at the start of the bike because the parking lot was flooded like a lake due to all the rain... The race instructor even made a joke before the start of the race that he was gonna let us go in 'swim waves of 50' lol.

My goal of the 20 mile bike course which btw was on a major BX highway closed to traffic which was sick was to pass the 2nd place woman. I did such, and I crushed her :) I passed a hell of a lot of that bike and took advantage of the flat and pothole free surprisingly bike course. It wasnt even too flooded surprisngly; however the cars on the other side of the highway would purposely drive along side the riders and an occational tidal wave of water would come over the side.

So I beat the previously 2nd place female to t2 except prob was, my hand were so frozen, I could barely get on my sneakers. So I couldn't even tuck my laces, like I usually due and low and behold in the middle of run 2 the girl passes me :/ I tried to close the gap, but by that point she was too far ahead to catch up... I managed to finish exactly a min behind her... and I only wonder how it would have been if my shoe lace didn't untie.... We prob would have been neck to neck for the finish. The entire course was excellently mapped out, the entire course was flat, beautiful run by the Bronx Orchard Beach of which I've never seen before.... and of which I almost made it to on a 3 hr run when I used to live on campus while I was still going to MC.

I was so cold when I finished that I had to immeditely change into dry clothes as my lips were purple. I knew I took 3rd place even though my negative un supportive mother didn't think so. When I actually did she was surprised but at the same time, knew I have been training hard. I think I proved a lot to both my mom and myself this race that if I work hard and train hard than good things come.

I know that prob half of the org pp who were signed up didn't show, but at the same time, I was still faced with great enough competition with the 2 woman and other men that I paced by and passed on my bike...The huge plaque was sweet and I think this is the first time ever I placed in the top 3 overall; there has been times when I have been pretty close, but nothing like this :)I am xcited to see whats in store for me at some of the other short distance racing I do pre Rhode Island 70.3 in July. I now enter Q3 of racing which I broke it down even more consists of 1 more biathlon and a time trial of the races in May.

Now that my sinus infection is gone, took 3 whole weeks to get rid of it completely :/ I plan to hit the pool more times within the week and visit the track more for more intervals so my splits are faster and I can push myself harder. The nxt race is in 3 weeks exactly on Sunday May 16th and its run 2 bike 10 run 3, and according to the times last yr and the yr before, I DEF have 2nd/3rd place and can prob even race elite for this one. My goal is a 14 flat 2mi, 28 min 10mi and a 2030-21 flat run 2 for 5k. If I run these times, I am almost gaurennteed for a 300 bux cash prize. :D Cant wait!! 2011 Felt TT B12 here we come!

Cant wait!

Race Moments

Photos from Hikes