This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime® 6.5 or higher is required.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime® 6.5 or higher is required.

Britney Spears

As many people know, I am a musician, I love all kinds of music, see all kinds of concerts, and try to not judge anyone due to the music they listen to (which is not always the easiest thing to do...) But there comes a time when a musician must bite the bullet, take one for the team, just do it. On Friday night, I did that. I attended a Britney Spears concert at the Target Center in Minneapolis. And as surprising as it is, it was probably the most well-produced concert I have ever witnessed.

First off, coming from some fresh $1 Million sound upgrades, the Target Center is actually starting to sound pretty good, the reverberation of the massive amounts of sound were fairly minimal, and everything was crystal clear. Yes, the entire show was most likely contained on some digital format, and some fat roadie just pushed play, yet they still made it sound great and packed a real punch with it.

Now, onto the center ring of the show. When I entered the arena The Pussycat Dolls were strutting their stuff all around the stage, in the typical pop fashion manner. though I cannot say that I am a huge fan of their style of music, the diversity of music put into their backing tracks is actually quite surprising. The songs contained hints of Middle Eastern and Indian tones, yet were still brought into the pop arena.

Well, thankfully that got done quickly, even though I spent most of their set waiting around 20-30 minutes to get a hot dog. Yes, a hot dog. Perhaps it was stress on the vendors, or the fact that they had one single credit card swiper in their whole stand, and a slow one at that. But once I regained my position amongst the around 90% female crowd, I realized that the Target Center was more crowded than I think I have ever seen it. It was nothing but screaming women, yelling at the top of their lungs for Britney, and it was women of all ages, young and old. When we first arrived at the venue, I though a riot was going to break out in the main entryway when it was nothing but women trying to make it through first.

Before Britney came on many circus acts performed around the two outermost "rings" of the circus, which can be seen in the posts below. It was probably one of the most original ideas for a tour I have seen yet, and was actually pulled off very successfully, and I was very surprised to see that actual circus caliber performers were hired to perform on the whole tour. Once the circus acts were over, and after saying hello to some friends in attendance, the lights went down. Pandemonium ensued. A strange intro video is displayed on a 360 degree screen, which is lifted over the stage, and Britney is seen descending onto the stage. Cue ear-drum shattering screams from thousands of women. But once the music started I got a very pleasant surprise. This was bar-none the most organized, well-planned, choreographed, and most fluid stage show I have ever seen. the stage, 3 "rings" all had multiple trap doors or elevators, which could be lowered or raised, and were used for exchanging dancers and props. The amazing thing is that the workers below the stage never seemed to miss a beat. Everything went according to plan, and Britney didn't have to worry about her kitty cat hanging out.

All in all I was surprised at how energetic lip-syncing along to a track could be, and the lights, stage, and backup performers all made the show a cohesive spectacle, or circus, if you will. It's amazing how almost no musician of my sorts would ever seem to end up at a concert like this one, but it also amazes me how some people don't even bother to give it a chance. I can honestly say it was one of the better concerts I have attended, and has helped me give a little more credit to the all-deserving road crew that puts something like this logistical nightmare together every night.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime® 6.5 or higher is required.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime® 6.5 or higher is required.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime® 6.5 or higher is required.

Fleetwood Mac

Yet again I was very pleasantly surprised by a crowd at a concert. Last night I managed to find a cheap ticket on the street to see the amazing Fleetwood Mac at the Xcel Energy Center. I must say I was not sure what to expect from this concert, having never had much contact with the band outside of their basic greatest hits. I must say that the musicianship displayed onstage was stunning and sounded especially good for it having been only the second date of the tour.

I was not at all surprised to be surrounded by nothing but mostly middle-aged concert goers, and was giving a few strange looks from a few of them, probably wondering if I was lost or something, as if people my age could never stand music like this. What really lifted my spirits and gave me a ray of hope in humanity was that right in front of me was a family of 4, mother, father, and two daughters, only around 6 and 10. What really amazed me was that the 10 year old girl was absolutely ECSTATIC to be there, almost as if she already knew more about the band than I did (she very well may have!)

The band came onstage just a little past 8, and started out with a few basic hits, but they seemed stale. It didn't seem like they really wanted to be there (besides Mick Fleetwood, who I think may be a raving lunatic.) But after about 3 songs, and a couple absolutely insane Lindsey Buckingham solos they started to really get stuff in gear, Buckingham and the ever strange Stevie Nicks began moving around the stage a bit more (though Nicks seemed a little out of it the whole night, but she brought it together near the end.)

Running through all of their greatest hits, some I had never heard but am really intrigued by, and a few extended jams (and at an extremely tollerable volume as well,) I expected this to be one of those hour and 15 minute concerts, just so the band doesn't have to do too much work, but still get the money out of it. But lo and behold, Fleetwood Mac played for right and 2 hours and twenty minutes, I would have NEVER expected a band of this stature to play that long on a reunion tour.

Overall i really enjoyed the experience (maybe not the drunken 45 year old lady next to me singing and dancing to every song...) and would have to say that when they get going, Fleetwood Mac really get kicking, and get very emotional with their live show. Lindsey Buckingham has definitely become a new influence upon me, and I strongly recommend spinning the bands album Rumours, just as I am right now!