Tag Archives: reviews

Jason Aldean: Paso Robles is his kind of party

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On Tuesday night Jon and I had the opportunity to go see country star Jason Aldean at the California Mid State Fair – for free –  thanks to the SLO Tribune.  The only catch to getting the free tickets – I had to write a review of the show for the Tribune’s blog.  Perfect!

Last year I had the same opportunity, except it was to see Justin Bieber.  I’ll admit, I think I liked the Bieber show just slightly better even though last year my 16 year-old guest decided to leave halfway through the show due to an emotionally rough night.  So it was just me, alone, surrounded by thousands of screaming twelve year-olds and their mothers.  Oh well.

I wanted to post a picture of Jon and I at the concert, but alas, after bringing the camera along in a car, on a bus, through the gate and a crowded venue, we discovered we had left the memory card at home.  Don’t you love when that happens???

Flipped

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I love movies with intriguing characters and a good enough storyline that all the Hollywood pizazz isn’t really needed.  I watched the 2010 movie Flipped today and it was seriously charming to say the least.  I never lived through the late 50′s or early 60′s, but nonetheless this movie made me miss that era.

The story is told from both the boy and the girl viewpoints, shifting from one to the other in a “he said/she said” format  And without giving too much away, I think it was fun to watch every middle school girl’s wish actually come true between these two adorable kids.  Loved it.  [insert 1950's Doo-Wop here]

Never Say Never…one day you just might see this movie too

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I have never quite outgrown my tweens.  I’m not sure why, but this is a fact.  I’m currently twenty-four, married, work a full-time job and still get excited over the occasional teeny bopper boy-band, or in this case, Justin Bieber’s blue eyes and cute haircut.  Luckily, my husband agrees that if they are under the age of eighteen, me thinking they’re cute is not really a threat…it’s just a little strange.

But anyhow,on this rainy Saturday afternoon, my friend Danielle and I drove out to the Arroyo Grande cinemas to see the new Justin Bieber movie, “Never Say Never.”  I had expected the theater to mostly be filled with girls ranging from elementary to middle school and their moms, and I was right.  But just like the concert at the California Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles last July, there was a good number of college-aged women and handful of men represented.  (If you didn’t get a chance to see my review of the Justin Bieber concert for the SLO Tribune’s blog last year, scroll down to the next post or click here.)

You must admit, that whether or not you personally enjoy this style of pop music or showmanship, America at large is becoming increasingly obsessed with child-talent and making overnight superstars out of them.  Justin Bieber is a prime example of this trend.

Overall, the movie resembled an old-school VH1 Behind the Music series with tons of concert clips, fan interviews, and footage of Justin on his tour bus, backstage and back home hanging out with his family and friends in Ontario, Canada.  The family home movies of him growing up playing drums, playing guitar on his couch at three years old, and performing in local talent shows was some of the most sentimental moments.  And for $12.50 we got to experience all this in 3D wonder.

When the movie started every girl in the audience started squealing and clapping and Danielle and I looked at each other like, “Oh my gosh, what did we get ourselves into?”  But the thing that really makes you want this kid to succeed career wise, and succeed in not getting sucked into the Black Hole of immorality that Hollywood is known for, is that his and his family’s faith in Jesus is evident throughout the film.  Clips of his whole crew praying before concerts in Jesus’ name, his mother sitting on his bed with him praying for full healing of his vocal chords the night before his sold out show at Madison Square Gardens, and especially Justin and his friends thanking God for their Hawaiian and Pepperoni pizzas at a local eatery.  C ‘mon, how can you not love him?

All I can say is that this movie was highly entertaining, and I not-so-secretly hope that someday my daughters will want to go to these kind of concerts so that I can continue to have an excuse to go too.

Bieber Swoons, Shares His Past With Giddy Girls

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originally posted on SLO Tribune’s Blog:


http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/sidetracked/2010/07/23/bieber-swoons-at-mid-state-fair/

Concert Review: Justin Bieber at the California Mid-State Fair

Today’s entry was written by guest blogger Erin Kidwell, who attended last night’s Justin Bieber show:

It took just under an hour going north on the 101 to get from San Luis Obispo to the first Paso Robles exit on Wednesday night, opening day of  the California Mid State Fair.  The fairgrounds buzzed with women, girls, tweens and the occasional misplaced male, rushing to the gates of the Grand Stand Arena to see none other than teen pop phenomenon, 16-year-old Justin Bieber.

The sold-out arena contained the mob of fans that dropped between $30-$75 per ticket, and a reported $4,000 to attend the meet-n-greet.  Girls with neon t-shirts and glittery neon poster board signs openly professing their love, or obsession, to the pop star enjoyed the first two opening acts: a girl group called The Stunners and an up-and-coming artist, 15-year-old Jessica Jarrell.

Along for the tour with Bieber was Sean Kingston, who brought his reggae fusion, hip-hop flair to the stage.  His high-energy performance kept those in the crowd with their hands in the air as he continuously encouraged the audience to jump along to his songs.

Bieber took the stage around 9 p.m.,  just as it turned dark, clothed in white pants and a white cargo jacket.  The ferris wheel and other carnival rides lit up the night sky and provided the romantic setting that stirred the hearts of young concert attendees.  Bieber opened with the song “Love Me” and performed other hit singles including “One Less Lonely Girl,” “One Time,” “Favorite Girl,” “Never Say Never,” “Down To Earth,” “Eenie Meenie,” and “Baby.”

Bieber’s fans didn’t seem too critical of his sometimes unpolished dance moves, reminding onlookers that the young prodigy became famous for his smooth, crooning voice, not necessarily his natural hip-hop dance ability.  Performing with him were four male back up dancers and a full live band.  His voice closely resembled recorded tracks from his album and he definitely performed to the girls in the audience, provoking them with invitations such as, “Where my beautiful girls at?” and “Who wants to be my baby?”

Bieber made a few costume changes throughout the night, displaying his Usher-influenced casual urban style.  A red, hooded zip-up sweatshirt, black jeans, and matching red high tops was just one of his looks.

Some of the show’s highlights included a picture slideshow of Bieber growing up and a video of home movies that showed a young Bieber dancing around in the kitchen, riding his bike and singing the ABC’s.  A public service announcement-type video featured Bieber encouraging his fans to not text and drive.

During the song “One Less Lonely Girl,” one lucky fan was seated on a stool center stage.  Bieber then handed her a dozen red roses and caused the audience of young girls to squeal in amazement as he carefully caressed her check while he sang to her.  Other awe factors included laser light effects and gold streamers that shot into the air during the encore song performance.

Overall, Bieber proved to be family friendly and highly entertaining.  He incorporated cool dance moves, catchy songs, and a variety of eye-catching movement on stage.  So whether you yourself have caught Bieber fever, watch out – this kid sure can draw a crowd.

Photo: McClatchy

Posted on July 23rd, 2010