Last Thursday I found myself with no solid plans at all after work, so before lunch rolled around I rememberd that was the day Foster the People were going to be in town. Given how busy the past month was with shows, I decided not to buy a ticket. But after checking out the setlist the tour had been grooving to, I acquired a great deal on a resale seat possibly the closest I’ve ever sat at that venue. And off I went!
Read moreConcerts
Concert Review: MONSTA X
It feels very surreal to have finally seen the group that got me into K-Pop live and in person. But that’s exactly what happened! On Saturday morning I drove my happy ass down to MONSTA X’s first tour stop in Virginia and my Monbebe heart was full.
Read moreConcert Review: Two Door Cinema Club, Phantogram, Friendly Fires
Better known as the perfect trifecta! I mean firstly, what’s better than seeing Phantogram once in one week? Seeing them twice! And then add in two bands that I’ve listened to since high school but never had the fortune of seeing until now – amazing!
Read moreConcert Review: Phantogram
As you should all know by now, whenever Phantogram comes to town, I shall be seeing them if I have any say in the matter. I find it hard to believe that it’s already been two years since I’ve last seen them, but here we are!
Read moreConcert Review: OMEGA X
OMEGA X holds a special place in my heart. They were the fourth group I got into when I started listening to K-Pop, and they’ve had a chokehold on me ever since.
Read moreConcert Review: Empire of the Sun
When I booked my trip to St. Louis last year to see Empire of the Sun, it was for a few reasons. I’d never been to the city, and the tour stop was on a Saturday, but also it was the first time they’d toured the US in a minute and I figured they’d never play anyhwere closer to me.
Read moreKCON LA 2026
I feel like I have just earned some right of passage in the world of K-Pop by attending KCON LA for the first time. As the final day was coming to a close, I was struck by just how freaking fun the weekend was, so I’m going to sum it all up for you here!
Read moreCORTIS Concert Review
Did I book a semi-reckless trip about a month ago? Was it to see Cortis in Atlanta? Would I only be there for one day? Did I spend way too much on the ticket buying it resale? The answer is yes to all of those questions, but I assure you I ended up having no regrets!
Read moreQveen Herby Concert Review
I forget how long ago it was now, but my friend told me she really liked some songs from this new artist named Qveen Herby. My first thought was that is a strange name, but then when I saw the little thumbnail, I thought, “I’m pretty sure that’s the lady from Karmin!” And it turns out that I was right!
Read more&TEAM Blaze the Way Live in Theaters
Look, until we get a full fledged US tour, I am fine with settling for the live viewing of &TEAM’s second Chiba show from their Blaze the Way tour in my local theater. Firstly, I was shocked that the show even made it to my local theater, so I’ll take that as a win! I was also happy to see that the theater ended up at least half full.
I showed up in my custom Fuma baseball jersey and settled in just before the show began. They opened with the Japanese version of “Back to Life,” which did suffer a few buffering hiccups, but after that, there were no more issues, thankfully. To add maximum impact, they followed up that immediately with “Lunatic” and “War Cry” – talk about high energy! I liked how they paced the show with some short VCR or talking breaks in between blocks of songs. All of the VCRs stayed with their Blaze the Way theme, so it was all very dark and moody…and hot. The talking bits remained light and fun, even when they worked through their final thank yous at the end.
“Rush,” “Mismatch,” and “Heartbreak Time Machine” also made it onto the setlist from their Back to Life album, as well as all of the tracks from their most recent We On Fire album, much to my delight. “Sakuro-ira Yell” was so, so good! Classics like “Under the Skin,” Firework,” and “Yukiakari” all made the cut, as well as favorites like “Koegawari” and “Aorarashi.” I was also so happy to hear “Run Wild” earlier in the set, as well as a very extended version of “Chinca Okashii.” There were a few songs that I was really surprised didn’t make this show’s particular setlist, like “Big Suki” and “Beat the Odds,” which bummed me out, but the whole set was really stacked from start to finish.
There were several outfit changes throughout the blocks of songs, as well, but my gosh, there were some that seemed way too hot for as much as they were sweating. But the final hour they got down into their casual custom made tour shirts and ditched the coreography for a more carefree execution and plenty of crowd interatction. Speaking of coreography, they were as tight as ever, and their vocals were truly incredible. There are always moments when I see them perform live that I question whether or not they are actually doing them live, but then they pause or take a deep breath and my doubts are cast away.
Watching this, as live as it can get for now, just makes me want to see them more and as often as possible. Anyway, for those who missed the event, I feel sorry you. And I guess you’ll just have to settle for fan captures.