Reliving My 2K

This. This was My2K -- 98 Degrees, Ryan Cabrera, Dream, and O-Town. Because I never had the chance to watch any of them live back then, it was so nostalgic and awesome to finally see them, even if it's almost 10+ years later.

Before the show started, and between each act, they played all the music from that era, like Usher, Destiny's Child, Christina Aguilera, and more. We were just jammin' all night long. Now, my own 2K is nothing without the Backstreet Boys, so I was excited to see Nick Carter in a video ad with Chex Mix, the tour's sponsor.

To open up the show, O-Town, sans Ashley Angel Parker, fired up the crowd with "Liquid Dreams," some of their other old songs, and covers of recent hits, such as "Am I Wrong" from Nico & Vinz. While I wasn't into them as much back then, it was cool seeing them. Out of all of them, Jacob and his vocals impressed me the most. Of course, they had to end with "All or Nothing," their biggest hit and my favorite O-Town song.

Next up was Dream, the ladies behind "He Loves U Not." Their debut CD? That was my fave! I can't say I'm too surprised, but given that I knew most of their songs, I was a bit disappointed that they didn't do just one more old song. "Mr. Telephone Man?" "When I Get There?" "Miss You Like Crazy?" They do have new songs coming out, so I guess that would be asking too much, but it would've been so great!

Oh, Ryan Cabrera. Another one of my favorites when I was in high school. I remember specifically during my junior year, his CD was one of the ones that I played nonstop when I first got my car. After all these years, it was awesome seeing that he hasn't really changed much -- still funny with that quirky yet adoring personality.

Now onto the main act... 98 Degrees! I have to admit -- I first laughed because they brought back that outfit... The vests. The camo pants. IT REALLY IS 2000 ALL OVER AGAIN! ;)

But, vests/camo or not -- they brought back so many of their hits. "Invisible Man," ""The Hardest Thing," "I Do (Cherish You)," "Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)."

And I loved every second of it.

Oh, Jeff. He has always been my favorite member of the group. I have to admit, I was fangirling just a bit whenever he was on my side of the stage.

One of the best parts of the show was when 98 Degrees did a whole set on covers from some of the top TRL hits back then. You bet I was singing my heart out to "I Want It That Way," "...Baby One More Time," "All The Small Things," "Wannabe," and more. It was a total blast.

Every few songs or so, each member would individually come out to address the crowd. Of course, with Nick, he also took this time to sing his solo hit, "What's Left Of Me."

After this, they did a Prince cover medley of "Let's Go Crazy" and "1999." It was pretty cool because they brought out all of the acts together (see the first picture of this post!).

And, at last... they had to save the best for last, which was "Because of You." This was one of the songs I distinctly remember trying to record from the radio on a cassette tape at my grandparents' place back then. Oh, the memories...

Once the show was over, both O-Town and Ryan were signing autographs for anyone who purchases their merchandise. Count. Me. In. For Ryan. It was well worth it!

This show just so nostalgic, and was truly one of the best concerts I've been to because it was practically my entire playlist back then. When/where else can I jam out to these hits that's not at home, in the car, or during karaoke? Just, love! Now, if the rumor of Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls touring together would only come true...

Trippin' on Skies, Sippin' on Waterfalls

In Oakland's Fox Theater on February 8, I was among a diverse sold out crowd, waiting for Troye Sivan to come onto the stage.

Perhaps like many Troye fans, I first of Troye after Taylor Swift Tweeted about him calling his song, "Wild," "STUNNING AND AWESOME" on September 15, 2015. I didn't think too much of it, until the following week. Sam Smith posted his single cover on Instagram and said Troye's voice "does things to his body." At this point, I knew I had to check the song out.

And of course, to no surprise, I was very impressed and fully understood why such talented folks were posting about him. I instantly became a fan. At the end of November, his Blue Neighbourhood Tour was announced, and with the tickets only at $28, I figured, "Why not?"

A couple of weeks later, Troye released "Blue Neighbourhood" and I could NOT stop listening. I literally have played it 30 times, according to iTunes. The songs are a bit more on the mellow side, but oh so catchy, and his voice is just soothing.

During the concert, Troy amps up the music and bass, making most of the songs more upbeat, which is perfect for the crowd. I brought my friend who has never heard his songs until a couple of days before, and she instantly became a fan. Lately, I've been hearing his new single, "Youth" on the radio, so I'm very glad that he is getting more airtime, as he so deserves.

If you have a chance to check out his concert (if it's not already sold out!), you must. Or, the least you can do is listen to his album -- trust me, you won't be disappointed!

Seeing the Super Talented Pentatonix

On Wednesday night, I found myself in Fox Oakland Theatre, waiting for Pentataonix come on stage. Penta-who? Oh, you know. The season three winners of NBC's The Sing-Off. The winner of Best Arrangement, Instrumental Or A Capella at the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards AND who presented the Lifetime Achievement Award alongside Barry Gibb. The group with the fourth best selling album in the U.S. in 2014 for the Platinum-certified That's Christmas to Me (and ahead of them: Frozen, Taylor Swift, and Sam Smith, a.k.a., THAT IS HUGE).

I first heard of Pentatonix (a.k.a. PTX) when they did an a cappella version of "Telephone" from Lady Gaga. Being a Little Monster myself, I knew I had to watch the video. And? LOVED it. I was so happy that they did it live on Wednesday.

I was in complete awe, as they performed for about 90 minutes straight. There was not a single back-up track to be heard or instrument in sight (except for a cello in the middle of the concert -- more on that later), or special fancy effects to be seen. All we saw Pentatonix (with a screen in the background, a bleacher-like set-up on stage) and all we heard was every one of their voices, individually and together. That's it. And for the show to be enjoyable for that long, without any of that? Completely amazing.

One of the most impressive performances of the night was when they did the evolution of music. It was a 4-5 minute performance of approximately 36 song snippets/verses, starting from the ELEVENTH (!!) century through the present. (And the Backstreet fan inside of me was so happy to hear them have "I Want It That Way" in there.) Im. Pres. Sive.

Another amazing moment was when Kevin Olusola played the cello AND beatboxed at the same time. Just another example of how Pentatonix is just filled with nothing but crazy talented people.

Some of my other favorite moments (I think there were too many), would have to be:

• Beyonce Medley: Queen Bey, ya'll. AND it includes Destiny's Child.
• La La Latch: Because Sam Smith, duh. Mashup of "La La" and "Latch."
• Let's Get It On: HILARIOUS and very enjoyable because they brought a fan on stage (need to see it!). Impressive showcasing of Scott Hoying's vocals.
• That's Christmas To Me: Introduced as Christmas in February, with the fireplace in the background and everything. Then, they turned all of that off and did it off-mic. Just beautiful. (And also pictured above.)

Leaving the concert to head out for a late dinner, all I could think of was how impressive Pentatonix is, made of incredibly hardworking, creative, and talented members. That Grammy win, PTX? So well deserved. Bravo!