Uh huh, this my shit, all the girls stomp your feet like this!
I feel so lucky to have gotten to see so many amazing concerts in my short 18 years.
Celine Dion, Spice Girls, American Idol Season 1, Britney Spears (twice), Your Show (Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson, BEP, Maroon 5, etc) Green Day, Michael Buble, Kelly Clarkson, and Christina Aguilera.
After each new show, I'd have the hardest time trying to decide which was my favorite, they were all so amazing.
But, after last night's show, there is no doubt in my mind that this was the best concert I've ever been to.
Got to Coors Ampitheatre around 5:30ish, they didn't let us in the actual venue until about 6.
Went directly to the souvenir stand, cause I would have turned homicidal if they ran out of something I liked :)
The first thing I saw was a light blue t-shirt with the Kawaii Kimono Gwen, and cherry blossoms, which made me totally thrilled, cause, well, if you couldn't tell by my layout, I LOVE that print.
(I had no idea there was a shirt with the Kawaii Kimono Gwen on it, I just saw the graphic on the website, and used it to make my layout last week, lol)
Then I saw a black jacket with the 'Gwen Is My Homegirl' logo on the front, then Ghetto Girl Gwen on the back.
I got the shirt and the jacket (which was so fab, cause I was freezing in just my bananas sweatshirt!). Of course, I would have loved to get pretty much everything there, but I'll just have to do more shopping when I see her again in Irvine, at the end of June!
So, went to our seats, 8th row, center, not too shabby, eh?
Although, I'm kinda bummed, my mom's camera has the worst zoom EVER, so it makes us look like we're up in the grass, or something. But our seats were awesome, I was so thrilled.
Fast forward to about 8, Akon opened.
Sorry, if I don't give too many details, he was just... Akon. I dunno, he really isn't anything to me, but the 'Woo Hoo's in The Sweet Escape, so..
Akon played for about 40 minutes.
I almost died of impatientness (so a word)
The Harajuku Girls were running around the venue, two of them dressed in really adorable black and white striped dresses, and two of them dressed as cops.
Love and Music ran right by me, they're so gorgeous.
Then, a little after 9, the lights went out, and I nearly had a stroke.
Honestly, I've never felt so fangirlish in my life. Now I know how the crying girl from American Idol felt.
Gwen is my Sanjaya.
But, you know what? I don't care. This was fucking Gwen Stefani. If the girl started her own religion, I'd become the Stefani Pope.
She started off with 'The Sweet Escape', the Harajuku Girls chasing each other all over the stage, sirens going off, then the stage opened up, and this giant gold jail cell came out, Gwen, looking SO amazing in sparkly black and white stripes.
I was really impressed, because I've seen Gwen performing on TV lately, and every so often she has a really 'off' performance, that would make me think 'where is the girl who could belt 'Just A Girl', and do pushups at the same time?!', but I don't know if she was just having a bad day those times, or what, cause she was so unbelievably flawless. Seriously fucking flawless. Better than on the CD, flawless.
'Rich Girl' came next. The gold jail cell turned into a big gold safe, and Gwen and the Harajuku Girls were all dressed as robbers.
Towards the end, they shot green money-sized confetti in the air.
Everyone was grabbing for it, and the girl next to me let it slip through her fingers, and right into my hands.
It's tacked up on my whiteboard with my ticket :)
'Yummy' is such a ridiculously cute song.
But you know what is even more cute?
Gwen.
She and the Harajuku Girls were dressed like bakers.
Bakers covered in shiny things.
That is probably one of the reasons I love Gwen so much, her thoughts on shiny things are like mine; the more, the better.
I kept hearing from various people that she wasn't going to sing '4 In The Morning', I thought that was ridiculous, she HAD to sing '4 In The Morning'.
Thankfully, Gwennie does not disappoint.
It was so amazing. Gwen, all alone on the stage, with the screens behind her showing images of city lights.
I've heard a bunch of people say how they don't like the new solo Gwen, that all her new stuff is just bubblegum pop.
Obviously, those people have not heard the 3 ballads on 'The Sweet Escape'.
The way she belted it out, THIS was the Gwen who once sang 'Don't Speak'.
She's still there, she's just trying new things.
Then the Harajuku Girls came out dressed in kimonos, and Gwen sang 'Luxurious'.
I swear, every single time I hear 'Luxurious', I feel the little ghetto girl in me come out, lol.
I was trying really hard to take a picture during every song, but I didn't take a picture during this song because it was one of those performances that caused everyone to just shut up. 'Early Winter' is such a beautiful song, and it was the most beautiful performance.
Again, Gwen all alone on stage, with a video of her dressed as a geisha, dancing while snow fell, played behind her.
I honestly can't shut up about how amazing her voice was.
I was really really impressed.
Everyone went backstage while the band played a little, then just as I was thinking 'Hm, I wonder when she's gonna sing Win-' I hear "High on a hill with the lonely goatherd, yodelyay yodelyay yodelyayheehoo! Yodel back with the girl and goatherd, yodelyay yodelyay yodeloh!"
Stairs came out of the stage, Gwen, the Harajuku Girls, and the little sheep riding on top.
Kickass song. The Harajuku Girls are such amazing dancers.
Someone behind the stairs snatched up the sheep, while Gwen went backstage on put on the COOLEST pair of sparkly red short.
Seriously, sorry, Dorothy, your shoes ain't got nothing on Gwen's shorts.
Gwen and her amazing shorts sang 'Danger Zone'
After 'Danger Zone' Gwen was standing on the top of the stairs when everything went black, and stayed that way for about 15-20 seconds. I was just giddy with anticipation, and it turned out to be well worth it-anticipation.
I've heard this song 5 billion times. Okay, maybe not 5 billion, but iTunes says about 500, if I can remember properly. I've seen it performed on TV dozens of times, I've got something like 40 different remixes of it, I've seen the music video more times than is probably healthy. But, hearing Gwen say 'Uh huh, this my shit, all the girls stomp your feet like this!' live, was pretty much the best thing EVER.
Obviously, she sang 'Hollaback Girl' next, which was beyond amazing. I mean, there's a damn good reason this is my 2nd favorite song ever (coming in after 'Just A Girl', which has been my favorite since I was 7)
(I want a big light-up "S" to hang in my room.. think it'd fit?!)
Everyone went backstage for a costume change, while the band played a little tune.
I could hear the people around me going "what is that? I don't recognize that song"
Maybe this means that I listen to Gwen too much (too much? yah right), but I knew that the song was 'Now That You Got It' right away.
The band stopped, and the next thing you heard was "And now with the following collection of the Swizzy sounds!"
In between 'Now That You Got It' and 'Don't Get It Twisted', Gwen sang a little of 'Breakin' Up'
Just when I started to ease down on the fangirlishness, Gwen jumps off the stage, and runs around the far right side of the-right front section, then behind the front-right, behind the front-center (where I was) then down the center aisle. I was in the middle of rotating "OHMIGOD" thoughts, when she came down the center aisle, about 15-20 feet away from where I was sitting, and dear god, do you know what she did? I'll tell you what she did.
She stopped.
Gwendolyn Renee Stefani, standing 15-20 feet away from me, stopped, and sang 'Cool'.
I am still thanking my lucky stars for not letting me pass out.
I was trying so hard to snap photos, because she was so ridiculously close, but this guy kept moving in front of me whenever I tryed to take a picture.
I whipped out my cellphone and was able to take a short video before my brain started working again, and said STAND ON YOUR CHAIR, YOU IDIOT.
So I did.
It was magical.
She is so ridiculously gorgeous. Ohmigod.
Gwen Stefani, 15-20 feet away from little ol' me.
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'Wonderful Life', like the other 2 ballads, made everyone just shush and listen.
There were really cool videos of Gwen from the album photo shoot playing behind her.
'Orange County Girl' wasn't one of my favorite songs off 'The Sweet Escape', the first few times I heard it.
I did learn to like it a little more, but I think I like it WAY more, after having seen Gwen sing it live.
On the screens behind Gwen there was this really cool photo-montage playing.
Pictures of little baby Gwen, and Gwen as a teenager, and before No Doubt got famous, and such.
It made me think of that interview from 1991, where the interviewer says '"Is it true that you wanna be a big star, and tour the world?" and Gwen gives this cute little smile and says "Yes, I wanna be a star"
Then Gwennie introduced her dancers/band, and did the whole Okay, that's it, show's over, wink-wink, nudge-nudge, type thing.
And the crowd did the whole OHMIGODGWENWELOVEYOUUUUUU thing.
So she came back out and sang 'The Real Thing', which made me happy, cause that was one of my favorite songs off the first album.
Then she left again, and at first I was like WTF? just one encore? and she didn't sing 'What You Waiting For?'!
Silly Shannon, seems you forgot, Gwen Stefani does not disappoint.
Those first few notes came on, and the Harajuku Girls came out riding a giant piano.
'What You Waiting For?' is one of my favorite songs to watch Gwen perform. It was brilliant.
God, she is so amazing.
Then everyone took a final bow, and it started to sprinkle, which was probably the coolest way for the night to end because it had been threatening to rain alllll night long, and just as the show ended, it started to sprinkle, then started to totally pour after we got in the car.
Pretty much the best night of my life, mhmm.
If it was at all possible, I love Gwen even more.
♥