CONCERT REVIEW: Carly Rae Jepsen with Midnight Red

Carly Rae Jepsen
Opening Act: Midnight Red
April 14, 2012
Universal CityWalk
Universal City, CA

By: Nevra Azerkan
Rating:

So originally I was just going to see this show for Carly Rae Jepsen to hear her hit song, “Call Me Maybe”. I found out Midnight Red would be opening, so I went directly to YouTube to see what they were all about and after seeing video after video after video, I was sold. I’ve always been a boy band fan and I embrace that. With them currently making a comeback I am ready to see what they’ve got to offer. One Direction is making headlines and my personal favorite, The Wanted are garnering a lot of success here in the U.S. as well. But with two British boy bands, we were in need of an American one and that’s where Midnight Red fills that void.

The videos on YouTube only prepared me for so much. The actual experience is one you have to be there for and no video will get you ready for it. All five guys, Eric, Colton, Thomas, Joey and Anthony got on stage and City Walk automatically became electrified. They came out performing “Rockstar Lover”, “Body Talks”, a cover of NKOTB’s “Step by Step, a snippet of Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend” as well as performing their unreleased first single, “Hell Yeah” for the first time. The songs are pure pop goodness. They get you hyped, easy to sing along to and they are fun. Now the extra special thing about Midnight Red is their insane dancing. I mean you can’t stop watching and they just keep going and going and they are all on point. It’s incredibly awesome to watch on top of the catchy hits and of course, well, the guys are obviously not bad to look at either. If you love pop music and boy bands then you should do yourself the favor of seeing Midnight Red live if you get the chance.

Carly Rae Jepsen was next and she came out in a cute indie outfit and just looked so care-free on stage. She talked a bit in between songs with the audience and was all smiles. She sang her songs, “Bucket”, “Tug of War”, “Both Sides Now”, “Curiosity” and ended with her hit, “Call Me Maybe”. When she sang “Call Me Maybe” everyone in attendance was singing along. If you’ve seen her video you’ll know her band is in it and a particular guitarist has a humorous role at the end of the video. Seeing them all onstage reminded me of that and I wasn’t the only one. He seemed to have gained a lot of his own fans because of that.

Overall, Carly Rae Jepsen’s short performance at CityWalk LA was a refreshing night out. Her charisma shows on stage and her songs have a charming quality to them. I can’t wait to see more from her. Midnight Red was an added bonus. They’ve already made a name for themselves while opening up for the NKOTBSB tour, so they will have plenty of upcoming gigs in the future. I lucked out seeing these two acts on a small stage because there’s no question that they are both going to be huge in the near future.