Concert – Concert Katie

A Boyband Symphony

Katie April 12, 2025 No Comments

When this concert was first announced for a Monday night in Pittsburgh, it wasn’t really on my radar. But when my company offered some hotel perks if we stayed at a Hilton for 5 nights in 90 days and I had already logged 3 nights in Savannah, I figured if I *needed* to add a trip to my life, and add an April concert to my list, then a Boyband Symphony would be the winner. Plus, it didn’t look like anything was going to be added closer to me than this one (though I wouldn’t be surprised if it is added now – but I’ll for sure go again!) I did end up taking a peak at the setlist before going and while it gave me an idea of what they were going to sing, it in no way prepared me for how awesome the show was going to be.

The “boyband” was made up of Erik from O-Town, Jeff from 98 Degrees and Chris from *NSYNC and the idea came about when they were doing the Boyband Christmas shows that I unfortunately didn’t get to attend because the show I had tickets to ended up getting canceled. The setlist consists of songs from the 3 band member’s boybands as well as Backstreet Boys as well as Boyz II Men to more fully round out the ’90s boyband representation.

Jeff did encourage everyone to stand and dance and sing a long after the first song and they did talk and joke around a bit more during the songs than I was expecting to thinking that everything would have been a bit more “scripted” with the orchestra behind them. Erik ended up busting out some of his *NSYNC moves from the Pop2000 tour and Chris kept making comments about less dancing from them on stage, but Erik wouldn’t let up and eventually got Chris to join in during the encore.

After the show we had a chance to go to the VIP M&G and say hi to Chris, Jeff and Erik and get a professional photo taken! I got to chat with Erik a bit about how fun the show was and how weird it was to be screaming for the orchestra, but he said that he thought the orchestra really liked that part of it since it isn’t the usual for them. And then when we walked out of the hall… it was.. snowing?

Larger Than Life (Backstreet Boys)

Invisible Man (98 Degrees)

I Want You Back (*NSYNC)

Liquid Dreams (O-Town)

As Long As You Love Me (Backstreet Boys)

Because of You (98 Degrees)

Tearin’ Up My Heart (*NSYNC)

These Are The Days (O-Town)

I’ll Make Love To You (Boyz II Men)

Intermission

Pop (*NSYNC)

I Want It That Way (Backstreet Boys)

I Do (98 Degrees)

It’s Gonna Be Me (*NSYNC)

The Hardest Thing (98 Degrees)

All Or Nothing (O-Town)

This I Promise You (*NSYNC)

Una Noche (98 Degrees)

Encore

Bye Bye Bye (*NSYNC)

Concert

Matt Nathanson King of (Un)simple Tour

Katie March 1, 2025 No Comments

When Matt announced this tour, I was bummed there wasn’t a CT date, but then I realized that Port Chester was about 3 minutes over the CT border, so I got myself a ticket, a pre-show hang and Premium Parking. I also was pretty excited to see Lisa Loeb open as well. I typically don’t like to go to new venues by myself, but figured I’d risk it. Then 9:45pm the night before the show I got an email that because I had the pre-show hang and the doors for that were before the doors for the premium parking lot, I was going to be refunded for parking and would need to find somewhere else to park. A huge part of why I had decided to go to this show was because of the guaranteed parking! It seemed that the Metro North lot across the street was listed as a place to park, but once I arrived it said that it was for customers only, but I took another risk – $4.90 for the evening as compared to $55 for the premium lot.

We were told to show up between 4:30 and 5 for the preshow hang, I got there just about 4:30 and a line had already formed. I checked in and got my lanyard, and then they handed out our posters and merch item (a pennant!) in case we wanted to bring it back to our cars as we wouldn’t be able to leave the venue once we were inside. The hang was about an hour, included Matt singing 3 songs that weren’t going to be in the set – he said the setlist could be up to 20 songs and the wheel could be 25 songs so the options for the hang were slim. It also included questions from the audience which got pretty deep and then a group photo.

Lost Myself in Search of You
All We Are
Impossible People

After the hang we were sent to the lobby and had to wait for 6:30 for doors to open. I then went to my seat, only to then get an email from the venue that the show wouldn’t start until 8pm. not 7pm like I had expected and that Rachel Yamagata would be opening, not Lisa Loeb. (Turns out Lisa had an emergency and I guess it was announced on socials around 2:30, but I was getting ready to leave for the show then and missed it) With the free time I ended up finishing my book for the podmeetsworld book club – I had one chapter left when Rachel took the stage and finished that last chapter seconds before Matt took the stage. Couldn’t have planned it better if I tried.

Rachel was joined by Michael Chaves, who I thought I recognized and Matt later mentioned that he worked with him and knew him from Mayer’s circle. She said her songs were more dark and down and great if you were going through a divorce and also said she was now getting into songs about aliens. Rachel was a pleasant surprise and I enjoyed her set, though I do hope I will get to see Lisa at some point in the future.

At 9pm it was time for Matt to take the stage. He started by telling us he had his “boat tote” with him and that he was not supposed to talk for the first 3 songs, his set list said to not talk for the first 3 songs and all he wanted to do was talk. He made it through Map at the Mall, Giants, and Faster and then introduced us to the Wheel of Song. The wheel has various topics, albums and some straight up just song titles. He went through all of the panels on the wheel and explained them all to us and then gave the wheel its first spin and it landed on the song Different Beds. The second spin ended up being Kiss Quick, but since he had just done another slower song he decided to spin again and try and get something more upbeat and then do Kiss Quick after. He ended up getting “Stop Thief!” which was either songs he stole from others or songs other stole from him. He ended up doing his song Princess (which was also on the Wheel and he was mildly concerned he may end up having to play it twice because you can’t defy the wheel because in NJ he tried to and the power went off on the whole block – the only thing still lit up was the wheel because it is battery powered!) and mixed in Jesse’s Girl by Rick Springfield which he claims he stole from instead of having to play the song that was stolen from him. Which I am glad he didn’t have to play because I definitely didn’t want to hear it. (Google Matt Nathanson followed by a T if you don’t know who it is). He brought out Rachel to sing backup vocals on his song Vampires and the final wheel spin landed on Show Me Your Fangs – at first he freaked out because he thought it was the song and then realized it was the album. The crowd started going wild screaming for Bill Murray but he said that they’d do 2 songs from the album, since they just were practicing Adrenaline in soundcheck (also a song on the wheel) and then did Bill Murray to satisfy the crowd requests. The show concluded with a Suspended sing a long, Used to Me, Move to the Moon with a nice speech about being kind to everyone and treating others the way you want to be treated especially with the political climate and finally with a Come on Get Higher sing a long.

Upon making it back to my car it was still there and no ticket, so lucky me for saving myself $50 on the evening, but I am not sure I would go to this venue again alone. (There also were a few steps to get to the orchestra which I needed help navigating which fortunately I was able to find an usher or other fans to help me out)

Edit this setlist | More Matt Nathanson setlists

Concert

Year In Review – 2024

Katie December 31, 2024 No Comments

Most expensive show:
Joey Fatone & AJ McLean VIP, non VIP was Shawn Mendes return to performing live

Least (not free) expensive show:
Kris Allen at the Kate was $40

Free shows:
Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, Hanson @ The View, Wilderado, Hanson @ The Gathering Place, 98 Degrees

# artists seen: 87
# unique artists seen: 18
# shows seen in CT: 21
# of shows out of state: 31

Show farthest away: Jamaica out of the US, Tulsa in the US.
Closest show: Fairfield CT
$$ spent on tickets: $5,528.72
Miles traveled: 26200

Top 5 shows of the year?
1. &Juliet Sing-A-Long with JC Chasez
2. Hanson Underneath Experience Night 2 Minneapolis
3. Hanson Underneath Experience Night 1 Minneapolis
4. Shawn Mendes
5. Joey Fatone & AJ McLean

Total number of shows in 2023? 52

First show of the year? Hanson

First show with actual tickets: Let’s Sing Harry

Last show of the year? Hanson – because Aerosmith got canceled

Most surprising show? &Juliet

Most disappointing? Aerosmith cancellation 🙁 🙁 🙁

Farthest traveled? Back to the Island in Jamaica

States attended shows in? CT, NY, OK, PA, TN, MN, MD, GA

Venue most visited? The Kate & Cain’s are tied

Band seen the most? Hanson

Best new discovery? Walker Burroughs

Bands seen this year that also broke up this year? I don’t think there was any?

Friends made at shows? I wasn’t very social, yet again

Band members met? Hanson, Jeff Timmons, Drew Lachey, Joey Fatone, BBMak, Tartan Terrors, David Cook, Simple Plan, Chris Kirkpatrick, Nick Carter, Kris Allen, JC Chasez

Best souvenir from a show? I got some picks and some setlists

Longest time in line? I really don’t recall waiting all that long for anything, most were seated and not GA

Shows seen from the barricade [front row]– Joey/AJ, Wilderado, BBMak, Tartan Terrors, David Cook, Hanson TN, Nick Carter, Kris Allen, &Juliet

Most shows in one month?

January – 6
February – “1”
March – 4
April – 1
May – 3
June – 3
July – 3
August – 5
September – 3
October – 14
November – 7
December – 2

Most shows in one week? BTTI or something in October.

Biggest crowd? Either Pink or JT at Hershey, I think that was the biggest venue I was at

Any drunk encounters? Oh probably… that elmo coat guy in Times Square perhaps

Missed shows:

I skipped Niall Horan because it was too hot and I was having medical issues, I skipped Jon McLaughlin to go see Hanson, I skipped Stephen Kellogg to go see Hanson, I skipped O-Town because I just wasn’t feeling up to driving to Long Island, I skipped Country 925 due to weather and medical issues and Aerosmith canceled on me 🙁

Concert Hanson

Hanson’s Christmas Ball 2024

Katie December 23, 2024 No Comments

Hanson’s two-night Christmas Ball at the historic Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, OK delivered a magical start to the holiday season. Known for their deep roots in Tulsa and their ability to create unforgettable live experiences, the Hanson brothers transformed Cain’s into a festive wonderland on December 13 and 14, drawing fans from near and far.

The first evening set the tone with a perfect blend of holiday classics and Hanson originals. Opening with “Finally It’s Christmas,” the crowd immediately felt the festive energy. Songs like “Little Saint Nick” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” had everyone singing along, while “Someday At Christmas” and “Peace On Earth” brought moments of heartfelt reflection.

The surprises continued with a medley of “Wonderful Christmas Time” and “Come On It’s Christmas,” blending nostalgic cheer with Hanson’s signature sound. The encore featured emotional renditions of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” “Blue Christmas,” and an acapella version of “White Christmas” that showcased their harmonious vocals and left the audience in awe.

<br /> <a href="https://www.hansonstage.com/setlist.php?show_id=1664">View Setlist</a>

Night two offered a similarly festive setlist, keeping the energy high while mixing up a few key moments. Songs like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Run Rudolph Run” added a playful touch, and the encore once again highlighted the timeless charm of “Blue Christmas” and “White Christmas” in an intimate, acapella style.

Despite the similarities in the setlists, Hanson’s charismatic stage presence and the infectious holiday spirit ensured each night felt distinct. Their ability to connect with the audience, from die-hard fan club members to local families and children, created a welcoming, joyful atmosphere.

<br /> <a href="https://www.hansonstage.com/setlist.php?show_id=1690">View Setlist</a>

The Christmas Ball wasn’t just a concert; it was part of a bustling weekend in Tulsa. With Zach Bryan also performing in town and various holiday festivals and conventions, the city was alive with activity. Fans took the opportunity to reconnect with friends, enjoy holiday parades, and soak in the festive energy. Cain’s Ballroom, with its storied history and intimate setting, proved the perfect venue for Hanson’s holiday celebration.

The audience’s attire added to the festive mood, with many fans dressed in holiday sweaters, Santa hats, and sparkling accessories. The warm afternoon weather, which turned chilly in the evening, didn’t dampen spirits but instead added a cozy layer to the event.

Hanson’s Christmas Ball at Cain’s Ballroom exemplified the best of holiday traditions: music, community, and joy. It’s a testament to their enduring appeal and deep connection to Tulsa that they could bring together fans and families for two nights of holiday cheer. Whether you were there for the music, the memories, or simply the magic of the season, the Christmas Ball was an experience to cherish.

Concert

98° at Foxwoods

Katie November 26, 2024 No Comments

98 Degrees delivered an energetic and nostalgic performance Saturday night at Foxwoods, opening for Bell Biv DeVoe. While their set was shorter than their last Foxwoods appearance—likely due to their supporting role—there was no shortage of fan favorites, ensuring a lively atmosphere throughout.

The show opened with a mix of their own hits and well-chosen covers. “Can’t Get Enough” and “Heat It Up” set the tone, showcasing the group’s signature smooth vocals. A particularly fun moment came when they launched into their Bruno Mars cover of “Finesse,” which kept the crowd engaged and moving.

The performance seemed geared towards the 90s pop crowd, and the setlist confirmed this, with energetic renditions of classic pop songs. The loudest cheers came when the group paid tribute to some of the era’s biggest hits. Their covers of Britney Spears’ “Oops!…I Did It Again,” NSYNC’s “Tearin’ Up My Heart,” and Backstreet Boys’ “Larger Than Life” sparked waves of nostalgia, especially with fans singing along. These were standout moments, demonstrating that while 98 Degrees may have been the opening act, their influence in the pop world was undeniable.

They also took the time to sprinkle in a few of their own hits, including “Invisible Man” and “The Hardest Thing,” which held special significance for fans who have followed the group since the late 90s. The most surprising part of the set was their seamless mix of songs. They effortlessly transitioned from their own tracks to covers like Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name,” keeping the energy high and the crowd invested.

The cover medley that featured “Livin’ la Vida Loca,” “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy),” and “Thong Song” added a playful element to the show, with fans of all ages enjoying the throwback to the late 90s and early 2000s hits. The mixture of R&B, pop, and Latin vibes brought a nice variety to the performance, even though the setlist didn’t linger too long on any one genre.

After about an hour, the group closed their set with the iconic “Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche),” which left fans satisfied but wanting more. Given the circumstances of them being an opening act, it was a solid performance that didn’t overstay its welcome but hit all the right notes for the audience. The upbeat nature of the show, paired with a nostalgia-packed setlist, made it a perfect opening act for Bell Biv DeVoe, and though we left early, the crowd seemed to appreciate the throwback to pop’s golden era.

Edit this setlist | More 98° setlists

American Idol Concert Kris Allen

Kris Allen at The Kate

Katie November 23, 2024 No Comments

Saturday night I went to The Kate to see Kris Allen. Opening for him was Walker Burroughs, who was on Idol in Season 2019 – aka The Season I can’t Remember. I was working full time and going to grad school full time and I was watching here and there but none of the contestants stuck with me at all and it’s probably the only season where my Mom remembers more of it than I do, but I’m going to see about rewatching it now.

Walker came out and introduced himself and mentioned how he had never been as high as Connecticut, he is from Alabama. Immediately I found him adorable and hilarious. He intro’ed his first song by saying that he was inspired to write it watching a tiktok about the proper way to eat peas – and sure enough the first line was something about not slurping your peas. The second song was about how he grew up with a river in his back yard and now that he lives in Nashville there’s a highway in his backyard. (I didn’t catch the names of most of his songs, unfortunately) His third song was called Made to Me, The next one he did on the piano and it was a hilariously funny song about there being miscommunication between a couple – his comedic timing and delivery was just… spot on. He also did a song about how he used to ask his mom for dating advice as a kid and put the advice in a song. He had also mentioned that she told him he should give the girl he liked a pencil but to make sure it had a good eraser and honestly – in 2nd grade that would have won me over for sure because I wanted to be a writer. (Except that when I was in 2nd grade, he wasn’t even born) He also did a cover of John Denver’s Annie’s Song (aka You Fill up my Senses). He then told us a story about some work he was doing outside in Kentucky and it was hot and there was a dog named Cooter and he wrote a song about him and finished his set up with his song Pretty Penny.

During the break between sets the guy next to me apparently crawled out from under a rock and was telling me how Kris beat Adam Lambert AND Danny Gokey. As someone who is probably partially personally responsible for that happening – yes, I know, I was there lol.

I hadn’t seen Kris with a full band in a while and we were the last show of the tour and it seemed like he was having just so much fun and he was VERY chatty. He even mentioned it himself when the band left him to himself on stage for a few songs, saying that he’d bring the band back out after a couple of songs because he decided he wanted to just keep telling us stories. He did a lot of songs off of his new album, Pole Vaulter, which I haven’t had a chance to listen to in its entirety yet, but a lot of them he had been doing when I had seen him live before and had been sort of releasing them one by one and was finally able to put them all together so I think there was only a couple that I didn’t fully know and then one had had written while he was on a music cruise full of people that didn’t know him to introduce himself. (Which he stopped part of the way in and told us a story about Reba – I told you he was chatty..)

The Meet and Greet for this show I had purchased ended up refunded and they said he would be staying after the show to meet everyone, so I tried to be last in line thinking we would both be chatty, but 2 groups didn’t want to cut me so they insisted I go in front of them… and we were pretty chatty but it was nice to catch up with him! I also got to meet Walker and tell him I thought that he was really funny and he was very humble and was asking me where I lived and trying to figure out where Connecticut was in relation to New York so I got to teach him some geography as well (go figure, I’m not so great at that but I do know that New York City is south of me, at least)

For a show only 45 minutes from my house, I somehow ended up getting home at 1am… I guess because Kris was so chatty! ha. Good thing it was a Saturday 🙂 Always a lovely time seeing Kris and I’m always so thankful he continues to play shows in CT!

Edit this setlist | More Kris Allen setlists

Concert

Pentatonix Hallelujah! It’s a Christmas Tour

Katie November 15, 2024 No Comments

Thursday night, Pentatonix kicked off their Christmas Tour at Mohegan Sun in the Arena. The whole band seemed to really love the venue and talked multiple times about how much they enjoy playing there and should include it on all of their tours. Since it was their first show of the tour I tried to keep really good notes on the setlist since I had nothing else to base off of and I wasn’t sure it anyone else would keep track. It was a good thing that I did because while someone did get to setlist.fm before me, they were a bit off with what was sung.

I have seen a lot of memes about how “My Favorite Things” and “Hallelujah” are not Christmas songs – but both of these were in the set. They did say that “My Favorite Things” was more of a spooky Christmas song before playing it. (And an also completely not Christmas song, which they admitted, was Wicked’s “What is this Feeling” was done in Act 2)

Another fun part of the show was the WHEEL! OF! CHRISTMAS! Which they spun 4 times – which got them to sing mini arrangements of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Sleigh Ride, Just for Now and Making Christmas. (Another spooky one)

There was an approximately 20 minute intermission.

My favorite Christmas song to sing, by far, is Carol of the Bells, so I was a little bit bummed when they started out their set with it. BUT! Then Scott came out much later in the set and said that he wanted to record a TikTok with us – and it was Carol of the Bells! He split us so the sides were doing ding dongs and then the center was the BOMMMMmmmm…. Then he decided it would be really cool if we could also make our phone lights go on/off based on when we were singing so we could visualize the bells and that’s where he lost me – apparently I can’t sing AND cover and uncover my flashlight at the same time. I’m looking forward to seeing how it came out.

The B-stage was pretty close to me so I was excited when they made their way out there for 5 songs and then all made their way back up through the crowd during O Come All Ye Faithful. Scott teased that it was nice to meet everyone when he made his way back to the stage.

There were a couple of moments where they made me feel really old though – Kirsten mentioned that she was loving Wicked since she was 10 – I saw the Original Broadway Cast when I was in college (20yrs old) and then Scott talked about freaking out over getting a game cube for Christmas when he was 8. I think I was gearing up to graduate high school or thereabouts when that one came out. I may have even been selling them at Toys R Us when they first came out… (insert grandma emoji here)

After they left the stage, before the encore, it was the most people leaving the venue I had ever seen. Unfortunately that meant when they tried to do a more traditional acapella song for the encore with just a mic in between them all, there was a LOT of noise coming from the concourse. They did a medley of Pure Imagination from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory mixed with Peanuts Christmas Time is Here, which seems like it would be a bit of an odd pairing, but somehow it worked! And they finished out the show with Joyful Joyful.

Unfortunately about halfway driving up to the casino I realized my camera was sitting on my desk… so I was stuck in the back of the arena with just my phone’s camera.

Edit this setlist | More Pentatonix setlists

Backstreet Boys Concert

Nick Carter Who I Am Tour

Katie November 15, 2024 No Comments

Saturday evening was time for Nick Carter’s Who I Am concert. For this tour Nick did some Backstreet Boys songs, some of his solo songs and some of his favorite cover songs from watching them on TV as he was growing up. Ironically enough, he also chose to do Everybody Wants to Rule the World, which was one that Hanson had just introduced on their latest tour as well. He did several wardrobe changes and had a screen behind him with different graphics and/or music videos depending on what song he was singing.

For some of the songs he played acoustic guitar and some electric. He had Nick TV guitar picks, similar to the MTV logo to go with the theme of watching the music videos on TV and I was lucky enough to grab one!

He did some new arrangements of some songs too – one song started out sounding like it was going to be some Ozzy Osbourne – but it turned out to be Shape of My Heart? (I think that’s what it was anyway – my memory is fading)

He even tried to write a boyband love song to Connecticut. It didn’t roll off the tongue as easily as he had hoped, but he was just trying to show how easy it was to write a love song with just a few key words.

*Not sure if this setlist is totally accurate – it is the one that was on the stage but I question if he did Do I Have To Cry For You or Superman and seem to recall him doing a cover of Sharp Dressed Man and Made for Us that isn’t on the list. (I believe they were sometime after Wanted Dead or Alive)

Edit this setlist | More Nick Carter setlists

Backstreet Boys Concert

Nick Carter Listening Party

Katie November 10, 2024 No Comments

Saturday I had to get up super early for the Nick Carter listening party I had gotten myself tickets for. I really didn’t know what i got myself into and certainly didn’t realize it was going to start at 11am. (At least I had Friday to sleep in after all my trips?)

Once I arrived we were informed that they were going to rig everything up to the house speakers but apparently hadn’t thought of that sooner so we had to give them some time to get it set up.

Nick came out and did 3 songs acoustic for us – Larger than Life, As Long as You Love Me and Help Me. (Which he is re-recording and said it is easier to sing if he is standing)

Then they took our phones from us and Nick played several potential tracks from his new album. Some were done, some weren’t the final arrangement and some were demos. We had to rank them from 1 to 10 and after each track we were able to ask questions. He wanted some immediate feedback and asked if anyone rated a song 5 or below not to raise their hands and then he found out almost everyone just gave everything all 10s. I was actually critical and had no 10s, but nothing 5 or below either. Some of the songs were written by him, some weren’t but they resonated with him and one was a cover.

After the listening and rating we got our photo with Nick and then were able to get our phones back. We got to keep our sheet of paper and then got sent a link to digitally submit our rankings.

Concert

Cyndi Lauper Farewell Tour

Katie November 10, 2024 No Comments

After all our Hanson adventures we went to see Cyndi Lauper’s farewell tour at the Bridgestone Arena. It was so fun to see everyone all dressed up in neon and I wish I had brought my tutu!

Opening for the evening was Elle King, who is pregnant and I had thought was canceled by Nashville after a show at the opry but it seems like all is well as she was given a standing ovation at the end of her set. When she did xs and os in the middle of her set, I realized what it must feel like for people who go to see Hanson only for mmmbop and they play it relatively early on.

As soon as Cyndi came out she set off a rainbow burst of confetti, to make sure we knew we weren’t at a predators hockey game – you know like when you get on a plane and they tell you where it is going? In between songs she talked a bit about the different chapters in her life and how this isn’t a farewell all together but that she is probably going to focus less on live performances and wanted to focus more on Broadway.

I thought I’d know maybe 3-5 songs but ended up knowing more like 7 which was half of the set. She changed her outfit (and hair!) Several times throughout the set and talked a lot about women’s rights and who came before us to make sure we could have credit cards or go to college.

She had Elle king join her for “time after time” and during the encore had Hayley Williams from Paramore join her for “girls just want to have fun”

Even not knowing all of her music it was a really fun show and I’m glad I got to see her! I also had been talking to some friends about how I had never seen anyone sneeze while on stage and she did blow her nose once and step aside for throat spray – but not a sneeze. Seems like she too was getting over the cold we all seemed to have too.

Edit this setlist | More Cyndi Lauper setlists