CONCERT REVIEW: Plain White T's Gives Crowd What They Want

Plain White T's performing at Merrimack College. Photo by Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up.

Friday night was Merrimack College’s Spring Concert, and this year brought none other than the Plain White T’s, and the crowd was definitely content with the college's decision to have them.

Throughout the one-hour performance, there was never a dull moment in the audience. Everyone in the arena knew every word to every song they sang, regardless of how old they were. 

Plain White T's performing at Merrimack College. Photo by Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up.

Something I really love to see at concerts, and that I unfortunately don’t see too much, is the artists connecting with their audience. The T’s certainly fit this bill. The band even stopped between songs to comment on the posters that some of the girls in the audience made for them (which made those girls go insane).

The Hollywood Records-signed band played a variety of their hits throughout the night, like “The Giving Tree,” “1, 2, 3, 4,” and more. My favorite performances of the night were the two closing songs, “Hey There Delilah,” and the extremely catchy “Rhythm of Love.” Both had the the crowd going crazy, belting out every word.

Check out the below gallery featuring all the photos from the night:  

CONCERT REVIEW: Justin Timberlake Delivers Electrifying Performance in Boston

Credit: Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up

An arena full of over 13,000 screaming fans, all for one man.

That was the scene Thursday night when Justin Timberlake brought his sold-out "20/20 Experience World Tour" to the TD Garden in Boston. When he took the stage around 8:30, you could feel his presence from anywhere in the arena. In fact, after “Pusher Love Girl”, the singer just stood in the middle of the massive stage while everyone cheered for him. Once he introduced his huge hit “TKO” a few songs in, everyone went even more berserk for the Tennessee star.

Credit: Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up

Every concert has spectacular singing and dancing (including this one), but the thing that really separated the “20/20 Experience” tour was the connection Justin Timberlake had with his fans. When singing songs like “Cry Me A River”, “Mirrors” (more on that later), and other slow ballads, Timberlake actively invited singing from the audience, and often stopped to soak up the energy.

“Resiliency, not just in America, but this town, it really moved me.... I love you guys.”

— Justin Timberlake

Halfway through the show, the former N-Sync star’s stage rose up, and travelled to the back of the arena while he sang “Let The Groove Get In”. From there, he was able to see the “real Boston”, and to give all of the fans that might not have had such a great view of him when he was upfront a chance to see him up close. There, he commented on last year’s Marathon Bombing, saying “Resiliency, not just America, but this town, it really moved me.... I love you guys”. The Boston crowd went even more insane, but more importantly, it showed how much JT cared. I’ve attended numerous Boston events since last April, and Justin is the only one to touch upon it. In fact, the singer even made a toast to Boston Strong.

Timberlake continued the nearly 3-hour set singing hits like "Take Back The Night", "Suit and Tie", and the old classic "Sexyback". But perhaps my favorite moment of the night was when he sang his 2013 hit ‘Mirrors’ at the end of the show. The energy in the room was simply amazing-he had every fan singing along with him.

Justin Timberlake’s "20/20 Experience World Tour" is a show like no other. A moving stage, incredible effects, and extraordinary vocals make for a memorable night. No review can do the connection Justin has to his fans justice, it just has to be experienced. It truly was a ’20/20 Experience’.

Didn’t get to see the "20/20 Experience World Tour" this time around? He’s coming back! Catch him at the TD Garden this summer on July 19th.

See more photos from the night below:

CONCERT REVIEW: Beyonce Shows Us Why She is the Queen at "Mrs. Carter Show" in Boston

Seven days after surprising the world and releasing a record breaking album out of nowhere, superstar Beyoncé brought her “Mrs. Carter Show World Tour” back to the TD Garden in Boston for the second leg of the tour- and fans did not turn down for this one. The show was completely sold out, with the “Beyhive” in full attendance. Beyoncé was a little late in taking the stage, but the crowd could not have cared less. As it turns out, Mrs. Carter was actually at a Walmart outside of Boston in Tewskbury and gave all 750 shoppers in the store a 50 dollar gift card (total of $37,500)! Never have I heard of an artist being late because he or she was out doing good - bravo to you, Queen Bey.

The lights shut off, and everyone went absolutely insane. Beyoncé rose from under the stage (wearing her typical sparkly-getup) to deafening alarm sounds and pyrotechnics. Bow Down Bitches.

Beyonce performs onstage on her Mrs. Carter World Tour, on Friday, December 20, 2013 at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. (Photo by Robin Harper/Invision for Parkwood Entertainment/AP)

Along with songs from her previous album “4”, Mrs. Carter performed some of her classic hits like “Naughty Girl”, “Crazy in Love” and more. But one of the biggest highlights from the night was when the opening rifts from “Irreplaceable” came on and Bey grabbed onto a harness and flew across the crowd wearing a dazzling-blue jumpsuit. That’s right. Beyoncé flew over the jam-packed GA floor to the “Bey Stage”, where she greeted the thousands who may not have had such a great view of her from the main stage (and the big-tag VIP purchasers “in” the stage). This was where she showed how much love she had for her fans. At one point, she put her microphone down, sat down on the edge of the stage and hugged a little girl (who started to cry). This appreciation wasn’t just for the VIP fans either. The “Single Ladies” singer walked around the “Beystage” and touched as many hands as she could, saying “Thanks”. I find it great that Beyoncé recognizes the fact that it’s because of the “Beyhive” that she is so famous today. There are many artists in the industry who forget this, so it’s refreshing to see the love pouring out from her into the crowd. Bey showed her love even more by going all out on “Love on Top” and finishing her “Beystage” act with the throwback “Survivor” before flying back over to the main stage.

Beyonce performs onstage on her Mrs. Carter World Tour, on Friday, December 20, 2013 at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. (Photo by Robin Harper/Invision for Parkwood Entertainment/AP)

Perhaps, though, the most special part of the night was the last song. Although she did perform “XO” off of her newest album “BEYONCÉ” (which was a highlight), “Halo” took the gold. This was the simplest performance of the night, which was what made it so special. Mrs. Carter walked around the stage thanking everybody, even waving up to the people in the balcony sections. She made her way to both front VIP pits, and once again showed her love for the fans. Bey kept thanking everyone for coming, which truly showed how grateful she was for the opportunity to entertain the city of Boston. No dancing, no fire, no visuals on the screen, just Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and her fans.

Beyonce performs onstage on her Mrs. Carter World Tour, on Friday, December 20, 2013 at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. (Photo by Robin Harper/Invision for Parkwood Entertainment/AP)

Reflecting on the “Mrs. Carter Show”, I definitely can say that it was one of the best concerts I’ve seen. This was truly a work of art, not just with the music and vocals, but also the dancing, the stage, the lights, and the confetti raining down during “Single Ladies”. Everything just worked together to create a natural-feeling set, a feeling I haven’t gotten many times at concerts in the past. The only thing I would have liked to see more of were performances off of her new album. However, that’s to be expected as it dropped mid-tour, and wouldn’t have been realistic as it would’ve required new choreography, etc.

I highly recommend seeing Beyoncé the next time she comes to a city near you. For tour dates and more info on the “Mrs. Carter Show World Tour”, visit Beyoncé’s official website.

Special thanks to Parkwood Entertainment.