This started as an idea. Not even an idea but a passing thought that I pushed out of my brain quickly. But then the thought came back and back until it turned not just into an idea but into reality.
I bought tickets to see Zac Brown Band with “very special guests” OneRepublic back in like February. I absolutely LOVED seeing OneRepublic last year and could not miss them this year. I’m not the biggest Zac Brown fan but knew I could get into the music and enjoy the show, which I did by the way as I started listening to the music. One day I hope to see Zac Brown in concert.
Then Panic! At the Disco announced a tour stop in Detroit on the same day as OneRepublic/Zac Brown and I waved it off as not meant to be this time. They’ll tour again. But then I started thinking about seeing both OneRepublic and Panic!. I mentioned it to my friend Jay when we saw Imagine Dragons. “Oooohh, two shows in one night. Have you done that?” he asked. No, but it sounded cool.
He probably would have joined me on this adventure but he was in New York seeing Dave Matthews for the 200 some odd time. So I had to enlist Mom and Dad who were surprisingly easy to convince.
It’s a hard idea to pass up since there are few opportunities in any cities around the world to not only see two bands at two different concerts at two different venues in the same night but be able to walk between them. When Little Caesars Arena opened nearly a year ago, it meant Detroit’s four sports teams, three primary event venues, and the vast majority of the area’s concerts would be within blocks of each other.
At the time, I considered this idea with a sigh, thinking of nothing but the traffic and parking nightmare that would ensue when two or potentially all three venues held an event. Oh, how much has changed in a year.
I picked tickets for Panic! up that morning and actually wish I would have waited a little longer as late in the day, third row seats were released. Next time I’ll know what to do!
We parked at LCA for easy in and out, as well as the comfort of knowing we didn’t have to walk back to Comerica at the end of the night for our car. The warm, cloudy night made for a nice walk over to Comerica Park for OneRepublic. We raced for our seats and before long the band took the stage.
As I said before, I LOVE OneRepublic, and they gave the performance their all. Ryan Tedder’s vocal gymnastics and the entire band’s instrumental prowess are exceptional. They sang almost all their hits with the glaring exception of Kids and found a way to authentically interact with the crowd. Ryan even grabbed someone’s beer and took a drink during one of the songs.
OneRepublic was as good as I remember, if not better. But, the show itself was disappointing. There’s frankly no other word for it, but it wasn’t because of them. The crowd was still filing in and for the most part not at all interested in what was taking place on the stage. The fact that it was light out and the two bands are completely different genres with completely different fanbases, left the energy in the stadium low.
Comerica Park isn’t the best venue for concerts and I wonder if Zac Brown could even fill it with the kind of energy the best shows have. I haven’t seen a show there since NSYNC almost two decades ago and that’s probably with good reason. Ryan said OneRepublic will have a new album and tour soon and I cannot wait to see them again in their element and a more intimate venue.
We pretty much literally ran over to Little Caesars Arena when OneRepublic left the stage and took the elevator down to the floor where the screen said Panic! At the Disco was taking the stage in thirty seconds. Whew! Perfect timing!
If the energy at Comerica Park was an empty swimming pool, the energy in LCA was the Pacific Ocean. From the time we entered until the moment the band walked off the stage, there was so much singing, screaming, dancing, cheering that it filled the entire arena and with it my soul. Shows like that are why I love seeing concerts. They are why live music is so powerful.
Like Ryan Tedder, Brendon Urie has some serious pipes that he showcases throughout the show (I don’t know how he does it night after night), along with drum, guitar, and piano playing, and a killer backflip I wish I had gotten on video. He was recently on Broadway in Kinky Boots and he brings the same energy and electricity to the concert.
The band went through all of their hits, 28 songs in total, and though like most shows there was a small lull in the middle, the songs were intoxicating live given Brendon’s talent. He gave it his all and the crowd gave it right back. The power of that is really hard to explain but something I hope everyone experiences at least once in their lives.
Some of my favorite songs were Hey Look Ma I Made It, Hallelujah, Nine in the Afternoon, This is Gospel, High Hopes, and the entire encore of Say Amen, I Write Sins Not Tragedies (one of the first songs I ever downloaded on iTunes forever ago), and Victorious.
Toward the end of the primary set, Brendon walked through the crowd to get to the piano in the back of the arena that would take flight and bring him back to the main stage. When they laid tape on the floor, I knew he would turn right before our section, and I was a little bummed, but it was still really cool to see him interacting with fans. Next time maybe I’ll get a high five or even a hug.
Before long the show was over, I grabbed some confetti floating through the air on the way out and even sadder than the show being over, was the night being over. I did something incredibly cool that there is a good chance I will never do again. I will forever cherish the memories I made that night. It is nights like that when problems and fears fade away and we really were victorious and living the good life.
Leave a Reply