Justifiable Concepts | Art Blog of NVC

My Time With The Lonely Hearts Club: Marina and The Diamonds Concert

 Hello my followers, onlookers, and passerby folks!

On Saturday May 11th, 2013 I had the opportunity and pleasure of accompanying my little cousin, Maddy, to her first concert ever. She decided to forgo her prom in favor of seeing her favorite artist, Indie Pop singer Marina and The Diamonds! Now those who know me know that I have quite the versatile taste when it comes to music…as an artist myself I feel it almost a necessity to have an open love for different types of music especially since it inspires me so fervently! I can say with confidence that after going to see Marina and The Diamonds live, I can add an Indie Pop singer to that list of beloved artist.

A Little Back Story:

I came to know of Marina’s work through my little cousin some time ago when she thankfully took time away from obsessing about One Direction to show me some videos of Marina singing her hits live on YouTube. My cousin explained that Marina is considered an indie pop star before she proceeded to play some songs for me. In my head I had the bias of pop that followed such songs as “We Found Love” by Rihanna…that is to say that perhaps the songs I was about to hear from this Marina and The Diamonds would have little substance but is great for dancing or for working out to or what have you. Let’s face it a lot of pop music has been all about that style for quite some time now, so can I be blamed for thinking such things? However, as I listened to more and more of Marina’s songs that day I came to realize that all of her works had something that little other pop songs around currently have…substance.

Yes, there are catchy hooks and cool beats to her work but underneath all of that lies lyrical stories that capture her fans by the heart and soul. “Pop songs with heart!?” I wondered to myself. “Well this is different.” The story telling ability is what warmed me up to Marina. That and…well…her ability to sing! Her voice has a very operatic tone to it, come to find out her grandmother was once an opera singer herself, to me that is quite unique for a pop artist. As we continued through some of Marina’s songs for the first time my cousin plays for me the hit “I Am Not A Robot” and it was there that I realized that this was not my first run in with Marina. Thanks to Hoodie Allen, an Idie Rap artist, I’ve heard the chorus of that song before! Thus cemented my liking of this talented young lady.

A few months after that day my cousin texts me and lets me know that Marina’s tour, “The Lonely Hearts Club” was coming to LA and wondered if I wanted to go with her to see Marina and The Diamonds live. I said “sure,” and it was a good thing I did or perhaps she would have not been able to attend, since really she was the only fan in her house hold.

The Adventure Begins:

I say the adventure begins because between the time of purchasing the tickets and the day that it was going to be held the venue was changed due to an abundance of fans capturing the opportunity to go to this event. It was plucked from the Kodak Club and moved to the historic Shrine! Also, around this time I had wanted to make something for my cousin to help commemorate the day and wanted to make some shirts with original designs on it. That, however, never saw the light of day due to life! I was determined though to make something for my cousin and went to work on different various sketches and ideas then quicker than I could realize the concert was only a few days away. Due to a creative block during the time I had came up with idea of drawing something for my cousin I was only able to pull something together the week of the darn concert!

The day had finally arrived and I was working on the second idea I had and hoped that perhaps after the show my cousin could meet Marina and get it signed by her and just complete the evening for my cousin. My cousin was filled with nervous energy and was eager to get to the venue as early as she can thanks to its open standing arrangement. Fortunately my aunt was quite the concert goer in her youth and knew exactly what to do to get a good view in these types of situations. She sat us down and shared her advice on how to approach the whole thing, it felt as close to a wartime briefing as I would ever get! The time came for us to head out as we pack into the van we headed over to LA, which took about 30 minutes. As we pull up to The Shrine we gaze upon the long line of Marina fans both young and older. I was quite amazed to see so many people all ready there. As we were getting closer to getting dropped off the realization hit that the tickets were not in our possession, in fact it was sitting on the desk all the way back at my aunts house! I witnessed the most depressed look on my cousin’s face that I have ever seen in her lifetime! There was no other way, we had to go all the way back and get those darn tickets. So, we did.

Now, I am a firm believer that all things work out in the end so for me this little set back was just that, a little set back, but I know that my cousin was freaking the F out. We would find out later that all of that would work out to our favor! We get the tickets, we get some food and we get there in good time.

The Crowd Was Electric:

Even with the long wait outside of The Shrine for some, the crowd was excited. You knew they were all there to have a good time, to see someone whom so many of them considered to be one of their idols. My cousin and I stood amongst the crowd and couldn’t help but over hear the stories being told, the jokes being shared with friends and just all around positive vibe coming off of most of the crowd…but of course what would you expect from a gathering of excited young ladies? There were some males there but most of the fan base is young women and all that went through my head was…”Oh man I know I’m going to be deaf by the time this is over.” Not because of the speakers but I know the capacity of a young girls vocal cords when she gets excited! I was spot on with that thought my friends!

Near pandemonium struck when the doors to the hall swung open and the crowd pushed forward and forward trying to go from being outside to being in. Then all of that abruptly stopped. The Shrine employees took control of it all thankfully. It was a funny and, simultaneously, eye-opening experience to have observed people moving like a heard of cattle toward one singular goal…get in the doors and book it to the stage! Amazed, my cousin and I chuckled and shook our heads, we had no clue it would be like that. We stuck to the game plan of sticking to the outside of the group and making our way through the crowd. Though some folks pushed passed us in the beginning we found ourselves passing them up and get very close to the front of the line to get in in no time. We enter The Shrine and push our way onto the floor and got a great spot to enjoy the experience.

- A thought on the format of open standing events…be prepared. People push and shove and disregard personal space like there is no tomorrow! If you don’t stand your ground you will be knocked over!

Marina’s Performance Was Something Else:

The opening act for Marina had finished up her set and headed off. The Shrine workers set up the simple stage for the headliner and tested out everything and a DJ played some songs and just the mere thought that Marina was going to make her grand entrance soon put a fire in the souls of all the concert goers. They were singing, laughing, taking “selfies” and even dancing a little bit despite the fact that we were all pretty much packed in there like a bunch of sardines in a can and that the temperature was as hot as a summer day in Las Vegas but with more humidity! It did not matter, Marina was coming up soon and all they wanted to do was witness that which they had looked forward to for months.

Slowly the fog machine filled the stage up, then the band came out and screams errupted. The neon “Electra Heart” sign started to flicker and the excited screams became stronger. The main lights dim then the show lights started to work their magic. The band starts up and a spot light pops on and there in all of her elegance walked in Marina. It was full blown ear drum erupting fanatic yells and cheers! The singer readies herself and begins to sing. All in attendance were in awe…at least I know I was! Not only was her singing voice magnificent on record, it seemed as though it was even better in person! She truly is one talented young lady. Through out the concert I admired the way she used the whole stage when she sang. Her movement was fluid…ballerina-esque even.

She didn’t just mimic her songs on stage like a tape record she put even more character into them. In between some of her songs she would set up her next one and let her personality come through. Quick witted and genuine she talked to the crowd and it made it seem that she genuinely appreciated every single fan in attendance there, I have no doubt that she truly did. The whole thing was a great time for my cousin and myself.

Marina put on an awesome show and I am thoroughly glad that I was able to accompany my cousin to her very first concert. For me that was the highlight of the night. Seeing and experiencing the excitement on my little cousin’s face. It made every bump, grope and sweat bead worth it! Here’s to you Maddy! And here’s to Marina and The Diamonds for being a cool lady! Thanks to that concert I feel re-invigorated and inspired. I’m definitely past my creative block…thanks for the inspiration, Marina!

[Like she’ll ever see this! Ha]

Take care all!

Till Next Time

-Nelson

See Post tags #marinaandthediamonds #concert #art #article #pics #copicart #fun