Coldplay @ Nissan Pavilion 5/21/09

Last night I saw Coldplay in concert at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Virginia. I interned with Live Nation-DC last summer in their booking office and my former boss is awesome and hooked me up with section 101 seats (read: OMG).

I’ve always wanted to see Coldplay live, it’s been a “something to do before I die,” and I was very happy to experience it with my awesome friend Sarah who enjoys their music just as much as I do (click the link, she blogged about our concert adventure too!).

Despite the fact that Chris Martin (lead singer, Coldplay) loves himself more than he should (read: outrageous ego), I couldn’t help but really like him! He said “Thank you” after every song, and really let the audience know that he appreciated our time, support and money (Ok, he didn’t say money, but lets be honest…).

He kept saying something that was a little odd: “This is our last time in Washington, D.C. for long time” or “I don’t know when we’ll be back here yet.” Are they going on a break? Are they breaking up? Does this mean, “don’t expect an album anytime soon”?

Hum.

Nonetheless, the show was fantastic and I’m currently suffereing “Post Concert Depression- that sad feeling you feel after experiencing a great show, knowing you won’t experience that same moment again. Something I love about concerts is the audience/community aspect- You’re best friends with the stranger sitting next to you and everyone is a family. Ah, it’s a beautiful thing! Seriously, when the concert started EVERYONE was screaming and cheering, it was almost emotional- I literally said to Sarah, “I feel like I’m going to cry!!”

Anyways, the set list is below, the staging was awesome, and I couldn’t have imagined a better night.

-pictures after the jump-

SET LIST:

Life In Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Yellow
Glass Of Water
Cemeteries Of London
42
Fix You
Strawberry Swing
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)
Talk (techno version)
The Hardest Part (Chris piano)
Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)
Viva La Vida
Lost!
Green Eyes (acoustic)
Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic – Will vocals)
I’m A Believer (Neil Diamond Cover – acoustic)
Viva La Vida (remix interlude)
——
Politik
Lovers In Japan
Death And All His Friends
——-
The Scientist
Life in Technicolor ii
The Escapist (outro)

Because our tix were free, we felt as though it was ok to purchase $16 frozen Margaritas:

Definitely delicious:

The moment the show started:

Butterfly confetti:

Sarah and I with the Butterfly confetti:

The stage during Strawberry Swing (my favorite song):

Bouncing yellow balloons filled with confetti during Yellow:
(side note: Sarah’s been waiting to see this happen for 9 years!
She heard about it in 9th grade after someone saw them in concert)

Final view of the stage:

This picture was taken by NDwas and it is awesome:

When Companies “Get” Social Media

I always get really excited when companies and brands that I’m familiar with have a strong social media presence and utilize it well. Nothing is more aggravating than seeing a company fake their online savviness. Just because your company has a Facebook profile and follow a million people Twitter, does not mean you’re a leader in social media. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m always a little offended when a company decides to follow me on Twitter, regardless if I would actually benefit from their services or product. Shouldn’t a company engage in social media to connect with their key audience, not to the faceless masses?

I’m very passionate about two things: The Music Industry and Social Media. To feed my hunger for the Music Industry, I manage a band, Earthtone. Seeing as the band is pretty young (they’ve been together since April) and they’re the first band I’ve ever managed independently, most of our work is DIY and “grassroots” (as is the general direction of the Music Industry these days). One resource we’ve begun to utilize is Sonicbids, “a Web site that helps bands get gigs, and promoters book the right bands.” Their mission is, “To empower the artistic middle class.”

A few weeks ago, I was setting up Earthtone’s account on Sonicbids and I came across a few obstacles. My first instinct was to go to Twitter (I may or may not be obsessed…). I tweeted and asked if anyone had any experience using Sonicbids. Within the hour, I received direct messages from two Sonicbids employees, at the tune of “Hey Meghan. Saw your tweet about Sonicbids. Is there anything in particular you’re wondering? Feel free to email at ……!”

WOW! I was impressed with their response and eagerness to help. I sent an e-mail to the address, asked for some troubleshooting advice. I was still having problems (on my part, not theirs) and the fine folks at Sonicbids had me e-mail them my files, and they put together the parts of the profile that I was having trouble with. Having spent most of my summer internship on the phone with the Help Desk because I used a computer that ran Windows 98 (really, Live Nation?!), I was expecting a long and tedious process to get my problems solved, but it was fixed almost immediately.

I’m always suspect when I use a site’s anonymous “contact us” e-mail address or submission form. I want to know that my question is important and that my concern will be heard. Thanks to social media, companies and brands are able to engage with their customers, fast and more efficiently.

A Marketing Vox article, “How-To: Using Twitter to Build Brand Integrity” highlights several great strategies for companies and brands (IMO, Sonicbids is right on track). A few key points include:

• Don’t just be casual; be personal. Enterprise blogging works best when a blogger is frank about what’s happening in his company. But it is generally understood that the blogger will not discuss his personal life. On Twitter, people expect to learn about you. Only then will they care about your company. The CEO of Zappos generated a sizable following for taking this philosophy to heart. He addresses Zappos employees and Zappos issues, but he also shares the things he saw while walking to the airport.

• Be responsive. When you address the CEO of Zappos, he replies to you. The sense you “know” him contributes to goodwill surrounding the brand, which many people already have strong positive feelings about. If you don’t have time for Twitter, find an employee or brand advocate who does. It will probably serve you better if people build relationships with your warm and friendly intern, versus with cold and negligent you.

• Ask for help. From time to time, ask followers what they think about a given campaign or product. Consider their advice. Tell them if you incorporate it. This lends the sense your company values them — not merely as users but as friends with sound opinions.

[Visit the link for more points and further detail]

What companies and brands do you engaged with that use social media effectively?

What advice would you give to a company that is breaking into social media?

Keeping our Passions in Perspective

As I wait tables and figure out my life, I manage a band. They’re called Earthtone and they’re some of the most passionate individuals I know. Honestly, these guys live and breathe for the opportunity to share their music with others.

A huge thing I love about them is their ability to dream big. To them, the sky is the limit and no idea is impossible. Personally, I look at life quite realistically- I think about all the “if’s,” “ands,” or “buts,” and evaluate the pros and cons before actually pursuing an idea. Now, this doesn’t mean I won’t pursue something if it seems “hard” or “impossible,” but I definitely consider and weigh the options before doing so; I want to know what I’m up against.

About two months ago when I became their manager, Earthtone decided that they wanted to perform at Howard University’s annual Homecoming concert, Yardfest. It didn’t matter that the deadline to register to perform had passed, these guys had it set that they would perform at HU’s Yardfest. They did their research, contacted the head of the steering committee, got an extension, and had their application and demo in his hands the following week.

Two weeks later, we got a personal call from the head of the steering committee saying Earthtone had been selected to perform and that they were among the top picks for the show. Yardfest is nothing short of a big deal: legends such as Jay-Z, Kanye West and Diddy (P.Diddy, Puff Daddy, Sean Jean, Sean Combs…tomato tomato) have graced the Yard. Needless to say, it was an honor for the boys to be selected and invited to perform.

This past Friday was Yardfest. I was up at 8am preparing and getting ready to face the traffic that would inevitability invade DC for the event. As we checked in and prepared to head backstage, the staff told us they were already big fans of Earthtone and were excited to see them perform. Shortly after checking in, Earthtone was called to stand on deck, they were going on next.

As the host introduced the group as, “a fresh sound out of Richmond, Virginia” the boys jumped up on stage and really got the crowd going. Up until the boys went on, the crowd had been quite unresponsive; Earthtone changed that. People were cheering, dancing, clapping, singing along (mind you, the song was new to the crowd).

While all of this was going on, I stood on the back of the stage with tears in my eyes. What I was witnessing was so beautiful: people boldly pursuing their passion. I felt so blessed to be able to help them do it.

With the state of the economy and lack of job security these days, it’s easy to loose sight of our dreams, and settle for security. Being a band manager is stressful, there really is no specific blue print as to how to go about it, and really, its not easy. But moments like standing on stage watching people I care about fully pursue their passion, reminds me why I decided to become their manager.

A few days ago I was organizing files on my external hard drive and I came across my application for admission to the Music Industry program that I completed in college. One part of the application required us to outline our “professional goals.”

As I read it, I realized that I was on track to achieving my goals in the music industry, it just it took the help of people doing what they love to remind me.

“I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn’t resolve.
But I was outside Bagdad Theatre in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for 15 minutes, and he never opened his eyes.

After that I liked jazz music.

Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself.
It is as if they are showing you the way.”
-Don Miller, Blue Like Jazz

Earthtone and their Manager at Howard University’s Yardfest, October 17th, 2008

If someone asks me what I’m doing with my life again…

My life is 100% unlike what I thought it would be a year ago and I’m still working on deciding if I’m OK with this. 

I spent the summer of 2007 in New York City interning with Universal Music Group. Besides having a fabulous internship and learing about an industry that I absolutely love, I was living “on my own” in the city. By living on my own, of course, I mean I was housed at Columbia University with about 400 interns from all over the country (clearly, a recipe for an amazing summer).

At the end of that summer and throughout my senior year in college, I was determined to move back to the city. New York City embodied a mix of the diverse cultures I had experienced throughout my childhood while living and traveling overseas and throughout America. New York offered a geographic location that was indpendent of my family, but still only four hours away. New York, as they say, offered coutless opprotunities. Come spring semester of my senior year, my resume and cover letters were polished, I was ready to get a job in New York.

 

….and then I realized how “hard” it was, and that I really didn’t know what I wanted to do.

 

I love the music and entertainment industry. Throughtout my life, I’ve graced the stage numerous times, in various capacities. When on stage, you experience an amazing feeling that cannot be described and my ideal job would consist of helping people obtain that feeling…but where do I start?

Do I return to a record label, despite the ups and downs happening in the industry now?
Do I get a job at a PR firm, hoping to be given an account that deals with entertainment?

After graduation in May, I ended up getting a summer internship with Live Nation, the worlds largest concert promoter. This was definitely a great opprotunity to learn about the concert production aspect of the music industry. I had hoped that I would work there for the summer, live at home and save up enough money to afford to move to New York by the end of August.  

That plan seemed so realistic in my head, but when I began to break it down, things weren’t so clear:

While this internship was paid, I wasn’t being paid enough.
Yes, I was living at home, but I didn’t do a good job budgeting my non-income.
Anyone who looks at my resume will tell me “You have great experience!” but most PR agencies or record labels will start a fresh grad in an “assistant” position, with a salary that is reasonable for any place other than NYC.

So, here we are now. Labor Day has come and gone, and even if the calendar doesn’t agree, summer is over and I have some choices to make.

A common factor in any decision I make, is that it will revolve around the Washington D.C. area. I am going to join the 77% of my fellow 2008 grads and live at home. Though I have very limited expenses, I have learned that saving money and being financially responsible is at the top of my priorities. If I live at home, I can put away a big chunk of money and be prepared for when I do make “the big move” somewhere. 

Now, do I spend this year “starting my career” (whatever that means) or do I work a “fun/random/exciting job” to make money? I’m kind of torn between the two, but I’m leaning towards “fun/random/exciting job.” I recently took a weekend trip to Los Angeles, and I was really debating if it was worth the money to do it, but my parents persuaded me to go, saying, “You’re young, you’ll never be this free again.”

 

“…you’ll never be this free again.”

 

I think this is the part where I attempt to bring everything full circle, and make a grand decision about what the next step in my post-undergrad life will be. Honestly, the truth is, I have absolutely no idea what I will do next. My internship ends on Friday, and after that, who knows. Waitress, substitute teacher, barista, professional dog walker, personal assistant….or public relations associate, marketing assistant, entry-level [fill in the blank here].

 

The only certainty: an adventure is sure to follow.

Finding Music on MySpace

At 22 years old, I haven’t established my self as a sound expert on anything particular quite yet, but there are a few things I believe I have a strong knack for. Finding, listening, and sharing new music is a staple in my life.

I often take credit for many of my friends choices in music and favorite bands. Daily I’m sending messages with MySpace links, YouTube clips, and news articles regarding an artist to band. Having performed for many years of my childhood in dance classes, piano lesson, church musicals and choirs, jump rope and other sports teams (yes, jump rope team!), and high school theater, I know how good it feels to perform.

With that in mind, I want to help other people attain that feeling. The easiest way I know how to do that is by telling others about their music, art, talent, etc.

Normally, If I’m looking for today’s most popular and current music, I’ll venture over to MySpace. What I like about MySpace is that when you are on an artist’s page that you like,  you can normally find artists of similar style in their top friends list.

So, for example:
I discovered an artist named Tyler James last winter. I loved his music- it’s labled “indy/folk/pop” on MysSpace, but really, its awesome, raw and true music. After discovering him, I looked at his “top friends” on his MySpace page and found a lot of great artists with a similar style and sound.

Some new favorites I found from Tyler James’s page include:

Paper Route
Andy Davis
Katie Herzig
Erin McCarley

 If you’re in the mood for some summer-y (embrace it, it’s almost over!) music, check out Jack Johnson
and his “top friends.” They bring some of the best drive-with-your-windows-down-sun-in-your-face
type of music.

Money Mark
Matt Costa
G. Love & the Special Sauce