Concert Series: Lady GaGa

Okay, let's get right to the good stuff! On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of seeing Lady GaGa at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland, Ore., with my good friend, @willyumbeck.

The venue itself was a little underwhelming and had a small stage compared to similar theaters in Portland (Crystal Ballroom, Roseland, etc.). However, the acoustics weren't awful, and the venue didn't take away from this truly stunning show.

First of all, I have to start off by saying: GaGa is a wonder. Her fashion, musical style, persona and overall lifestyle are extremely unique, and I can't think of a single artist today that compares to her in terms of individuality. She does pretty much whatever she damn well pleases (including never wearing pants), and she doesn't take no for an answer.

The theatrics, costumes, choreography and staging of the concert were phenomenal and unlike anything I'd ever seen. I know that I very recently said that Katy Perry's show was the best I'd seen, but GaGa may have just climbed her way to the top.

Thanks to the musical styling of Space Cowboy (GaGa's on-hand DJ), the concert was a non-stop dancing frenzy--I don't think I've ever sweat so much in my life! Each song was beautifully mixed with a few added sound bites and mash-ups from various songs on GaGa's record, "The Fame."

She began the set with an Andy Warhol-esque video, which ended with her saying: "My name is...Lady GaGa, and this is my house"--at which point the crowd went WILD. The energy was great and the crowd seemed into the performance.

Although her singing often varied from her "studio voice," she sounded amazing and held her long notes well (which is impressive considering her genre). Her voice was striking and quite deep, pairing well with her "dance-glam-rock" tracks. There were times when she put down the mic and performed intense dance routines while the DJ mixed the backtracks, but she got away with it because of her sheer brilliance and unparalleled stage presence--you can't help but marvel at this woman's dance moves!

About halfway through the set, she took it down a notch and played an acoustic version of "Poker Face" on a spectacularly glowy piano filled with bubbles, which perfectly matched her outfit made of, what else? Bubbles. She had four outfit changes throughout the show, all of which were equally outrageous and unique. She also debuted a brand new song, "Future Love," during which she serenaded a glowing rubber manikin and played the piano with her HEEL.


Another of my favorite outfits was her zebra-striped chest plate with bottoms (above), which matched a similarly striped Vespa that she mounted and "drove" during parts of "Eh, Eh" and "Money Honey."

She ended the set with two encore songs: "Boys Boys Boys" (a play on the 80s song "Girls Girls Girls" and a personal favorite) and the dance version of "Poker Face." There wasn't a single moment during her set when I was bored. The energy was high, the singing was wonderful, the staging was awe-inspiring, and the choreography was phenomenal.

Although the set seemed a little short (she didn't even play through her one whole record), GaGa most definitely didn't disappoint. Her skills as both a musician and an artist are truly apparent when you see her live, and I highly recommend catching one of her shows if you get the chance--she IS the next big thing.

**Pictures taken by me :)

Linky Love

This is another double linky love post of some of my faves from the past two weeks (lots of social media tips to share!):

Social Media:

Facebook's Thiel Explains Failed Twitter Takeover (Business Week)
Skittles Relinquishes Control (bub.blicio.us)
An Introduction to Social Media for Undergrads (Young PR)
Are You Active? Including Social Media on Your Resume (PRos in Training)
Do You Censor Yourself on Social Media (The MarCompass)
HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter (Mashable)

General PR & Communications:
5 Ways to Become a Better Writer (PRowl Public Relations)
Surviving the Recession as a Public Relations Professional (Consuming PR)

Videos and Music:

"LDN" by Lily Allen


"Kittens Inspired by Kittens"


"Future Love" by Lady GaGa (watch this just to see the awesome piano and costume!)

Would You Buy a Record if...

In light of the recent Chris Brown and Rihanna debacle, Amy Winehouse's numerous drunken and drugged-up escapades, and Lily Allen's supposed "alcohol problem," a question has come to mind: How much can celebrities get away with before fans stop buying their music? Do their behaviors even impact sales?

According to Soundscan, the weeks following Chris Brown's violent attack on Rihanna haven't impacted his record sales--he's been selling a steady 3,000 records per week! Something about that seems very wrong to me...maybe it's the fact that he beat his girlfriend and never offered a legitimate apology, and then manipulated her into getting back together with him?

Personally, I wasn't a huge Chris Brown fan to begin with, but after these recent events I absolutely refuse to have anything to do with him or his music. However, I have several friends who couldn't care less about the situation and continue listening to and buying his music--some of them even think it's funny to joke about!

On a lesser scale, there are musicians who perpetually embarrass themselves with alcohol- and drug-related incidents. How do these events and bad publicity impact record sales? Is it possible that this type of media coverage actually increases interest and record sales?

There's no doubt that stars with their names constantly in the headlines are more widely recognized; however, if you're perusing artists in a record store (or on iTunes these days), would you pick up a Rihanna or Chris Brown CD and listen to it or consider buying it because you had heard the ruckus involving the two on the news?

To be honest, I think there might be something to be said for celebs that frequent the gossip column. Thinking back to when I first heard about Lily Allen, it was in some obscure news article about her drunken "fight" with Elton John at the GQ Men of the Year Awards. A short while later, I saw her name flash across the headlines again for a different drunken tirade. At that time, I happened to be looking for some new music to add to my collection, and I decided to give Lily a listen because I remembered seeing her name--I'm now a huge fan.

So, does this mean that negative publicity actually attracted me to her music?

What do you think? Have you ever bought a CD or explored an artist after hearing something (or several somethings) negative about them in the press?

Click, Link, Love

I again want to apologize for the lack of posts as of late. Finishing the last term of college, working and moving to a new city occupy more time than I would like!

The good news--I've collected some great blog posts, Web sites and videos from the past two weeks to tide you over until I can begin writing again this coming weekend:

Communication and Productivity:
The Mad Ninja Skill for Getting Anything Done (Remarkable Communication)
Old Answers on How to Get From Stuck to Traveling Fast (Guest post from Liz Strauss on chrisbrogan.com)
Using a SWOT Analysis in Your Career Planning (quintcareers.com)

New Media:
What Is Your Definition of Web 2.0? (New Media Chatter)

PR:
Advice for Young PR Pros (eyecube)
Facebook and the Reality of Your Online Content (PR 2.0)

Social Media:
Twitter Professors: 18 People to Follow for a Real Time Education (Mashable)
Social Marketing vs. "Social Marketing" Smackdown (Spare Change)
Social Music (Mashable)--great series of posts on social media sites
Nation's First "Twisitor Center" Launches in Portland (Travel Oregon)

Just for Fun:
"Web Users Make Their Own 'Obamicons'" (NY Times)
"Iha, Carlos, Hanson, Schlesinger Form Band" (Billboard)
Dax the Golden Retriever (The Daily Puppy)--If you're ever having a bad day you must visit this site!
Lily Allen Live @ KCRW

Temporary Hiatus

Unfortunately I have reached a point in my life where I don't have time to dedicate to writing a witty and insightful blog each week, so I will be taking a temporary hiatus (only two or three weeks, so not too long I promise!).

I am rapidly approaching the end of my college career, and I subsequently have many loose ends to tie up before moving on to the next stage in my life. I will try to continue posting useful blog, video and article links each week, but it will all depend on the time I have in between projects, finals, moving and all that other fun stuff :)

Thank you for understanding my situation. I promise you will be hearing from me again very soon!

Love is in the Air

I'm taking a page out of Kelli Matthews' book this week and posting a (well-categorized) "linky love" list of my favorite blogs, videos and songs for the week.

General PR:
Personal Branding 101: How to Discover and Create Your Brand (Mashable): It's a little more than a week old, but it goes hand-in-hand with my next recommended read :)
Personal Branding 102: How to Communicate & Maintain Your Brand (Mashable)
This Week's Tip: Press Releases (PRowl Public Relations)
Awareness vs Branding (PR News Blog)

Humor:
The Cupid Disease: A Valentine's Lament (Couric & Co.)

Social Media:
Social Music: Top 5 Music Recommendation Services (Mashable)
E-book on Social Media Marketing (PR Squared): Had a chance to read the beginning of this already--highly recommend it to all PR practitioners/social media evangelists.

Song and Video Recommendations (not released this week, but ones that I'm currently enjoying):

"The Fear" by Lily Allen


"My Life Would Suck Without You" by Kelly Clarkson (such a CUTE video!)


"Just Dance (Live at MTV Sessions)" by Lady GaGa

Grammys Join the Social Media Frenzy

Following the current (and successful) trend of using social media to market events and engage the public, the 2009 Grammy Awards have targeted several popular social networks to engage this year's viewers.

The most notable of these is the "My Grammy Moment" contest, in which users were asked to submit a :30-1:00 video clip of themselves singing/lip-syncing/dancing to Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl," which is nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Out of the hundreds of submissions, the three with the highest number of votes will be played during Katy's live performance February 8 at 8 p.m. (et/pt). Then, out of these three, the one with the total highest votes will win $5000!

I'd say that's pretty good motivation to watch and participate in the Grammy Awards, don't ya think?

The Recording Academy has also created a revamped Facebook page, with frequent updates about nominees, performers and presenters. There are several pictures and videos of this year's performers practicing their routines and loosening up their vocal chords. The page also contains an RSS feed of the Grammy Twitter (@TheGRAMMYs) account, which most recently commented that "Carrie Underwood's rehearsing now, rocking a pair of cowboy boots. She has four guitarists."

Twitter, of course, is the capstone on this year's social media Grammy Awards. Surprisingly, @TheGRAMMYs has almost as many followers as it is following, which is uncommon for many "corporate" Twitterers. Within 10 minutes of following the Recording Academy, I received a request to be followed back (impressive!). While the Academy is obviously not replying to the majority of its followers, it's nice to know that there's a real person behind the account rather than a robot.

The Twitter craze has been wildly successful in the past month during both the Superbowl and the Presidential Inauguration. I mildly participated in the discussions on Inauguration Day, but I was still unsure of the best way to participate (with several hundred responses every few seconds it's difficult to get a word in!). However, during the Superbowl I really got into it and had a blast!

I think this is a great way for the Grammys to engage more viewers. It allows us humble non-celebrities to participate in the world of glitz and glamor for a few hours by commenting on our favorite fashions, performances, acceptance speeches and outlandish moments (of which there are bound to be several).

I have always been a fan of the Grammy Awards, but in recent years I feel like the show has lost some of its luster. This year is already looking very promising, and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings! (I think I'm most looking forward to M.I.A.'s performance, considering tomorrow is her DUE DATE, and she's about to pop!)

*Image taken from The Recording Academy Facebook page.