Popped!

Hubs and I went to the Popped! Music Festival last night.  It was amazing and entertaining!  There were over 30 bands.  It was originally scheduled to be outside, but the rain ruined that, so they moved it inside to a university's major event center.  It definitely had less of a festival feel, but what can you do when the original location gets flooded?  Since the tickets were all the same, you could pick where you sat, so Hubs and I got there when some of the lesser known bands were playing (READ: not very many people were there yet) and we ended up getting amazing seats.  We didn't really want to mess around with sitting/standing on the floor/pit, so we figured the upper level seating was the way to go.  Our seats were perfect.  No one in front of us because we got the lowest upper level row, and no one to the side because we were next to the aisle.  It was also a super view of the stage!  Much better than what you could see on the floor, and we were a lot closer to the stage than most on the floor as well.  And since we got there earlier, we listened to some amazing bands/artists that we would have never heard otherwise!

Here's a wrap-up:

The Budos Band: which described themselves as "Staten Island instrumental afro-soul".  These guys were amazing.  Music I would have never chosen to listen to on my own, but now I want to buy all of their albums.

Charles Bradley: He was a throw back to the 70's that's for sure, but he was so fun to watch and listen to.  He can dance like no other, and his outfit was to die for!  He was introduced as the "screaming eagle of soul" and he was just that..(no seriously, he screamed/sang (in tune) and made wing arm movements).  Super funkadelic.

Titus Andronicus: This band was a very punk-influenced band.  Their lead singer was hilarious!  He kept making us laugh.  Good show.

Rakim: He was an amazing rapper, and I think he should have gone after Kreayshawn because he is definitely a bigger name.  Simple set up, just to show off his skills.  I really enjoyed him.  I'm glad they had rap at this festival.  It was welcomed :)

Kreayshawn:  She was okay.  Honestly, she just sounded like any girl rapping.  I don't think she should be as famous as she is for crappy rap.  She also wasn't very fun to watch. All she did was walk back and forth on the stage.

Foster The People:  These guys are super famous for their song "Pumped Up Kicks" that is all over the radio these days, but I linked a newer song by them which is just starting to hit the airwaves on the east coast.  Love it.  These guys put on a show.  They were so entertaining.  I would pay a lot to see them live again.  Awesome band, and the talent shows on stage and live.  They have talent.

Girl Talk: Ohhhh Girl Talk.  I LOVE HIM.  I have been a fan ever since Hubs showed me his music over three years ago, and it's actually most of what I run to.  Girl Talk's a one man show, and his real name is Gregg Gillis.  He samples and mixes music, so his show is basically him on top of his table, mixing and sampling on his laptop while dancing around like a crazy person.  Super high energy + super fun to dance to + super talented guy = best performance of the night...by far. 

Pretty Lights:  This is also a one man show, with a laptop.  I personally think Girl Talk is miles above this guy, but he was good, he just didn't mix on stage (didn't really show what talent he had).  The music is a bit more mellow than Girl Talk, but it was a nice end to the night.  Huge light/stage set up.

Here's some photos of the event to end this seriously long blog post.  I have to study!!