Concert Stories #29: Christina Aguilera with Pussycat Dolls and Danity Kane

Christina Aguilera (2^nd time)

Openers: Pussycat Dolls and Danity Kane

Back to Basics Tour

BMO Harris Bradley Center

April 20, 2007

Age 24

This is where it all started.

Up to this point I have written 28 concert stories, which were all concerts I went to without really observing what was going around me too much.  If you have read them you still know that I noticed things from the crowd of course, but after seeing Christina Aguilera for the second time in 2007 I really started to tell more proper "concert stories".

Let's start though from the top.  The openers that night were the Pussycat Dolls and Danity Kane.  Danity Kane, the Pufff Daddy/P.Diddy (I have no idea what he goes by now) made band opened first.  One of their more well known songs is "Show Stopper".  I'll admit it, I watched their reality show and owned their album!  Up next was the Pussycat Dolls and I am a fan of theirs (and still to this day).  They gave a great show full of so much energy and dancing.  Nicole Scherzinger is such an amazing singer, but I also really love Melody Thornton.  I wish she would have gotten more lines in their songs as she can belt just as well.  My favorite song of theirs is probably "I Hate This Part", that song still makes my music rotation pretty frequently.

Up next was the woman of the hour, Christina Aguilera.  She was on tour in support of her album Back to Basics, which is probably my favorite album of hers.  It has a real retro vibe to it.  On it is my favorite song of hers "The Right Man".  I love that song!  Well this night she gave a great performance, however, their was one performer that out did her and is where my love of concert stories comes from.

That man, was sitting across the aisle from me.  Let me back up and say that I went to this concert with my friend Shannon and we were sitting up high in the rafters of the Bradley Center.  We were in row Q, which is not the last row, but the arena did not sell out, so they dropped a curtain behind our rows going around the arena, so we were essentially almost the last row (there was one more behind us if my memory serves correct and I have no idea why you need to know this, but it is a detail I remember every time I think of this concert).  I had not noticed the man during Danity Kane or the Pussycat Dolls, but as soon as Christina came out, I happened to notice him. He was on the aisle to my left and I had to look that way to see the stage.  The man did full choreography for almost every song, including making up moves for the songs that didn't have established moves already.  Now normally this distraction would be annoying, but the man was so flawless in his moves I loved every second of it.  I probably spent over 50% of the show watching him over Christina.  I was dancing as well, but my moronic "I can't dance" dance.  This guy blew everyone away.  

I'm not sure what it was about this man that made me so happy.  Maybe it's seeing someone love music as much as me and he wasn't afraid to show it?  Maybe because he was such a great entertainer himself?  I don't know, but after this show and going forward, I tended to find myself looking more into the crowd at concerts, hoping to find someone as happy as me when the music starts.  

I never knew who that man was or what happened to him. I really hope life turned out well for him.  He brought this stranger, and my friend, such happiness that night.  We still talk about him to this day and how amazing he was.

Here's to all the strangers out there who are not afraid to shine!