Ariana Grande, Live at the O2 Arena in London
1/6/15'
What a privilege it was to kick-start my first day in the UK by going to a concert only a few hours after my arrival. Even more surreal, it was to watch Ariana Grande, Live at the O2 - one of the most famous stadiums in London where artists from all over the world perform at.
It may be a month too long since that concert took place but my memory never fails me when it comes to events as memorable as what Miss Grande's concert was for me. Despite being under a spell of a slight jetlag, sleep wasn't a good enough reason to keep me home. I had my mind set on going and I wasn't going to back out now, especially not after what Aunty Amy went through to get me those exclusive box tickets (worth a whopping £120). The timing was so immaculate. When Aunty Yvonne asked me if there were any particular musicals/concerts/festivals I'd like to go for, I was given a choice between The Lion King The Musical and Wicked The Musical. Although neither tickled my fancy, I chose the former. But thankful for the guts in me for having the courage to voice my own opinions, I mentioned that Ariana Grande was going to perform on the 1st of June, the same day I arrive and Aunty Yvonne disappeared for a while before she finally replied me saying 'Yes, there are tickets!'. You see, Aunty Amy had bought 2 tickets for Gavin (my cousin) and since I was keen on going, I would go with him.
I was so nervous. It felt like I was being set-up on a blind date to go for a concert, with a boy I have never met before. The only thing was that he was my cousin (A story I shall save for another post, another day). When the sun sank back into the deep blue skies, Aunty Yvonne dropped us off at the nearest train station from their house - Twickenham - and Gavin and I were off to go into London. The whole 30 mins train ride was a series of awkwardness and silent moments. Of course, I decided to play my part by breaking the ice with those same boring questions people ask when just getting to know someone. He was my cousin after all, how hard could it be?! Once I convinced myself, I spoke to him as though we've known each other all our lives and now just catching up. Being only a few years younger, we managed to establish similar grounds of interests, ranging from the music we listen to right up to the television shows we watch.
Our seats were located in a private box, where we had a drinks bar stocked up with the finest wines and flavoured ciders, all at our disposal. He got himself a berry-flavoured cider and I took the mix fruit one. With our drinks at hand, we were ready for the show to begin.
Rixton's lead singer Jake Roche, strutted on stage with all his charm and suave and worked magic with the crowd. Being the frontman of his group, he definitely stands out when his cheeky side is channelled on stage in front of an audience such as the turnout. I was exhilarated with joy in knowing that they were the chosen opening act as I was a big fan of their songs as well. Tracks such as 'Wait On Me', 'Appreciate' and the one that has been everyone's anthem through a breakup, 'Me and my Broken Heart' were real crowd-pleasers; sending waves of sing-a-long echoes vibrating throughout the whole arena. You can only imagine how that energy doubled-up and multiplied a gazillion times when their latest single 'We All Want The Same Thing' was performed. Rixton, through experience, knows just how to play with your heartstrings by getting you hyped up at an all-time high and them teasing you with their slightly mellowed 'Hotel Ceiling'. If my heart had a pair of eyes of its own, it would've been crying buckets. Towards the end of that song, I had gone to heaven and back. I was so pleased to have gotten the chance to watch them perform live.
By now, everyone in the audience is pumped up with an adrenaline of anticipation for Grande to claim the stage of pop royalty. After a minute long countdown through deafening screams (and squeals), she throttled on stage with an entrance as dramatic as her ground-breaking single 'Bang Bang' demands. Despite the absence of Jessie J and Nicki Minaj by her side to do their part in the song, she conquered the stage in true Ariana Grande spirit, bedazzling in a glittery pink tutu.
Only at the ripe age of 21, she has definitely made a name for herself in the music industry, crafting 90's RnB jams with her sultry ballads that complement her wide vocal range so well. With the help of her close-knit family of back-up dancers, she put on a show that night like no other. She was seen flying across the stage on a cloud, breaking down to some serious dance moves even with heels on and continuously leaving the crowd in anticipation as to what's to come next after each song ended. After performing a few tracks from her latest album such as 'Why Try', 'Best Mistake' and my fav shower sing-a-long, 'One Last Time', she brought us back in time to when she released her first album performing hits like ;Be My Baby', 'The Way' and 'Problem'. My personal favourite of the night had to be when the huge screen behind her turned black, the stage lights all turned off and then all you can hear is her late grandfather's voice in a conversation with her, telling her how proud he is of her and reminding her that he loves her very much. That definitely hit home.
That night, I definitely felt overwhelmed with thankfulness and gratitude, for opportunity after opportunity. What initially was an evening stricken with awkwardness and based on first-impressions, turned out to be a night I'd probably remember for a long time. Not only did I get to watch Rixton and Ariana Grande perform live in concert (and that too, in a different country) but I got to experience it all with my cousin. Despite only having met him for the first time, we talked, danced, bonded and walked out of the arena as buds.
That night, and the days that followed...I just knew my stay in the UK was only an exciting journey just beginning.