May 4, 2010

• Sara Bareilles @ Hotel Cafe – March 11, 2009

  

  WAY OVERDUE!  I can’t believe that it’s been over a year ago that I saw Sara Bareilles.  Just a little behind on my concert reviews, but you don’t mind right?  I had some good photos that I wanted to put up (please excuse the dark lighting). 

  Opening for Sara were the four girl group Raining Jane.  Very ordinary.  They did help Jason Mraz write a song and one of there songs was on Grey’s Anatomy.  Then again, who’s slow song hasn’t been on Grey’s Anatomy before?

  

  The next opener was Tony Lucca.  His music is like a bluesy Jon B.  Wikipedia says he dated Keri Russell off and on for eight years!  And just learned that she was born in my hometown!   

  

  SARA!!!

  She’s got such a potty mouth, but such a babe!  

  

  Hotel Cafe is one of the raddest places in LA to see a show (haven’t been Largo yet, but it’s up there with the Troubadour in my book).  You’re not going to get rock acts here, it’s mostly singer-songwriters.  Adele has performed there, Macy Gray, the whole Hotel Cafe crew… Sara, Ingrid Michaelson, Priscilla Ahn, Cary Brothers, Kina Grannis.  

  What makes it special?  It serves alcohol with two bars in the back, but has a Starbucks casual vibe.  It’s tiny, only fitting about 150 people.  All presale tickets must be picked up at the door the night of the show… which allows only real fans to get in.  Tickets are $8-10 most nights for no name artists, for big name headliners like Sara it was still only $35 (including service charges).  A bargain, considering we were practically sitting in her lap we were so close!

  Thanks to Xangan and former Yelp Elitist Fangstar for filling the extra ticket.  My other friend bought eight tickets so a whole bunch of our friends were able to go.  I bought four, sold two, then the last two for me and Mitchell.

  

  Sorry for stating the obvious, but she’s so adorable!   

  

  Not that she’s trying to, but she blows her contemporaries Ingrid Michaelson and Priscilla Ahn out of the water.   She’s got more spunk and singing range.  From fun “Vegas” to her #1 hit “Love Song” to her heart cruncher “Gravity.”   Man, last song “Gravity” was so intense, it weighed on the room for a good five minutes after she left the stage and building out the back door. 

   

  Is this a small world or what item of the day… We secured our spot in the front of the room, I turn around and the girl behind me looks strangely familiar.  “Hey!  Aren’t you Xtineey from Xanga?”  I’d never met or seen her in my life before, only on Xanga.  What are the chances… two Xangans, two Orange County people, bumping into each other in LA on a weeknight in a room that only fits 150…  Xtineey’s in the middle, her friend next to her.   Small world, small world.   All thanks to Sara of course.  =)

  

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