Bôa Concert
On May 1, I went to see Bôa in concert with my friends Ally Reschke and Jaci Hall - and let me just say… it was amazing.
Some background so you get the full picture of how chaotic I make my life by being a very Type B girlie: I just found out about this concert a week ago. So I looked into it and found that tickets were cheap and they were coming to both Orlando and Tampa, so of COURSE I texted my go-to concert buddy Ally. I got a response from her two days before the concert, saying she couldn’t come. I posted on my story begging someone, really, anyone, to come with me. Jaci responded! Huzzah! I bought tickets the day before. The plot thickens… Ally lets me know that she might actually be able to come! Let’s go! I didn’t actually get confirmation that she could come until an hour before we left.
We left my house and made a Wendy’s and gas station stop, then hit the road for Tampa! The drive was super smooth (other than the fact that my car has no AC). We drove with the windows down and blasted music… as girls do. Side note: I love being a girl and girlhood and having girlfriends. It’s so much fun. Anyways, we had 0 car troubles or traffic. I don’t know how we made it without any roadblock. It seems like truly every time me and Ally go somewhere, something goes wrong or just something random and kind of outrageous happens.
We parked right down the street from the Ritz Ybor and then walked down and got in line to get in. Everyone looked so great! There were so many people with such unique and fun style. Also, everyone we talked to throughout the whole night was so nice! Even the security people were super approachable and funny. It was just 100% good vibes the whole way around. We took some pictures while in line because… of course we did?
After a short wait, we got into the venue and pushed our way through the crowd to claim our spot for the concert. The Ritz Ybor is similar to the House of Blues in Orlando - it’s general admission and just open standing room with stairs and different levels. We perched on the final stair down, right before entering the pit. This way, we could see over people but be pretty darn close. We were next to these two girls the whole time that were so sweet and then in front of us was basically everyone else! Everyone we were around were pretty dope. There were some college guys behind us and they were definitely weird but in a funny way. There was a 30ish year old couple next to us before it started and they were nice. They went to get drinks and asked us to hold their spot and… they never came back! On our right was some railing separating us from a slightly higher level, and the girls up there were chill too. We got to frat flicking at one point and they joined us, so that was a huge win! It was funny seeing the whole pit in front of us - there was this one super tall girl with short hair and hoops and she was SO HYPE. It was quite comical and got everyone super excited to be there. I love that! I love all the different people you can interact with at a concert. I love that you’ll see someone do something and it have an effect on you that they may never know about. And vice versa. I love hearing other friend group’s inside jokes and seeing how they interact. I love being in unity with a bunch of people, all of whom I would never encounter otherwise, altogether experiencing a beautiful night.
OK it’s too early to get all mushy, let’s get to the good stuff. Dream, Ivory opened, and I really only know two of their songs but they killed it! They brought the energy and serious talent. They’re an indie band, and whenever listening to a band like theirs or like TV Girl, I love the music but don’t appreciate the vocal talent because the part that sticks out to me is the instrumentals. Hearing them in person (or really any established musician in person), you can’t deny the incredible vocal talent that they possess. It was so much fun, and I definitely plan on listening to more of their music.
Finally… Jasmine Rodgers came onto stage. AUIFPEOIHGPEIUBPWOIROGIH. That’s really the only way I can explain how I felt. She has (as the kids say) aura. I hate myself for using that term but it’s funny so whatever. What I really mean is that she has phenomenal stage presence. Not only does she command your attention, it is so obvious that she is her most authentic self up there singing and playing guitar with her bandmates. Even though it was a performance, it felt far from performative. It’s such a special thing to see someone do what they 1: most love, and 2: are amazing at. She was in her element, and I am so grateful I got to see that. It was inspiring and raw. She is extremely talented vocally and on the guitar. She can shred or she can pick, and it’s awesome. Her voice can range from soft to fierce in seconds. It was way better in person than listening to it digitally. You could see and feel her pain or her joy depending on the song or moment. It was also her birthday which was neat! Someone from the crew brought her a cake which was sweet. Bôa is incredible and if you don’t listen to them, what are you doing?
I think this is now my favorite concert I’ve been to. It had an affect on me emotionally in a way that no other concert has! First of all, I often doubt myself and my talent and my drive as a graphic designer. Imposter syndrome is REAL. I will often see art that impresses me or moves me in some type of way, and I immediately know that I never could have made something like it or even thought up anything like it. Which is true- because I have my own style and my own story. Art is good when it is pure and authentic. And I believe that people are the most beautiful when they are their most authentic self. Expressing that is a difficult, vulnerable, yet powerful thing! Jasmine’s performance was a perfect example of this - and it moved me. That’s all I’ve got. Go listen to Bôa.
