A Musical Interlude in Seoul

I was doing a quick budget update and it came to my attention how much cash I've spent at the i-Tunes store since I moved to Seoul.  I'm sure some people would think this is ridiculous, but I can totally justify these purchases because there have been many days in the past nine months where I have relied on my i-Tunes playlist to get me through whatever is going on in life.  I put on Eva Cassidy's "Kathy's Song" or "Good Mother" by Jann Arden when I need to soothe an anxious spirit, Sara Bareilles or P!nk when I want an in-your-face sort of tune, ABBA when I feel like dancing around, Third Day or Phil Wickham when I want to feel more connected to God, and anything popular from the 80's when I just need a pick me up.  When my students are working in the lab or completing an assignment, we've got the iPod plugged in and I'm always amazed what sort of tunes they request!  Since I'm always open to new suggestions and I will download almost anything that speaks to me (regardless of the genre) my playlist has become pretty eclectic and I've definitely established a list of favorites that I can put on repeat and enjoy over and over.

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.  ~Victor Hugo  

A little over a month ago I was surfing the Internet to see what sort of concerts might be happening in Portland this summer and I came across something even better--a concert in Seoul!  Many of my colleagues (and students) have already become part of the concert scene here in Seoul.  They've been to see The Eagles, Phil Collins, Erik Clapton, Corinne Bailey Rae, Taylor Swift, and others I probably haven't even heard of.  I hadn't really been tempted by any of the aforementioned options, but when I found out Sara Bareilles (one of my aforementioned go-to artists) would be doing a concert in Seoul--and better yet in Hongdae which is literally ten minutes away from where I live--I jumped right on it.  Getting tickets can be a little tricky because the website is entirely in Korean, but when my friend Jenny James jumped on board with me she used her connections at school to get us hooked up. 

Last night was the big night and we were both super excited.  Just a side note:  I think it's moderately hilarious that there is another "James" from Oregon here at SFS and even better that we have the same taste in music!  Sometimes the students ask if we're related...I think I'm just going to start saying yes:).  We headed out to Hongdae half an hour before the show was supposed to start and after a little trial and error found the venue called the V-Hall.  We descended down several flights of stairs (we joked that it would make a pretty good bomb shelter) and joined a roomful of Sara B. fans.  I've been to a few big name concerts in the States so the venue is usually an arena packed full of stadium style seats.  At first glance I figured out this was NOT the case.  There were maybe 5 rows of seats along the back wall...the rest was standing room only.  It ended up working out pretty well because once you hear Sara Bareilles break into song it is pretty much impossible to pass up the temptation to get into the music and do a little dancing!  

The venue--a single room sort of deal which made for a warm and cozy evening.

The two Miss James's waiting for the concert to start!

Her opening act was adorable, as in a total hottie!  I hadn't heard of Javier Dunn before I bought the concert tickets, but he's quite a talented guy and entertained us with four or five songs alone with his guitar.  I'll definitely be looking him up on i-Tunes!  A little before 8pm, Sara Bareilles came on.  She bounded out on the stage with her flipcam in hand to film the crowd.  From my vantage point, I saw mostly foreigners in the audience with a smattering of Koreans, but I would have been interested to see the sea of faces from the stage.  I can tell you for sure that there are some crazy Korean fans--a prime example would be the brick wall of a Korean man who stood squarely in front of us and kept migrating backward into my small bubble of personal space as he swayed (with eyes closed) to the music. 

Javier Dunn, the opening act!

Cute and talented!

Sara Bareilles at the piano singing 'Uncharted'.  It's a fabulous song!

Sara took a break from the piano and called up guest piano player Phil from her band.  We loved Phil!

Jenny and I post concert.

We were thinking we should have hung around and stalked the band...but we didn't!

The only downside about the concert was that it was way too short!  I wish Sara B. had played longer--she was truly incredible to watch and listen to.  I've noticed more and more in recent years that there are lots of musical artists who sound great when you buy their cd but when you hear them live they are totally disappointing.  Sara Bareilles sounds amazing live, has a great band, and infuses her outgoing and cheeky personality into the show!  The girl sings, plays the piano brilliantly, plays guitar, and writes her own music.  I only wish I was going to be home in Portland on July 19th to catch her concert at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.  Here's a few videos I shot with my camera to give you a flavor of what I saw...

Sara Bareilles singing 'King of Anything'...it's a great in your face sort of tune!

The finale to the concert was Sara on the piano without the band singing 'Gravity'

It's funny how something like going to a concert can make you feel a little more connected to the place you live.  I love how life here is not really a novelty anymore...I really feel like I have a very "normal" existence in Seoul much like I had living in Spokane (more on this idea of "normalcy" later).  While I'm still on the topic of music, if anyone is interested in joining me at the Oregon Zoo on July 30th, I'm going to see Brandi Carlile.  This is the song that first caught my attention, and I've been a fan since I heard it because it seemed to speak to what I was feeling being thousands of miles away from home...

Keep on rockin' and check back soon for more updates from Seoul!