Grammy Fever

It's award season again, which means that all of our favorite shows and live performances are right around the corner, including the 57th Annual Grammy Awards this Sunday! I was fortunate enough to attend the Grammys last year and it was one of the most amazing shows I have ever witnessed. The huge auditorium of the Staples Center was filled with excitement and love for the passion that each artist pours into their work. Even I felt overwhelmed with emotion, and a part of me wanted to cry every time I saw one of my idols stand up to perform. It was an experience that I would not give up for the world, so this post is dedicated to that special night, in honor of the ceremony that will take place tomorrow.

You might be wondering how a simple college student like myself would be able to attend such a prestigious and iconic award show like the Grammys. Well, my only answer is this: Luck. I applied online to be a seat filler during the show. Thousands of people (according to the website, up to 30,000) apply every year to do this, but they are only allowed to accept around 500 people to act as seat fillers. Therefore, they conduct a lottery of the applicants, meaning that whoever is selected is solely by chance. This is why I say I attended by luck, as my odds were 1 in 60 that I would be able to go. 

Being a seat filler means that I would be placed in seating within the first few rows from the stage in order to prevent the appearance of any vacant seats when the cameras go by, as this is a televised event. If anyone gets up from their seat, I would replace them temporarily. This meant that I had a lot of movement over the evening, but it was well worth it. In fact, I rather enjoyed it because, each time I moved, I was put closer to a different celebrity and had a new vantage point. 

My first seat was a few rows away from Neil Patrick Harris, which I thought was pretty cool. However, when I was moved for the first time, I was placed even closer to the stage, directly behind Beyonce and Jay-Z. I was close enough to see the rings glimmering on Beyonce's fingers. Obviously, this was a big OMG moment for me, since I love Beyonce, but I didn't get to keep this seat for long. However, throughout the night, I found myself in very convenient places during the show. I was sitting right in front of Lorde when she won both of her awards, and later I was seated in front of Imagine Dragons and directly behind Daft Punk when they won their award for Album of the Year. Of course, I watched the awards again later on, to see if I could see myself on TV. And yes, yes I could.

Here, I am the small face in between one of the members of Daft Punk and the man to the right of him. This gives you some perspective as to how close I was to the artists (as well as to how psycho I am for feeling the need to look this up and screenshot it).

In this photo, I am seated directly in front of the members of Imagine Dragons, who are covered in some red substance, that I can only imagine is paint, after their performance (which was phenomenal).

My favorite performances of the night were by Beyonce, Katy Perry, Imagine Dragons, Taylor Swift, and Lorde (in no particular order). Beyonce sang "Drunk in Love" and opened the show on such a high note that it energized the audience for the rest of the evening. Katy Perry and Imagine Dragons employed theatrics which really enhanced their performances. While Lorde and Taylor Swift left out the special effects of the others, the heart that they put into each song demonstrated such raw emotion and depth that it made up for the lack of aesthetics. Taylor Swift also sang one of my favorite songs by her, "All Too Well." My favorites are the sad songs, the ones with lyrics that speak to you. I am hopelessly attracted to everything that is beautifully tragic; a testament to the romantic in me. 

 It was also amazing to see Paul McCartney live, as I am an avid fan of The Beatles. It was indescribable to be able to hear the last remnant of such a legendary band, performing in just a fraction of his former glory, as age and life have taken their toll. 

Honorable Mention also goes out to John Legend and Kacey Musgraves. I never paid much attention to John Legend before, but after hearing him sing "All of Me" live, I was blown away. Both the lyrics and the passion behind the song really struck a chord with me and made me love John Legend and his music. It made me really want to find a man who can sing for me because it had such a powerful effect  (Gentlemen, if you sing for me, I will probably marry you). Kacey Musgraves surprised me because, though I absolutely hate country music, I was impressed by how catchy and pop-sounding the song "Follow Your Arrow" is. I also loved her simple yet effective scenery of neon cacti at twilight. She looked adorable in her lit-up cowboy boots and the fabulous dress that she was wearing, and I can always admire a girl with style. 

But of course, one of the most important things that I had to consider while preparing for the Grammys was my outfit. And if you know me at all, you would know that I would not be anything less than fierce.

I thought that a formal dress would be the obvious choice, so I opted for something a little different by wearing a completely sequined black jumpsuit, which I got on sale from Urban Outfitters for around $50. This isn't the type of piece that I would expect to find at UO, so I was excited to encounter it on the clearance rack. When it came to the jewelry, I actually just recycled my old prom jewelry, which I still keep and wear often. With the combination of sequins and jewels, I felt sufficiently glamourous (and proceeded to have a photo shoot by the pool at my apartment complex). 

An outfit is not complete without a fabulous pair of shoes. These sparkling heels are from DSW and helped me dazzle from head to toe. The only thing better than a pair of hot shoes is a discounted pair of hot shoes.

D. H. Lawrence wrote: 

"All people dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the morning to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people, for they dream their dreams with open eyes and make them come true."

This has become one of my favorite quotes, and I like to think of myself as a dreamer by day. I set my sights on things that I want, and though they may at first seem out of reach, I vow to work until my visions become actualized. Being able to attend the Grammys was a dream come true, and I believe that this is only the beginning; the best is yet to come.

So, who is going to tune into the Grammys tomorrow evening? I am personally eager to see Lady Gaga (with Tony Bennett), as she was not present at last year's event. Leave a comment and tell me which performance you are most excited to see!

xoxo

KD