Friday, January 18, 2013

12/12/12 will forever be marked in history as the day I saw my all-time, favorite female artist perform live.

Marina and the Diamonds is too fabulous for words. From the little black heart under her left eye to her obsession with mocking teen girls to her deep, unexpected voice, she stole my heart in 2010 when I first saw her Teen-Vogue-suggested music video for her song, “Oh No!” I was confused to see that “Marina and the Diamonds” was one woman, but it all made sense when I found out that the “Diamonds” were her fans. The song’s vibrant video with a comic book theme made me feel girly, strong, and inspired. Since then, Marina Diamandis has been my favorite female artist.
No one can imagine the way my heart raced and soared out of my body when I was on Tumblr late one night and saw that she had a tour in America, and that Atlanta was one of her stops! I knew that I had to go. I was already bummed out because I missed the sale for the fun. concert, and there was no way that I was missing Marina.
I was thrilled when my friend agreed to accompany me to her concert. That night, I was exuberant because of the concert and because it was the magical day of 12/12/12. I could not believe I was having all of this fun on a Wednesday night. My friend and I stood with tons of other Diamonds in the pit of Center Stage, and I shined with my black sequined skirt, pink lip-gloss, black heart under my left eye, and high spirits. I should not have been shocked to see that so many other Diamonds had a matching black heart and flashy style sense.
Icona Pop was the opening act, and the strong, two-female group was definitely worth the wait. I recommend their songs “I Love It,” “Good for You,” and “Ready for the Weekend.” Their sound varies from Marina’s in that it has more of an electro-dubstep feel, but the girl power feel is still strong. Caroline Elizabeth Hjelt ripped as she deejayed and it was obvious that Aino Jawo really got into the music by the way she moved on stage. I imagined going clubbing with my girlfriends on a hot summer’s night in LA or NYC as green lights flashed and I joined the rest of crowd in shaking my hips or jumping up and down to “Ready for the Weekend.”
After Icona Pop, I joked around with others in the crowd. We laughed and talked about Marina. I was in the crowd—heart racing and awaiting Marina’s appearance—when finally, the volume went from seven to eleven as fans screamed with excitement. She walked on stage, and I was not prepared. She had her jet-black hair in a slick ponytail with a black tank midriff and knee length black skirt, and of course, she wore her badge under her left eye. I was in awe. She danced around the stage as she opened with one of my favorites, “Homewrekcer.” I sang along to the top of my lungs and bounced off of her fun energy, and I was happy to see that others in the crowd ecstatically received her as well. The pit was packed and the theatre style seats were full enough to create a hub of girly-pop energy.
Her performance gave me chills. I cried several times from happiness and sorrow. I felt genuine pain when Marina sang “Lies” and “Starring Role”, and I envisioned myself as a secure, successful woman in NYC as she performed “Oh No!” and “Primadonna Girl.”
She is so powerful and strong, and I can not help but to adore her. I listen to Marina whenever I can: doing homework, writing reviews, cleaning my room, and picking out my outfits in the morning.
I am proud to say that I have been a Marina fan since 2010x

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