Here are my top ten highlights of 2009:
10. Seattle Men’s Chorus Christmas Concert: Even though I have yet to see this year’s “Santa Baby” holiday concert, this Seattle Men’s Chorus performance is a highlight of my year every year. This year they’re paying tribute to the holiday TV special. They always have fantastic vocals and amazingly fun performances. You won’t see another choir performance like this one, so don’t miss it!
9. Rodrigo Y Gabriela, “11:11”: Topping the Billboard World Albums chart, this album is percussive, fast-paced and intricate. I still have no idea how it’s physically possible for fingers to move that fast. It makes me wish I had just a speck of the couple’s talent. To get the full effect, you have to see them live. Here’s a taste! KEXP BLOG
8. Mammoth Cave National Park: I ended up in the middle of Kentucky for a family reunion. We were reluctant to go because we didn’t know much about the park or anything near it. I’m so glad this was picked for the reunion. I’m scared of caves but I braved the short ‘Frozen Niagara’ tour and it was breathtakingly gorgeous.
7. So You Think You Can Dance: Not just one, but two whole seasons of SYTYCD in one year!!! I love this show! Even though it’s getting more and more American Idol-ish, I can’t stop watching these incredibly talented dancers. Plus we got an interesting look behind the cameras when the crew came over to our house to do an interview with my sister.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJy6v0dErO0]
6. PlayNetwork: I don’t want to sound like a suck-up or anything, but I just joined the team a couple months ago and it’s definitely a highlight of my year. The people are great and the business is fun. I’m so thankful for this opportunity. Plus I got to see a Ghostland Observatory private performance thanks to PlayNetwork!
5. Glee: The show, the music, the phenomenon. As a Gleek, I can’t help but being obsessed with everything about this show and ecstatic that it came into my life this year.
4. Seattle Theatre Group Volunteering: I had been on the volunteer waiting list for a few years now and I finally got in this year to help out with Paramount Theatre’s ‘Sign of the Times’ campaign. Everyone should seriously put themselves on this list because it feels fantastic to help out the theater community and see some “Wicked” shows in the process.
3. Six Flags Great America: I went back to my roots in the Midwest to hang out with some family and believe it or not this was my first time going to this Six Flags Theme Park. I had a blast spending the day being 10 years old. Even though the new ‘Dark Knight’ ride was a dud, we had our “Flash Passes” on hand and didn’t waste any time riding some serious coasters!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwLrffV4RCY]
2. Bumbershoot 2009: Even though it was a wet one, this year’s Bumbershoot had some unforgettable performances. I got to see some of my favorite people and bands including: Janelle Monae, Raphael Saadiq, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Aziz Ansari, Maria Bamford, Sarah Silverman, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Franz Ferdinand and Modest Mouse (just to name a few :)).
1. P!nk Funhouse Tour: I am a performance junkie so after I watched the spectacle that was P!nk’s Funhouse tour, I was on a concert high for a good month and a half. The set was its own funhouse; full of mirrors, giant scary clowns, aerialists, slides and an impressive video screen. The performance was full of fantastic covers, incredible dance numbers and a heart-wrenching acoustic set. Plus anyone who can sing like her while swinging from a trapeze needs to be respected. I vow to never miss P!nk performance from here on out. Here’s a video from the concert. WATCH!
