This past Thursday, I attended Ke$ha’s dance party at the House of Blues in Chicago. I say dance party because, well, that’s what it was. An epic dance party.
First off, let me say why I have always been a fan of Ke$ha. I like her rock star status and her music is beyond catchy. I was able to see her open for Rihanna this past August and when I found out that she had a solo concert coming up in February, I was already in the process of buying tickets.
It started off with me wearing my ridiculously awesome Ke$ha inspired outfit. I was in some short shorts and waiting outside to get in the venue. Upon waiting I noticed a familiar woman walk up to one of the House of Blues workers. I told my friends, “hey, I think that’s Ke$ha’s mom!” I saw her from an episode of The Simple Life (the show which made Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie even more famous) back in 2005. I then called out “PEBE!” She came to me and I told her how much I love her and her daughter. She seemed like a pretty down-to-earth and chill, awesome mother. Not mention, she rocked her cheetah leggings.
Inside, the concert was like one huge mosh pit. Her fans were very diverse – from wannabe slutty tweens, to the college kids and to the parents that were dragged to show.
Let me say this: Ke$ha’s fans are the craziest group of fans I have ever encountered. Ever. They were relentless in trying to get closer to the stage and were ready for a hell of a time.
Her opening act, Beardo, was a lesser-known glam rocker. He actually had some very good material, but it seemed as if many fans were turned off by him. He had a very 80’s inspired hairdo and just came off as a creeper to some, but he gave a good show and that’s all that mattered.
Onto the show! Ke$ha appeared on the dark, foggy stage with nothing visible except her glow in the dark glasses. As the lights turned on, she began to perform her fun track “Sleazy.” She worked all of her 80’s synthesizer boards by herself and rapped her vocals intensely. She started the show with a bang.
Ke$ha proceeded to perform all of her hits that night. Some of the highlights included her wrapping up a guy from the audience in saran wrap and singing to him to “Grow A Pear” with a guy dressed up as a penis dancing in the background. Only Ke$ha.
Another highlight was the moment of the show where she dimmed the lights and belted her ballads. This is where Ke$ha shines to the people that deny her true vocal abilities. The girl has chops and showed them off fantastically. She performed “The Harold Song” with such emotion and got even some of the crowd emotional.
Ke$ha made the audience dance, period. The concert felt like a huge dance party. Despite the crowdedness of the floor, I had an amazing time and I am going to dare to say that it was probably the most fun I have ever had at a concert.
I’ve been to Rihanna, Britney, GaGa, P!nk, and other artists’ concerts before, but none of them can compare to the stylization of Ke$ha’s. It wasn’t meant to be a structured visual spectacle, but rather a damn good underground party. Ke$ha knows how to perform and get the audience going crazy.
If you ever have a chance of seeing Ke$ha in concert, I would highly recommend you do so. It guarantees a hell of a time full of danceable, energetic music. Ke$ha did what she does best at her concert – she entertained.