Weekend

Happy Monday!  

I hope everyone had a happy weekend!  I know I did!  

This weekend I went to my first DC Capitol Pride festival.  I think I read that there were 150,000 people visiting this weekend to celebrate love, no matter what kind.  5 blocks long ran the streets filled with vendors, a beer garden, and a huge stage.  I was there to support one of my best friends and enjoy the show!  It was an amazing experience and it really struck a cord with me while I was there.  So many of the artists that performed sang of love, life, and spreading hope all over the world. 

 It was really special.  

I saw Icona Pop perform live and they were absolutely incredible.  

I only knew 'I Love It' from the radio and I knew they were from Sweden (yay Scandinavia!)

I was not expecting to love every. single. song. 

Watching them on stage you could just tell how 'real' they were, it was not a performance, they were simply jamming, singing to the crown, and loving every second of it.  Mostly, I was impressed with their stage set up, they controlled every effect and mix of every beat on stage.  They were not only singing, they were crafting and making music on stage. 

Icona Pop Washington DC June 9, 2013

Their outfits rocked, so Swedish.  They were radiantly beautiful and full of so much positive energy!  I'm not ashamed to say that I have been listening to them nonstop since I got home from the concert and this has been on repeat all day at work.  

This one is my favorite ^^   We Got The World: Icona Pop

What I was most excited about yesterday was seeing Emeli Sande perform live for the first time.  

I was close to seeing her perform live at the Royal Albert Hall back in the Fall while I was in London, but we missed each other by a few weeks and seeing as how the tickets were hundreds of dollars, it was unlikely.   But I was as close as I could get.  

In front of the Royal Albert Hall, London Fall 2012

However today, she was right in front of me.  Besides being an absolutely amazing live performer, her lyrics are just gorgeous.  She recently just broke the Beatles top hit week streak in the UK.  I've been a fan of her's for a few years now, but she's just recently popular in the US with her hit, "Next To Me."   

Emeli Sande Washington DC June 9, 2013

Her British accent was so cute!  I squealed more than I should have and shed lots of tears.  Anytime I've watched her perform live online, she was has always seemed so serious, so into her music. Yesterday she was all smiles, non stop energy and pouring her heart out to every single person there.  It was truly incredible to watch.  She tweeted about how excited she was to be in Washington and supporting yesterday's cause.

I don't even know how to explain her music because it is too good to put into adjective form.  

Heaven: Emeli Sande

Where I Sleep: Emeli Sande

How did you spend your weekend?  Have you seen either of these artists?? 

xo Hil