My Boy Josh

This past week I got the opportunity to go see an old friend in concert who I had been missing quite a lot. His name is Josh Groban. Okay, so maybe he isn't an actual friend of mine, but I like to believe he would love a girl like myself if he ever happened to meet me! Throughout my time of being a Josh Groban fan, I have had the opportunity to see him perform live twice now. The first time I saw him was at the John Labbatt Centre in London, Ontario during his "Awake Tour" in 2007. I can still remember how excited I was to finally get to see this amazing vocalist live. My parents warned me prior to getting to the venue about the location of our seats which were literally the last row in the nose bleed sections. I was able to touch the back wall if that gives you a bit of perspective. Josh Groban sang his heart out and even though he looked like a tiny ant from where I was sitting, it didn't bother me one bit.

The best part of this concert experience came a few days after. I was sitting at home watching TV when a family friend rang the doorbell. As he came into the house, he called me over and continued to tell me that he had something to give me. As he pulled a CD from behind his back, I noticed it was a Josh Groban CD that I already had, but I had judged it too quickly. I took a better look at the front and saw the black sharpie writing that read, "To: Shelby, From: Josh". The moment I read that the screaming started. This was and still is easily the coolest thing that I have ever received! The simple fact that for a split second Josh Groban wrote down my name or even knew my name was good enough for me.

Fast forward to this past Friday night at the Air Canada Centre. Josh is currently on tour for his "In the Round World Tour". This concert was much more intimate because the stage was literally round circle in the middle of the arena. A few days eariler, my mom was browsing Groupon, a bulk sales website, when the offer for $25.00 dollar Josh Groban tickets popped up. Without knowing what seats we were going to get, we ordered four and were ready for round two with Joshy. Unlike the previous back seat concert experience, we found out our seat location and could hardly believe it! We could ACTUALLY see the stage! We were seated 10 rows from the ground floor and had the perfect view of Josh and his band. The band featured an outstanding violinist who at one point ripped the best solo of Aerosmith's "Dream On" I have ever heard. His opening act was a singer, previously on the show The Voice and a back up singer for the late Michael Jackson, Judith Hill. Josh's set was an hour and a half and a perfect balance of his newer songs and his classics. Some of my favourites included: You Raise Me Up, Remember When It Rained and To Where You Are.

Another major highlight of the night was his commentary. In between songs, he took the time to talk to the audience, tell us a bit about himself and also answer some questions that Toronto fans had sent in. One question came from Bob. Josh called out to the crowd asking where Bob was sitting and he just happened to be on the ground seats. Bob stood up and Josh told the crowd that it seemed that he had something important to ask his girlfriend. (Cue the entire arena cheering because it is very clear that translates to PROPOSAL). Bob got down on one knee and popped the question. Although to some people this might seem the ultimate example of cheesiness, to me it was just too adorable. Some very special moments take place during concerts. Whether its a proposal or seeing your favourite artist for the very first time, concert going is an experience of its own. Nothing beats it and nothing ever will.

Josh Groban's 2013 Album "All That Echoes"