Back for round two, I am so blessed to be able to see Zara Larsson for a second time. Except this time was much better. Back in December, as mentioned in my “NYC is the Best City for Fangirls” article, I got to see Zara at Madison Square Garden (where she should perform solo next!) for iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball. However, I bought my seat during the show for $15 and it was behind the stage with a big screen showing the performance. Although I could see a sliver of the actual stage and hear the amazing vocals clearly for every artist, it doesn’t compare to seeing the artists with your very own eyes. So being able to see her right in front of me, 4 months later, was truly a blessing and I want to take you all along with me on the journey.
Midnight Sun took the world by storm over the past year. She truly had her “brat summer” moment with the title track that went ultra-viral, and stayed hyped this whole time. In the title track, she wrote “summer isn’t over yet”, and she meant by releasing the tropical, summery-pop album at the end of September. She gave the girls 9 more songs off the project to love and enjoy and help extend what summer meant to us. It wasn’t about the temperature, it was about the energy and she truly brought it. But she isn’t new to this, and actually the aesthetic this album brought isn’t either. Just a year prior, her 2018 song with Clean Bandit, “Symphony”, went viral and became a meme that was paired with summer and dolphins to describe the song. When this joke came across Zara, she truly embraced it, took it and ran with it to build what is now Midnight Sun. But like I mentioned, she’s not new to this and she’s not new to virality. She was big around 10 years ago for songs like Never Forget You, Ain’t My Fault and Lush Life. With all her hits and her new amazing album, this tour was set to be as iconic as anyone could imagine and would be the last time Zara would perform at small venues.
Many months later, and summer still isn’t over because we are seeing Zara Larsson again! As mentioned, this is the last tour of hers before she hits arenas, so for her New York stop, she performed at the Brooklyn Paramount, which I would like to add became my favorite venue out of 20 venues I’ve been to. It has a sloped floor, so no matter where in the crowd you are, you can get a good view, which I think more general admission venues should start implementing. The venue itself was gorgeous and was like the past captured in time with vintage sculptures and an iconic light fixture entrance.
I was grateful to go in and find a seating accommodation for myself that was luckily enough right in front of the seats. This is amazing because for people who need accommodations, this doesn’t burden them to the back and potentially restrict their view just because they aren’t able to stand with the rest of the crowd. Also while we were waiting for the show, St. John’s was playing Duke in the Sweet Sixteen round of the March Madness Tournament. So I personally had a lot to focus on- the game, the opener and Zara all at once. Luckily halftime hit when Zara’s opener, Amelia Moore, hit the stage.
Let me tell you all, Amelia Moore can sing. My friends Sal and Carmen, who are very near and dear to me have been hyping her up and recommending me to her so much so I knew going into the concert I would probably end up liking her. But I wanted to be surprised by her, so I went in not listening to any of her music prior. Leaving the show, I can attest her music is so my vibe, so fun and so beyond skillful. With the fun and eccentric lyricism paired with the incomparable vocals, Amelia is set to be a huge pop star. I personally enjoyed her songs “see through”, “naked” and “prom queen”. She was the most perfect opener that Zara could have picked as they are both vocal power houses. But onto the main star of the show: Zara.
Halftime ended and I was hyper focused on the game as there was 2 minutes left and St. John’s was behind when the lights went out and Zara was coming on. So of course, like any sports fanatic would do, I took my headphones out, turned my volume down, and kept watching the game until it ended, despite Zara being on stage. I had told my best friend that my happiness for the next week depended on this game, and so of course, especially since I’ve seen her before, I was locked in on the game. Unfortunately, the Johnnies lost and I was bummed. However, Zara’s soothing and out of this world vocals quickly cheered me up. Hearing some of my favorite songs like “Blue Moon”, “Eurosummer” and “Hot & Sexy” live with Zara literal feet away from me would cheer ANYONE up. And then soonly later her mash up between “Ain’t My Fault” and Sexyy Red and me throwing it back erased all sadness from my head. Zara was stunning and her voice was too. Every song she performed and danced to, whether I knew them or not, was such a great time. The songs I did know and enjoy were everything to me. Singing along to her songs that I love so much was an amazing time and I truly cannot wait to see what else she has in store. Zara is such a pop icon, who performs so talentedly and is truly a force to be reckoned with. So despite waiting in basically freezing temperatures, all of that coldness and misery went away and was forgotten about once I heard her voice again. All you feel when listening to Zara live or not live is pure happiness, warmth and rainbows and sunshine. I left that venue in complete awe once again, and couldn’t stop singing her songs outloud on the train ride home. If you ever get to see her, buy the ticket. I had such a great time enjoying and dancing during her performance and her voice is truly always worth going to see!