Behind the Scenes of "Live with Kelly and Michael"

This past Monday, I did something I've been wanting to do for as long as I can remember... I saw a live taping of a TV show! The show I went to see was Live with Kelly and Michael in New York City. My parents came to visit me for a few days, and my mom got tickets for us to go to the recording of the show! Apparently, tickets were so easy to get and the best part is, they were free!

On Monday morning, we left my apartment at 6AM and braved the snow storm that was already starting to get to the studio in Lincoln Center. Once we got there, we were forced to wait outside in the freezing cold for more than a half hour, but it paid off because, once we were inside, we got some of the best seats! Special guests during this episode were Kristen Stewart and Grant Gustin. Kristen's interview was pre-recorded unfortunately (possibly because of the impending blizzard in NYC), but we got to see Grant's interview which was so cool! If you don't recognise his name, you might know him as Sebastian from Glee or from his new show The Flash. I actually heard his name before either of those roles because he went to the same college as me! I didn't actually know him, but it's still cool to say we have the same alma mater.

Kelly Ripa, Grant Gustin, and Michael Strahan

Both Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan (the hosts) seemed so nice and genuine throughout the entire show. During commercial breaks, they went around to meet fans in the audience and kept the whole studio lively and fun. I have always been interested in TV production, so it was so interesting to see how the whole process worked behind the scenes! We even got to be on camera a few times which was so cool!

I know a bunch of other shows that are filmed in NYC offer free tickets to sit in the audience. And although some, such as Jimmy Fallon, are much harder to get, there are others that have tickets available on a regular basis. I had no idea it would be so easy to see a live taping of a show, but now that I've experienced it, I definitely want to see more TV shows record this year!

Spending the Night with Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and New Politics

I think everyone has a few singers or bands who have had a significant impact on them, and for me, one of those bands is Fall Out Boy. I first became a fan of them in 2005, and in 2007 after their album Infinity on High came out, they quickly took over the role as my favourite band. Throughout high school, my love for Fall Out Boy stayed strong, and if I was ever having a bad day, I knew that listening to their music would cheer me up. I even saw them in concert twice, in 2007 and 2009. (Of course, they were amazing!) I was so sad when FOB broke up in 2009, but was so excited when they got back together last year. They quickly returned to being one of my favourite bands, and I grew to love their new music just as much, if not more, than their previous albums.

So needless to say, I was so happy when my sister told me that Fall Out Boy was going on tour this summer and would be playing a show near us! And to make it even more awesome, Paramore was joining them on tour! Paramore is another band I loved since high school, but had never seen in concert. At first, we didn't think we would be able to go, since the lawn seats and cheap seats were all sold out, and the only ones left cost hundreds of dollars a piece. But then, after checking one last time on eBay, we found tickets in a great spot for $75 a piece. Score!

The concert was on June 22, which ended up being such a nice day! My sister Lexi and I headed out early to park and get some dinner before the show. Of course we jammed to my FOB CDs the whole ride! After finding parking (that was free!!), we went to a little Italian place nearby for dinner. The restaurant was having a special where pizzas were half-price that night. Everything was going perfectly for us! :)

Lexi and I all ready for the concert!

When it got closer to the time doors would open, we headed back to the concert venue and got t-shirts. (I have a Fall Out Boy t-shirt that I got seven years ago when we saw them perform for the first time, but unfortunately it doesn't fit any more!) 

The first band to perform was a newer band called New Politics, which Pete Wentz just signed to his record label. I had only known one of their songs before seeing them perform, but they were really good and I enjoyed their set a lot! I've been listening to a bunch of their songs since the concert, and definitely want to buy their CD.

Next up: Paramore! Before the concert, I hadn't bought Paramore's latest CD yet, and didn't know most of their newer songs, but I was so excited when they ended up playing a ton of their older songs! Hayley Williams has so much energy and was so great to watch. It's amazing she can run around on stage as much as she does and still sound so good singing! My favourite song they performed was probably Misery Business, because that was the song that made me originally fall in love with Paramore when I heard it on TRL. (Any other 00's girls miss that show as much as I do? ;) ) The entire crowd seemed to know that song, so the whole venue was singing along with the band. They even brought two girls up on stage to sing the end bit of the song with Hayley. Paramore is a band I had wanted to see for years, so I was so happy to finally get to experience them perform live. (And seeing them perform inspired me to buy their newest CD that I have been absolutely loving!)

And then it was time for the performance I had been anticipating most: Fall Out Boy! As I expected, they opened up with Phoenix from their latest album, and from the very beginning, their set was full of energy and excitement. It's amazing how many hit songs they have had over the years. I did not stop singing and smiling the entire time they played! Something about seeing them perform live just makes me feel happy because they have had a pretty big impact on me growing up. I can't even pick a favourite song because they were all so good, but one thing I loved was how they ended the show with their song Saturday. I know it used to be their tradition to end all of their shows with this song because it was one of the first ones they ever recorded together, but I wasn't sure if they would continue that tradition after returning form their hiatus. But they continued the tradition, and I sung along with the other die-hard fans who have been fans of theirs ever since their early years.

I had such an amazing time at the concert, and seeing the three bands perform live made me love them even more and made me so excited to (hopefully) see them again in the near future!