Originally, I had planned to invite my friend to see Samara Joy live with me, as he was the one to introduce me to her. Unfortunately, he ended up being unavailable the day of the concert, and so I thought to invite my boyfriend! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but from it being an “opera house,” I thought formal. We arrived all dressed up, and I had made the right call, as so was everyone else. I met with the press coordinator (thank you so much!) and got a rundown of press coverage expectations. 

Entering the opera house, I was blown away. The atmosphere was beautiful, with an LED chandelier dangling from the ceiling, three floors of seats, and stunning decor. The band walked onto the stage, and the crowd cheered. With no opener, Samara Joy walked onto the stage, and the crowd was alive with excitement. She started singing, and I was immediately stunned by her vocals. I knew that she had an amazing voice, but hearing it in-person was a whole other experience. There were three spots from which the press could take photos: box seats on the left, behind the command console, and box seats on the right. I started on the left side and took photos from the left box seats, behind the command console, to the right box seats. 

After the first three songs, I returned to my seat. I took one last photo, which, surprisingly, I feel was the best one. Song after song, the audience roared in applause. She was an incredible entertainer, making the audience laugh between songs with her humor. To add to the spectacle, within the songs were many instrumental solos. My personal favorite was the trombone solo, pictured above.

In the end, she performed her last song to a standing ovation. The audience, including my boyfriend and I, clapped for minutes after the set was finished. She came back for one last song! I was so starstruck, she sang my favorite song of hers, “No More Blues.” Finally, the show was over, and we made our way out of the venue.