Hannah/Miley Concert
A hot ticket
Steph & Chris see both sides of pop star
Cathy writes on Jan. 16, 2008--
Chris & Steph say "It was fun!" I think I would have to agree. After it seemed they would be unattainable, I did manage to obtain much coveted Hannah Montana tickets. I had signed up Stephanie for her fanclub and got the inside scoop through them about how and when to buy tickets. As part of their Christmas present, I ventured with them to Baltimore Jan. 8 to see the greatly anticipated concert.
During the first half of her set she was Hannah and she performed songs made famous by her Disney channel television show "Hannah Montana." These included "Nobody's Perfect," "Rock Star," & "Old Blue Jeans."
Then after a short second segment by the Jonas Brothers, she returned to the stage as Miley to sing more songs from her 2007 CD such as "Start All Over," "East North Umberland High," & "G.N.O. (Girls Night Out)."
The opening act was The Jonas Brothers, a young rock band hailing from New Jersey comprised mainly of three brothers Nick, Joe & Kevin Jonas, ranging from ages 14 to 19. They have a large following among the Disney tweens which made them a perfect pairing for the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus "Best of Both Worlds" tour. Not only do they actually play their own instruments but they also write many of their songs themselves. Their set list included Disney Radio favorites "That's Just the Way We Roll," "Hold On," & "S.O.S." Later in between Hannah & Miley they returned to accompany her on the song "We Got the Party." They closed their portion of the show with the song "Year 3000" which was featured in the movie "Meet the Robinsons."
The encore consisted of her playing an acoustic guitar solo of the song "I Miss You," a song she wrote about her grandfather who passed away a few years ago.
All of these young performers gave an entertaining performance to say the least. I expect them to evolve & mature as both musicians & performers as they grow older. (Miley's success has also helped to rekindle the country music career of her father, Billy Ray Cyrus.) For now, though, their songs tell simply of high school crushes & hanging out with friends. It's completely age-appropriate for their target audience & parent approved since the songs aren't riddled with any teenage angst or profanity.
As stated in a recent review on CMT.com "...at a time when her Hollywood peers are going to rehab and getting pregnant, it's refreshing to know the worst thing she did at this show was keep thousands of kids up late on a school night."
As for Hannah/Miley, as you can see by the pictures, she made numerous costume changes. Her portions of the show were very upbeat. Everyone was standing, dancing & singing along throughout the whole night. She had a full band performing with her as well as a group of backup singers & dancers that performed assorted dance numbers with some of her songs. The stage included a catwalk & risers on each side enabling her to interact more closely with the crowd.