for the most sensitive among us the noise can be too much.

From the second New Kids on the Block tour in Anaheim, CA.

It has been 15 years... 15 years since I saw The Moffatts for the first time at the Century Club in Century City, California, not too far away from here. I cannot believe it's been 15 years! It does not feel like 15 years. It feels like it just happened yesterday.

I was interviewed on Access Hollywood here and I was treated like a VIP. The people at the table next to me thought I was some celebrity from Asia. I took promotional photos at the show. I listened to the interview they did. It was my first real band experience. I've never done anything like that before and especially for a 13-year-old at the time, it was wonderfully overwhelming. At 13, that really shaped my experience and as you guys know, I've had plenty of positive band experiences since then. But this will always be my first taste of my favorite band in a small club and fantastic things happening in one evening. I'll never forget it. Here's to 15 years!

Me and Dave Moffatt.
I was 13 and he was 14.

My very first concert was Janet Jackson at Arco Arena in Sacramento, CA in 1994. My second concert was Whitney Houston during her Bodyguard tour in the same year, same venue. Seeing two vocal powerhouses in a short period of time really set the bar for me and my concert experiences. I go to a lot of concerts by a lot of different artists. And like I said last night, I can't just go once. I have to go repeatedly. Part of my addictive personality. I wrote in a previous blog post that Our Lady Peace was one of my favorite shows. I'd say they're in my Top Five shows of all time.

I not only like going to rock shows where I can't hear when the show's over, my taste gravitates toward singer/songwriters. One of my favorite venues in Los Angeles is the Hotel Cafe. They provide a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere to see artists perform. It's a great venue that promotes artists of all kinds but I've mostly seen quieter artists there. One of my favorite singer/songwriters is Jay Brannan. I discovered him in the movie Shortbus directed by John Cameron Mitchell.

Though his big scene in the movie was sexually explicit, what really caught my attention was his voice. He sang his song called Soda Shop and I was addicted. His voice is so soft yet manages to have edge. He can sing a melody line that sounds so smooth, a voice that sings these beautiful, round notes so perfectly. I discovered that he had a YouTube channel and a website and I downloaded the four songs he had available: Soda Shop, Ever After Happily, Drowning, and Lower My Gun. I listened to those on repeat. Constantly.

As his EPs came out on CDbaby, I bought every single one of them. The very first show I went to was at this small restaurant/venue called Genghis Cohen. I didn't even get inside. I was outside, sitting on a stool by myself, near the restaurant, and I could barely hear him through the glass. He passed me several times and yet I couldn't utter a word. It was like I was frozen in place, intimidated by someone who was a regular presence in my iPod. I'm always extremely nervous around people I really admire -- whose talent I really admire and I have been let down by people I've admired. Part of me didn't want to feel the surge of disappointment I knew I'd feel if meeting him didn't go as planned.

I didn't meet him that night but I listened to his songs, a little muffled by the glass because it was blocking the sound. I wish I could say the next time I saw him it was awesome and spectacular but drunk people ruined both my mood and the concert experience. It's only in recent shows have I been really, really happy and content with the audience. The music's always been amazing but the mood and atmosphere can play a really huge part in my enjoyment. Thankfully, his recent shows have been great but I'll always remember those earlier shows where I either couldn't see, couldn't hear, and all I wanted was to be close to really experience the music.

His music has evolved since he started posting his videos on YouTube a few years ago. He's made great studio albums with backing instruments that never compromise or overshadow his voice. His last full album (all originals) called Rob Me Blind is really spectacular. Every song, every note rings so clear and so interesting like musical ear candy.

I urge you to give his music a try because it's amazing and I really, really wouldn't steer you wrong. And to end on an even happier note, though I still feel intimidated at times to say hello, I have not been disappointed when I've met him. He takes the time to meet with every single person who wants to meet with him, signs every autograph, poses for a lot of photos. You can tell how grateful and appreciative he is that there are fans there to watch him perform. Well, I'm equally grateful and appreciative that he's there to provide me with music I feel connected to. Thank you, Jay Brannan.

It's hard for me to pick favorites. I like a lot of things. That's part of my problem. When I obsess or really, really like something, I go all the way with it. This applies to music, theater, television, etc. I always need to go see this show or that concert. It's one thing after another. So, picking favorites is difficult. But I do have favorite bands, bands I see over and over again. As long as they're within a... 100 mile radius, I'm usually there. Well, 100's probably my minimum. I fly across the country to see bands I like. When they're within a 20-50 mile radius, I definitely go see them.

Our Lady Peace is one of those bands. Our Lady Peace is a band from Canada and in 1999 they released their third album called Happiness... Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch. Since that was during my very strong international music phase, I got addicted to Much Music, a Canadian music channel that actually aired in the States for a couple of years through one of our cable providers. I heard the song "Is Anybody Home?" and I was hooked. The video was beautiful, the music just hit my eardrums in a way that made me feel so connected to what I heard. Single after single came out and I liked every single one of them.

I saw them for the first time in 2002 at the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood. They had just released their album Gravity. I was 17 years old and moved down to L.A. for the summer to take an internship at a talent agency. Our Lady Peace played in July and a couple of really great bands opened for them: Audiovent and Greenwheel.

You might recognize Greenwheel's song as the theme show to a show on the WB called Black Sash. Or... you may not recognize it because I'm convinced the only people who actually watched that show were me and my friends Emily and Sarah. But the two openers put on a great show and it only made that night's concert experience even better. It was my first time seeing Our Lady Peace and you can just tell from the atmosphere in the room that the fans of the band are hardcore. The minute they started the opening chords of any song, the crowd went absolutely nuts. It was all fist pumps and singing along loudly (which the band encourages) and this vibe that can't be explained. It's peaceful. It's relaxed. You know you're there for the music.

I'll never forget they ended with 4 A.M., one of their signature songs. It was an encore song. They came out on stage together with Raine in front of the microphone. He starts singing but the crowd overpowers him. He takes a step back and we go through the first verse, chorus, second verse when he says, "You guys don't even need us here." That statement is met with jeers, of course. If only they'd stayed on that stage forever. Canadian flags waved in the air, people cheered loudly as they took their final bow.

I've gone to a lot of shows, a lot of concerts but when I left that show, I felt changed. My heart felt fuller. It was like the music sunk deep into me and it hasn't let go yet. I've gone to other life-changing shows of theirs -- The Troubadour show a few years ago, The Viper Room, another Troubadour show. But there's always something special about the first show, isn't there? From the two opening acts I loved, to hearing songs I loved from the new album, the older albums, the sing-along -- it was perfect.

There's been a lot of music talk happening today. So, tell me LJ friends, what was your very first concert?

Mine was Janet Jackson in February 1994 at Arco Arena in Sacramento. My second one was Whitney, same year. It was obviously the year of the R&B divas when I was 9 years old, haha.