I was able to hang out with Kris Allen and the guys yesterday morning on the Get Up & Go Show, and a little bit before his performance at the Cedar Cultural Center Wednesday night. Let me tell you, Kris and the guys are such cool guys, just like you would imagine. There is a reason he has a huge faithful following on Twitter! They love their fans! Those are the type of musicians I love. You can chit chat and talk about life with them and they are real. And their tour manager Sean, what a great guy to have on the road with you.

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Kris is out on tour to support his latest album, Thank You Camellia. I reviewed the album after it came out and you can check out what I thought here. Being a Kris Allen supporter I was excited to see him live. Hearing the songs live is even better than the album. You get a feel for the emotions that went into writing the songs. The passion Kris has when he sings is clearly visible.

Like I mentioned, this was my first time seeing Kris perform live and was really impressed. He interacted with us, laughed with us, and even sang Happy Birthday to a girl in the audience. Did he put on a cool light show or have wardrobe changes with dancers like Lady Gaga? Nope. It was more 'let's sing these songs together and have a fun night' show. That type of show is great too and it really fits his personality.

With the Out Alive Tour, Kris is going to smaller venues to make it special to those of us in the audience. When you scream "I LOVE YOU" from Section 221 row 20 at Target Center, the lead singer never says anything back because they can't hear you. Being so close to the stage, I mean so close that it seemed like the band was performing in my lap, gave it an intimate feel. No, not like that. It's not very often you are inches away from the person performing.

jillettejohnson.com
jillettejohnson.com
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New Yorker Jillette Johnson opened up for Kris. When she walked on stage you knew she was gong to blow your ears away. She first lights a candle, then sits down on her chair, places her hands delicately on the piano and then wows us with her powerful voice. She has an album coming out on June 25th titled Water in a Wale. She was very fun, real, and quirky. If you are looking for new music, check out Jillette Johnson!

The only thing I didn't like from the performance, was the waiting. We waited a good 20 minutes after show time for Jillette to start so fans could buy merchandise before the show started. After Jillette, we waited for what seemed like forever for Kris to start so she could take photos and meet new fans. I get that these are all important factors into a show, but maybe next time have them located in a different area. Announce that merchandise can be bought and Jillette will be meeting fans outside the doors so the show can run on time. That was my only complaint, and a very small complaint. Once Kris took the stage the frustration of waiting passed. Frustrated because we didn't know what the roads were like, had an hour and a half drive back during a week night, needed to be up at 4a.m. for bootcamp, and I was hungry. LOL. You know we can get a little cranky when only chips and cookies are available to eat and it's not a "cheat" meal day. Oh, and the Meet and Greet location, as you can see from the above photo, by the coat check, really? Why not towards the back or by center stage to not have hangers in the background. Again, these are just minor complaints. If a musician that I enjoyed was playing the Cedar Cultural Center, I would go again.

We hope to have Kris come back to Minnesota when he hits the road again to support his third album that is currently in the making.

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