We Followed Joss to Vegas

Not last summer, but the summer before, Joss Stone went on tour, and to my absolute astonishment, she stopped in Salt Lake City! As soon as I heard she was coming I made sure Odum and Auri knew about it so we could all get our tickets. I actually bought Auri's ticket for her as her birthday present (the show was like two weeks after her birthday so it worked out well). Joss was playing up at Deer Valley at the amphitheater (it's a ski resort near Park City which is where the Sundance Film Festival is held every January). I'd never been to a concert at Deer Valley so I had no idea what to expect of the venue. Auri, Odum, Kenzie (my brother's ex-girlfriend) and I all went together. Once we got up there we were very pleasantly surprised by the setup. We had general admission lawn seats and were able to get a really great spot with a perfect view of the stage.

Let me tell ya, that woman can sing, as well as put on an absolutely-effing-fantabulous show! We all had a wonderful time... danced, sang our hearts out, drank some beer, and had so much fun. I seriously didn't want the night to end. When I got to work the next day I was looking around on her website and guess what I found out?! She was playing in Vegas the following weekend! Being that we're a six hour drive from Vegas, I figured, what the hell?! Why not?! Let's just jump in the car and go. I convinced Odum it was a good idea and he agreed to go with me. We invited anyone else who wanted to, to join us, but no one else was interested. They all thought we were crazy!

Odum and I hopped in the car around 1 PM from work and took off for Vegas. I never imagined we'd have so much fun. Spending that much time in a car with someone can either be great, or just awful, and we had a blast. We sang and talked and giggled the whole way down. If I remember correctly, the concert was on a Saturday night at The Beach at Mandalay Bay. If you've never been there, make a point of checking it out next time you're down there. It's absolutely amazing... a beach in the middle of Las Vegas. There's an actual beach, with sand and everything that lines the water that is actually a wave pool. Most of the pool is shallow but it gets deep in a few spots (I think). We stayed at the Palace Station (my dad hooked us up with a room - but don't tell my dad we roomed together or he will shit a brick and then disown me - and yes, I realize I'm 29 years old, but keep in mind my dad is Middle Eastern and doesn't favor those types of things) and the room was actually really nice, although the hotel itself is really smokey! On Friday night we went to dinner at Mon Amie Gabi which is at The Paris Hotel & Casino. It's one of my favorite places to go. But you have to wait for a table outside. It's the best. It's directly across the street from the Bellagio fountains and they go off every 15 minutes at night. So, you can sit there, watch the fountains, enjoy really amazingly yummy food, and enjoy the sights! The people watching might even be more intriguing than the fountains. On Saturday we shopped and dorked around and got ready for our big night out! It was the first of Septemeber so it was still pretty warm outside, but I think that's what made the night so perfect.

Once we got to Mandalay we waited in line to get into The Beach. After we finally got in we secured our spot right on the edge of the pool. It couldn't have been more perfect! Once the concert started we hung out at the edge of the pool and watched the show. After not too long, we waded our way up really close to the stage and stood in one or two foot deep water for the duration of the concert. I can't imagine a more perfect way to spend an evening. Standing in a pool, watching your favorite artist perform while you're hanging out with one of your best friends. Seriously amazing! So, like I said before, check out The Beach next time you're in Vegas. And if you like Joss, I highly recommend seeing her live. Oh, and by the way, she has a new album coming out in June and I absolutely cannot wait! (For those of you in the UK, you get it either this month or next, and I'm totally jealous!)