On April 8th, I had the amazing opportunity to be a VIP at Christina Perri’s tour in support of her second album, “Head or Heart”. Here is the play by play of my extraordinary night.

At 6:00 p.m., sophomore Beryl Bils and I arrived at Mill City Nights in downtown Minneapolis. We were pushed and shoved into the special VIP line to wait to meet Perri, and were led through countless hallways, back rooms, and empty staircases until we finally spotted her. Even though the meeting and picture happened in a flash (no pun intended), I could instantly sense how humble and sincerely happy she was to be performing.

After getting our complimentary signed poster and VIP badge, Bils and I entered the main floor and were thrilled to find that we were only one person from the front of the stage.

At about 7:00 p.m., when the concert was supposed to start, Birdy started to warm up and test the mic. Fortunately for us and the other VIP pass holders, this meant a surprise pre-Birdy concert with two extra songs. Birdy came out for real at around 8:00 p.m., and performed an amazing set. She selected a mixture of original songs with some beloved covers, including “Skinny Love”, a song originally by Bon Iver.

At only 17 years of age, Birdy is an up and coming singer-songwriter. She got her start on a UK talent competition, and has since risen to stardom through YouTube and a dedicated global fan base. Even more impressive than having such a powerful and developed voice at such a young age is the way she carried herself on stage and in person afterward. She was extremely gracious and down to earth. While meeting her afterwards, I witnessed an adorable hug from her mother and a huge smile from the teenage singer. “Oh thats just my mum, sorry about that!” laughed Birdy as we were getting our picture taken.

At 9:30 p.m. the lights finally dimmed, the music rose, and the most adorable little pixie of a girl came skipping out onto the stage. While Christina Perri may be dainty in stature, her voice is most definitely not. In almost every song of the evening, she somehow found a way to fit in crazy strong notes and belt out runs that blew me and the entire venue away.

Like Birdy, she also picked a variety of songs, showcasing new music from her album while still staying true to her old classic songs, such as “Jar of Hearts”. Having only heard the new album, “Head or Heart”, once before the concert, the songs were very new to me, but they resonated, as if they were written just for me. Perri explained that the title of her album expressed how, in her own life and in general, it’s difficult to choose whether to listen to your head or your heart. Each song targets one or the other and Perri said that she is still trying to learn to listen to both sides.

Aside from the music, my favorite parts of the concert were when Perri would talk to the audience between numbers. She really made an effort to interact with the crowd, even creating a three-part canon during one of her songs. She asked us questions about our own life experiences and listened to our responses. She was hilarious as well, cracking jokes, laughing with the audience, and never stopped doing little spins and tap routines on the stage between (and sometimes during) numbers. Also like Birdy, she was so comfortable and gracious to be on stage from beginning to end.

To conclude, I will leave you with the advice that Christina Perri gave to the audience that stuck with me. “Do something that terrifies you. Do something crazy scary. I don’t know if thats good advice or just plain stupid…but do something terrifying!”