Christmas Surprises!

Last Saturday Neil planned a special surprise for me as an early Christmas Present and tradition we do every year.  I knew we were going to a concert but I tend to figure these things out and he told me to not look up who was in town or look up venues in order to keep it a secret.

The Grove is so beautiful at Christmas but we were on a tight schedule because I had work at 10 pm at Bar Lubitsch and since it was a Private Party I couldn't be late.  The first part of my Christmas Present was Dinner at La Piazza (also a Christmas tradition).  I wish we could have walked around and been out in the 'snow' but we had to leave by 7 pm for the next part of the surprise.  We got a table on the second floor by a huge chandelier and Neil ordered a bottle of wine and we got Gnocchi in a Tomato, Oil, Garlic, and Basil sauce while Neil got the Filet Medallions with Grilled Veggies and a Balsamic Reduction.  I'm happy that we both like to share because his Steak was cooked perfectly medium rare and my Gnocchi were like little fluffy pillows and I loved the fresh basil.  Neil's Balsamic Reduction was a perfect compliment to the steak and after finishing off his meal we wrapped the rest of mine to go (we had filled up on fresh bread with oil and vinegar as well as Parmesan cheese).  We didn't have time for dessert but we each got a glass of Sambuca, dark for Neil, clear for me, even though they didn't have espresso beans, and also an espresso for each of us.  To me, there's a distinct difference in the two kinds of Sambuca and I love the espresso bean in the glass.  Neil dragged me past the Spinkles Cupcakes on the way out and we were onto part two of my Christmas Surprise.

We parked a few blocks away from LA Live and made our way to the Nokia Theater.  The woman scanning tickets said the name of the band but I was so in awe of the ice skating rink outside and all the Christmas decorations that I hadn't even paid attention and while Neil was worried she had ruined the surprise, she didn't at all.  It was my first time at the Nokia Theater and I noticed it looked like a big club with a long bar and there was an opening act playing, Tyler Hilton who has played on all of the "One Tree Hill" soundtracks.  Before I could see the stage, Neil said we were here to see Boyce Avenue, as there was a huge banner right behind the opener!  Hooray!!  This band has such a special meaning for the both of us and it was an excellent surprise.  We grabbed beers and made our way towards the stage when Bethany Joy Lenz joined Tyler Hilton for a duet of 'When The Stars Go Blue' and I was excited to see her perform because she used to be on "Guiding Light" my favorite soap opera from back in the day when I was in 8th grade and had to VHS tape it every afternoon!  Another favorite from his set was his cover of 'Missing You' which is a great 80's song made famous by John Waite.

Me and the girls of Fifth Harmony from X-Factor, Lauren, Camila, and Ally, 'Vamping It Up' according to Neil!

We decided to check out the other side of the stage when I recognized a group of girls taking pictures with some people.  They were the girls from Fifth Harmony, one of Simon's groups on 'X-Factor.'  They had an incredible performance last week and even though they've been criticized in the past for not harmonizing they showed off their skills when they performed 'Anytime You Need a Friend.'  I went up and congratulated them on a fabulous performance and knew the three girls, Camila, Ally, and Lauren, who are all 15-19 years old, and I was so impressed by their pose, positive attitude, graciousness, and appreciation.  They each took the time to ask my name and give me a hug and it was great to see such maturity in these young role models!  Kudos to Fifth Harmony, and I told you then, and I'll tell you now, you deserve the contract and money because of your hard work and dedication!  Keep up the great work :)

Alejandro of Boyce Avenue at the Nokia Theater

 At 9 pm Boyce Avenue took the stage and sang the first of many original songs that they sang throughout the night.  It was a 2 hour show but unfortunately, Neil and I had to leave at 9:45 pm in order to make it to Bar Lubitsch by 10 pm.  My favorite original they played was called 'Briane' and it held a special place in all of their hearts.  The group was formed by the 3 brothers in 2004 and came to fame by putting videos up on YouTube of mostly cover songs.  Currently, my favorite cover they've done is 'It Will Rain' by Bruno Mars...it's incredibly amazing and I don't know whose version I like better!  Neil and I also took a cue from them a year ago when we did our own version of U2's 'With Or Without You' after seeing them perform it with Kina Grannis in a YouTube video.  Click here to see Neil and I's version of 'With or Without You' on YouTube  My favorite song they played at the concert was Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep.'  It was an awesome cover and it's great to see bands playing instruments and not relying on background players to make their sound.  Plus, Alejandro not only plays guitar but also the piano and brought it out on-stage for a couple songs so that was really cool too!  It was a very special night for a couple that got engaged in front of everyone at the show and of course, she said yes.  Before we knew it, it was 9:40 pm and we wrapped up our bill and made our way to Bar Lubitsch just a couple minutes late.  Whew!  I really wish we would have been able to see more of the show but this just means we'll have to check them out again the next time they are in town!

What an incredible night and an amazing Christmas Present!  It was definitely a surprise and we both had so much fun and I'm happy that this is our very own Christmas tradition.  We had a great meal, had a very creative evening seeing live music, and I ended it with a fun night at work.  That's what I call a Saturday :)