An Adventure that I didn't want to end
by NikiES on 7/18/18Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - Chicago, IL - Tinley ParkRating: 5 out of 5I have seen hundreds of concerts in my time so far on Earth, but this show may have been one of the most fun concerts I have been to yet. Our show featured Macklemore first, followed by Kesha. They both sounded great, as did their bands, which I was pleasantly surprised about since the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater typically has pretty poor sound quality. I was lucky with my seats selection this time around, and my mom and I got seats in Section 104, row K, so we were about 11 rows away from the stage. I was happy I got seats so close for this particular show because Macklemore is such a character and it was great to see him interacting with the crowd. Macklemore had a fantastic set and played pretty much every song I wanted to hear. I loved that he had some quick costume changes, which is unusual for a guy performer, and the way that he interacted with his dancers/band on every song. They were a huge part of the performance, and I appreciated that. I also loved that he told stories and had fun little games between each set...there are a lot of reviewers complaining about this particular part of his show saying they only "came to see the music." While I understand where they are coming from, I thought Macklemore had a good amount of songs, and I thought it was a breath of fresh air watching him get candid on stage. He talked about his own Chicago memories, grilling and Uber drivers, and even gave us insight into what some of his songs are about. He has a very bubbly and genuine personality, and I honestly enjoyed every minute of him on stage. There was about a 20-30 minute break between Macklemore and Kesha, which was the perfect amount of time to get another drink or use the bathroom. Kesha started with a bang, and the energy never faded. Yes, she is vulgar, but anyone who has listened to Kesha should know that. Yes, she had costume changes, but they took maybe 5 mins tops, and her band played some sweet solos while videos of her were playing in the meantime. It worked. Kesha completely surprised me by playing all of her hits, which I didn't expect. I assumed she'd play one or two hits, but would mainly focus on the new album. Boy, was I wrong.She started off with "Mother F**ing Woman" (YAS) and then did hit after hit, and the audience and I lived for every moment. Timber, Blow, Take It Off, Tik Tok, etc., you name it, she did it. She sounded phenomenal on every song, especially Praying, and also did a phenomenal job on Bastards which I didn't think she'd pay. Probably the only thing that I would change about her set is that I would have loved to have heard one or two more songs off her new album, since it is such a great album. I would have loved to have seen "Learn to Let Go" and "Finding You" in person, but my hope is that after this tour she might go on a full blow "Rainbow" tour, which I would gladly attend. To make a long synopsis short, I had a grand old time. I was on my feet for 4+ hours, and loved every minute of it. I feel sorry for people at other venues who didn't have such a great experience, but I can honestly say my experience was an Adventure I would gladly go on again!!
