On June 28, thousands of teenage girls, including myself, filled downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, to attend Selena Gomez's "Revival Tour" -- a night full of music, dancing, sparkly costumes and confetti. It was a lively event that everyone in the crowd appeared to enjoy as they sang along to Selena's most popular songs, both old and new.
The pop star performed for a nearly sold-out crowd while delivering a consistently high energy performance that was quite the upbeat contrast to the emotionally lyrical material found on her latest album, "Revival."
Every performance during the "Revival Tour" cleanly consisted of smooth transitions that left the crowd wondering what would come next. Fans in the audience were intrigued by Selena's artistic style as she had an interesting stage set up and donned multiple costumes that were the talk and speculation of post-concert conversation. Both critics and fans alike have been comparing her tour style to other performers, including her friend in music, Taylor Swift.
While there were some costume similarities between the two, Selena performed with her own sense of music and style. It's evidently clear that Selena is making an attempt to be her own person as she grows out of the Disney scene; however, while her transition is not nearly as racy or outspoken as similar Disney stars Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato, it's definitely continuing to change as she continues to grow up and create music that is still poppy, but more mature.
I had the incredible experience of taking everything in and enjoying the concert from the pit. Being so close to the stage was surreal as I was just rows back from the very star I grew up watching on Disney Channel. The only complaint I had for the entire night was occasionally having to deal with watching the show through the people's phones in front on me as they shared highlights of their night on Snapchat.
While Selena's concert was great, she lacked a bit in connecting with the crowd. However, it most likely can be attributed to the fact that a majority of the fans were more concerned with capturing every moment of the show on their phone rather than actually being in the moment and dancing the night away. While that aspect definitely jaded some of the experience's appeal, it was still a fun night overall and a stellar concert.
My favorite part of the show was seeing her perform
"Who Says" and Hillsong Worship's
"Transfiguration." An artist's connection with the crowd can make or
break a performance and this was by far one of the strongest parts of her show.
Her star power shone through as her vulnerability took the stage.
The entire audience was completely in awe of these two
powerful songs that were so heartfelt, emotional and full of meaningful lyrics making for a
beautiful performance.
Also on tour with Selena was Joe Jonas' band DNCE. In the words of my 11-year-old brother who came to the concert with me, their performance was absolutely "lit." It was awesome to see them perform "Cake by the Ocean," a song that took 2016 by storm as a radio station favorite while quickly climbing the music charts. Joe Jonas and his colorful band delivered a greatly energetic performance that was definitely entertaining to watch as they all enjoyed their time on stage in the spotlight.
Selena's concert ended with a bang as she closed out the show with her next single "Kill Em with Kindness," song "I Want You To Know" and a remix of the tour's theme song "Revival." An explosion of confetti was the final touch on the night as Selena and her crew danced offstage to hit the road for yet another performance leaving St. Paul, Minnesota to collect themselves after a great concert, night and event.