This is going to be a doozy - as this was possibly one of the best concert experiences I've ever had. Maybe it was the relaxing couple days prior in Risingsun, or the fact that this was a first concert road trip with Matthew, or an on-going series of coincidences that night that made everything work out perfectly. The fact that Robyn put on a stellar performance only solidified the whole experience.
I would normally start with the opening band, but this trip starts out with dinner. In a quiet, and surprisingly vacant downtown Pontiac, we wandered (accidentally) into one of the few open establishments (The Liberty), looking to grab a bite to eat, which also happened to be a gay bar. Casually minding ourselves, none other than Robyn happens to walk in shortly after us!! I was giddy, but kept my composure. I considered a quick hello on our way out, but she seemed steeped in conversation with her posse so we didn't interrupt.
After a decent meal, we walked down to The Crofoot and was stunned at the quality of the venue. Great layout & sound, multiple patios, multiple bars and levels, etc.
We found some seats on the balcony and watched the first two openers. Stereoluxxx, a two-person act from Flint, MI started the night and really set the tone for what was going to be a party. They embraced their electro-pop sound with all it's flair and flow. You could just feel the excitement coming from them, as they were elated to be opening for Robyn. I think they sounded great and I'd love to see them come to Cleveland.
Second up was Letterbox. Not bad, was danceable and enjoyable enough, but it was pretty hard to top the genuine excitment of Stereoluxxx.
Then we moved down to the stage for Robyn, surprised we were able to walk right up. This was her first stop after her appearance at the Pitchfork Music Festival, of which she claimed Pontiac was all the more fun. I could see why. This crowd may not have been as big, but they were fierce. Still in shock that she didn't pull a bigger audience, I couldn't have been happier with the turnout (for our sake, not for hers).
Robyn just lit up the stage. Her dancing, style, and beats were all top-notch. I feel like Robyn is the real deal and is throwing down pop tracks that don't need the pomp & circumstance of other pop artists. Robyn had an early rise to stardom early in her career with "Show Me Love" but eventually split with the major labels and started up Konichiwa Records to showcase her new, more electronic sound. Good move.
After the show, we hung around for some after party event... got bored and walked around, eventually getting kicked out of another part of the bar (a "private" party), and just happened to walk outside as Robyn was walking to the bus. We proceeded to get autographs and profess our adoration (or at least I wanted to). It couldn't have been better timed - or provided a better ending to an already perfect night. Legendary.
It's hard to even explain how great this was... If you haven't had much experience with Robyn, check her out and get to know her stuff, then watch this below and you'll see the awesomeness. Or just watch it now, and you'll still see.
