ON THE RUN

On the night of Wednesday, July 9th many girls and guys could be seen walking the streets of downtown Toronto. The girls in shirts with phrases like "flawless" and "I woke up like this", headbands baring words "surfboard" and "bow down". The guys were seen in shirts saying "Tom Ford" and "99 Problems". So where were these people headed? They were making their way to the Rogers Center (formerly known as the Sky Dome) which is normally home to the Toronto Blue Jays. On July 9th, however, it was home to screaming fans bowing down to Queen Bey and Hova. Beyonce and Jay-Z have finally given the fans what they wanted and made Toronto the 6th stop on their 16 city, first-ever, tour together. 

The On The Run tour is a spin off of the song "Part II (On the Run)" by Jay-Z which features Beyonce. It also has origins from their first ever song together "03 Bonnie and Clyde". In May of this year the couple released a fake movie trailed titled "RUN" to give the fans a taste of what to expect for their concert. The trailer left fans dying to watch this movie, which starred several familiar faces. Fans even went to the extent of petitioning for it to be made into a movie. Even though this will not be happening, I must admit the concert was OUTSTANDING. Or should I say FLAWLESS. I was never a devoted fan to Beyonce, but I am a huge fan of Jay-Z. The couple did an amazing job, and I would go see it again and again. 

So here's a RUN-down. The couple finally came out on stage, about 45 mins late, to a stadium of anxious & screaming fans to the sound of Bonnie and Clyde. Behind them on the jumbo screen was a video compilation of clips filmed from their RUN trailer. In tune with the theme of their tour, there was a outlaw criminal aspect to the atmosphere and stage / lighting design.

The couple had a 42-song set list (for a full set list click here), with crowd favourites of each artist's solo songs, and collaborations they have made together. Both artists did a combination of both their older and newer hits; which didn't disappoint the fans. Beyonce with "Single Ladies" and "Partition" and Jay-Z with "Dirt Of Your Shoulder" and "Clique". Some of my favourite songs the two performed together were "Crazy In Love" and of course "Drunk In Love".

I loved the way they shared the stage, letting each have their turn in the center. Beyonce would sing a few of her songs with Jay-Z chiming in in the end, followed by the two singing a song together. Beyonce would exit and give the stage to her hubby where he would spit his rhymes that had me and my friends jamming out. This continued for the remainder of the 2 and a half hours, my only complaint being that there wasn't more. Queen Bey and Hova ended the concert singing Young Forever and Halo (with Jay mouthing the words). Mr & Mrs.Carter walked out center stage, hand in hand, all smiles with several video clips of the two and their beautiful daughter Blue Ivy. 

What I loved just as much as the music was the incredible wardrobe the two donned. Beyonce in several bodycons, leotards and even a beautiful ivory wedding dress! Like always- she showed us how flawless her body is. Jay-Z wore a number of T-shirts, gold chains, hats and a striking white suit in the end. 

So what did my friends & and I wear?

Left (Me, C)

Outfit: top- Forever 21, shorts- Forever 21, cardigan-express

Accessories: necklace- Forever 21, earrings- Heritage 1981, bracelets (not pictured)- various gold ones that I layered

Shoes (not pictured): black Michael Kors sandals

Center

Outfit: top-Urban Planet , shorts-Garage Clothing, cardigan- Aritzia

Accessories: silver hoop earrings, pandora bracelet (not pictured)

Shoes (not pictured): beige Archer sandals by Dolce Vita

Right

Outfit: navy blue and black leopard print romper from Top Shop

Accessories: earrings- tory burch, statement necklace, knuckle rings and black and gold clutch

Shoes (not pictured): orange/gold sandals- Spring

Beyonce may seem perfect ladies but just remember...

*we do not take credit for any of these photos

Music of the Moment:

This past March I (C) got the opportunity to go to the Imagine Dragons & the Young the Giant concerts. They were all in one week and it was a great way from me to de-stress from the 5 brutal midterms I had just had.

The Imagine Dragons was first, it took place at the Air Canada Centre in downtown Toronto. Imagine Dragons had The Naked and Famous opening for them. The Naked and Famous performed some of their most well known songs such as Young Blood and Punching In a Dream. Imagine Dragons played all the crowd favourites from their debut album such as Its Time, Demons, On Top of the World and of course Radioactive. They also did a cover of Tom Sawyer by Rush, Toronto natives. For their encore they did Bleeding Out and Nothing Left to Say. Overall their performances were amazing, and neither band disappointed. I left the Air Canada Centre in awe and with a new appreciation of one of my favourite bands.

A few days after the Imagine Dragons concert I attended the Young the Giant concert, another one of my all time favourite bands. Since Young the Giant isn't as mainstream as Imagine Dragons this concert was at a smaller venue, the Koolhaus, also downtown Toronto. Vance Joy opened the show, for those of you who've never heard of Vance, he's an amazing curly haired Aussie with one hell of a voice. I definitely recommend you check him out. He performed his most popular songs such as Emmylou, Snaggletooth and of course Riptide. Once the band came out the crowd roared as we heard the soothing voice of lead singer, Sameer Gadhia. Only one word can describe his stage presence, groovy. They started off with Anagram, one of the songs from their new album, Mind Over Matter. They performed other songs off the album like Crystallized and of course the self-title. Along with the newer songs they performed all the old favourites like Cough Syrup and for the encore, My Body.  They also performed a cover of Stromae's, Formidable. Both Vance Joy and Young the Giant were amazing and I look forward to their return to Toronto.

The Naked and Famous

Imagine Dragons

Vance Joy

Young the Giant

No One On The Corner Has Swagger Like Us

         On July 18th I had the pleasure of seeing M.I.A. at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto. I had never been to a real concert before and I was super excited, especially because I absolutely love Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam (Known as M.I.A.) and I love to support a fellow Sri Lankan. I absolutely love that she incorporates her Sri Lankan heritage into her art and that she shows her eccentric personality in her outfits and music.

          The night started off with a DJ set, who did a good job getting everyone in a dancing mood, though my group (my sister, and two friends) encountered some extremely odd people that should not have been twerking. Next up was the opening act, a rapper named LE1F; He wasn't terrible but it went on for too long and there were some provocative dance moves that were a bit awkward. M.I.A was the reason I went to the concert, so unless Drake or Jay-Z were opening for her I could've gone without an opener. #letsbehonest #sorrynotsorry. Don't get me wrong he was good, but it was hot, sweaty, smelly and I just wanted to see my girl M.I.A.

          When LE1F finally went off stage the crowd went wild and started chanting "M.I.A!! M.I.A!!". The lights went dim, her beautiful set backdrop lit up, and we could hear a traditional Sri Lankan song all around us; We didn't know where it was coming from, if it was live or pre-recorded, but it was lovely. Then, at approximately 10:15pm, M.I.A made her debut to an eager crowd of screaming fans and began with "Only 1 U".

          I mentioned earlier how M.IA.'s style is eccentric, always a juxtaposition of textures and shapes, and that night she didn't disappoint; Her outfit was on point, and of course only she could get away with it- plus for 37 years old with a child, she looks amazing. She wore a lot of gold lamé, a shorts and shirt ensemble first with intricate trim and details, then an oversized gold lamé t-shirt. and her backup dancers either had baroque patterned pieced or army inspired outfits. Even though we couldn't see her shoes from our spot in the crowd, I'm sure M.I.A. had some cool sneakers on since her footwear choices are always dope.

          She performed some of her classic songs like "Bucky Done Gun" and "Sunshowers" and for her encore she sang "Galang", "Paper Planes" and "Bad Girls". She even brought out a huge bouquet of white roses and threw them to the crowd. I proudly fought for one, unfortunately it broke during the struggle to get it and I got the stem and the other girl got the rose -_________-. At one point, M.I.A. asked a Tamil to come up on stage and had them break a coconut, a Hindu tradition, then she played her last song. And with that the show ended; It was a phenomenal experience. M.I.A. is an amazing entertainer and I would, without a doubt, see her live again and again.

What did I wear?

Gold foil baroque patterned dress- H&M $19.99
Black suede wedges - Payless $40
Black & gold leather purse- XSRE $50
Assorted jewelry from Forever 21

My inspiration for this outfit? M.I.A. of course.