The Stone Foxes @ Venice West 2/10/2023

The announcement of SF's The Stone Foxes   tour earlier this year was that much sweeter since it had been on hold since 2021.
Cleverly named after their sixth album, 2022's The Other Side, The Other Side of the Road  tour got underway at SoHo Restaurant & Music Club in Santa Barbara, CA and before making their way back to the Bay Area for a show at home they had a show at Venice West in Venice, CA on Febraury 10th. 

The show couldn't have been curated any better as their blues infused rock n' roll was a perfect fit for the Venice venue with it's hip industrial asthetic and moody lighting. Offering a full bar and food menu, people were scattered around the spaceous room but as show time neared, lingering fans made their way closer to the stage. 

The Stone Foxes @ Venice West 2/10/2023
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Everyone's attention was hailed as The Stone Foxes got mosied to stage just before 9:30. 
Front man Shannon Koehler was all smiles under a balck and orange SF Giants hat as he and the band quickly got situated before getting down to business with new ones from the new album, "Man's Red Fire" and "Norah Jones". Before continuing on with "Passenger Train" from 2010's Bears & Bulls and "Everybody Knows" from 2013's Small Fires, Koehler graciously greeted the enthused hoots and hollers, introducing the band from The Bay to SoCal showgoers. 

The Stone Foxes @ Venice West 2/10/2023
photo by Nikki DeMartini

As the show rolled on The Stone Foxes collectively picked up steam. They brough it from the get go but as more and more of the crowd came around and started getting down it ignited an even bigger spark in The Stone Foxes. They teetered between mid to low tempos then without notice, they slathered us with full-on rock jams complete with guitar solos, harmonica solos and bursts of drum solos. 

The Stone Foxes @ Venice West 2/10/2023
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The Stone Foxes @ Venice West 2/10/2023
photo by Nikki DeMartini

A few songs deep we saw them start to shift in positions as Shannon Koehler traded places with the drummer, the drummer became the basist and the basist took over lead vocals. Without missing a beat The Stone Foxes gave us solid harmonies from start to finish, no matter who was on lead vocals. Backup vocals from the female keyboardist lends a delicate touch to the tunes heavy with blues. She's a  piece I never noticed was missing at previous Stone Foxes shows I've covered over the years but the little bit of estrogen is a great addition. By the time they played a cover of The Grateful Dead's "Truckin'" everyone in the place was on their feet and most of them were singing along. The Stone Foxes at Venice West was one of the most lively shows, on and off of the stage, that I have been to in a while. It was easy to see that the band and their fans were truly enjoying themseleves and there's something about witnessing that, that just makes you feel good on the inside. 

After headlining 18 shows, the show at Ophelia's Electric Soapbox in Denver, CO was their final one off show of The Other Side of the Road tour but that's not all they have in store for us.

In less than two months The Stone Foxes will be at BottleRock Napa Valley!
They hit one of the stages there on Friday May 26th!

Top shows of 2022

1. Harry Styles 11/15/2022 @ The Forum 

Harry Styles 11/15/2022 @ The Forum 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Harry Styles released Harry's House, his third solo album last Spring to whichto a very warm welcome. Then the sprightly British musician/actor/heart throb took his show on the road, spreading his love to everyone, everywhere.
What's not to love about that?!

Hands down, Harry Styles' Love on Tour show at The Forum on November 15th, 2022 is the number one best show I saw last year.

 11/15/2022 @ The Forum 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I couldn't believe and still can't believe that I managed to get up close (and I wish personal) in the pit. I had already seen him perform "As It Was" at Coachella so I wasn't heart broken that I missed it that night and I spotted Olivia Wilde in the midst of adoring fans!

The crowd engagement!
The stage design!
The band!
Harry's swiveling hips!
He played everything I could have wanted to hear from the new album as well as his first two albums.
Seeing Harry Styles live on his Love on Tour tour was everything you could imagine it would be, tenfold.

 11/15/2022 @ The Forum 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The only thing I would have changed is the thousands of screaming fans drowning out his singing.

2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs 10/6/2022 @ The Hollywood Bowl 

As soon as I found out the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were playing The Hollywood Bowl on about this show I had to be there and thanks to a co-worker friend for hooking it up I was! 

Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ The Hollywood Bowl 10/6/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Karen O looked and sounded stunning and it was so good to see the three of them back on stage again. We got closer and closer and closer still as the show went on and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs played all of the hits we were dying to hear.

 

Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ The Hollywood Bowl 10/6/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The opening acts that night, The Linda Lindas and Japanese Breakfast, rounded out an all Asian female line up which was pretty fucking cool. 

Hopefully the trend setting Yeah Yeah Yeahs front woman spawned another trend there. We guessed that they'd have more on store for us this year and we were right, Yeah Yeah Yeahs 2023 tour dates have been annouced!

3. Lady Gaga 9/10/2022 @ Dodger Stadium 

From her gaggle dancers and choreographed dancing, to all of the costume changes and stage changes, pryotechnics and routaiting vibes as one album to the next came to life on stage. 
 Did it feel like she was phoning it in? A little but it's Lady fucking Gaga. 

Little monsters and their insurmountable energy filled dodger stadium with wigs, eye catching lewks, love and excitement. Cuties around me belted along with "Born This Way" which moved me to happy tears and I wouldn't want it any other way.

4. Florence and The Machine 10/14/2022 @ The Hollywood Bowl 

Florence and The Machine  @ The Hollywood Bowl 10/14/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

While I do love seeing me some Florence and the Machine live I have come to realize I am captivated more so by her than by her music. Florence did not disapoint night one of two at The Greek. They closed out their 2022 tour with two sold-out shows at The Greek Theater. On night one I was surprised and delightedthat  "Dog Days are Over" was played early on.  

 

She emerged to stage covered with white and black chandelers in one of her now signature, long, flowy frocks and long flowing red hair and the crowd lost it.

 AND THAT VOICE.

Florence and the MAchone @ The Hollywood Bowl 10/14/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Before the third song she had already got off of the stage and onto the walkway that goes through the pit and seated area. She put on a flower crown a fan handed her as she passed, undoubtedly making their day as well as everyone else's who she sauntered past that night

Florence and the Machine @ The Hollywood Bowl 10/14/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

5. The Kills 6/6/2022 @ The Mayan 

The Kills @ The Mayan 6/6/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Last year Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart of The Kills played shows for the first time since 2019. After opening for Mosshart's Dead Weather bandmate Jack White in the greater Bay Area on June 5th they headed to LA for two shows at The Mayan on June 6th and a second show added by popular demand on June 7th before going on to play a couple shows in New York.

I had to be at one of these shows.

 

The Kills @ The Mayan 6/6/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

It was my first time at The Mayan and nearly five years since the last time I saw The Kills live. I could hardly wait for them to take the stage.   Sharing the same sentiment, they expressed gratitude for being back playing live shows not just for fans but with fans post lockdowns. 

There were a couple technical hiccups and rusty performance moments where you could tell the duo was getting back in the groove of live shows again. It was a reminder that rockstars are human too and they rocked! 2022 Marked the twentieth anniversary of the release of their second album, No Wow and they played at least one song from all of their five albums. 

Is more coming from The Kills this year?

6. Sylvan Esso @ Electric Forest 2022

Last year saw the return of a festie favorite, Electric Forest in Rothbury Michigan. The String Cheese Incident, Griz and Clozee brought the wook-ery while Sylvan Esso brought the indie-dance vibes. The dreamy electro-pop duo stayed busy during the pandemic releasing new music then promptly going on  tour as soon as things started to re-open. They seemed a little burned out on stage, Amelia mustering some of her signature wiggles and kicks here and there while Nick stayed hidden in fog machine fog. 

Sylvan Esso @  Electric Forest 2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I found myself closer than the fans riding the rails, alone in the photo pit dancing my heart out with my co-workers who got stopped by security watching me go.
It was like a private Sylvan Esso show just for me. 

Sylvan Esso @  Electric Forest 2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

In true Electric Forest fashion, it was magical. 

7. Elton John 11/20/2022 @ Dodger Stadium

November 20th, 2022 Elton John played his final show in the US at Dodger Stadium.  If I'd have seen more of the show it'd be higher on my list but alas work kept me from seeing most.  I heard it though. The top of the set was filled with hits: opening with "Bennie and the Jets" he kept the party going with "Philidelphia Freedom", "Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues", "Tiny Dancer" and "Rocket Man". Being a long time fan of Marilyn Monroe and her story myself, when his tribute to the misunderstood beauty "Candle in the Wind" being able to catch him perform it was perfection. 

There was an abundance of feather boas, sequence and oversized bedazzled sun glasses in the crowd at the sold-out stadium show, the same stadium he played back in 1975 with that infamous rhinestone encrusted Dodgers uniform. Hits also closed the show with hits of course, including "Crocodile Rock" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting". The last song of his final show in the US on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour was of course, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road".

8. Dua Lipa @ Firefly 2022

It's a rare occasion if a whole team at a music festival can watch a set together but me and the hospo crew made it a point to watch Dua Lipa close out Firefly 2022 in Dover Delaware. If there's one thing I love more than a team photo it's a team outting at a show and this is one of the best fest sets I've ever seen. 

Dua Lipa @  Firefly 2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

 Dua didn't need extra thrills to spice up her set. Surrounded by an army of male and female dancers, she performed all of her hits with a graceful swagger and uber confidence that carried the show and made you want to keep watching. The big moon balloons that got tossed around during Levitate and blasts of confetti that showered the crowd to end the festival were added bonuses. There is no denyinh that Dup Lipa is hot and her shining genuineness through out her perfmance made her and her set to close out Firefly 2022 even hotter. 

9. Bikini Kill 4/26/2022 @ Pappy & Harriet's 

Bikini Kill @  Pappy & Harriet's 4/26/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Between working Coachella and Stagecoach last year, I got a last minute invite to Bikini Kill at Pappy and Harriet's in Pioneertown. Not only had I been wanting to see Bikini Kill, seeing a show at Pappy and Harriet's was high on my list, too plus there was an extra ticket and it'd be with great company. So a show between shows? Yes please.
Arriving fashinably late, we went in through the back entrance and headed toward the noise and the crowd.

Bikini Kill @  Pappy & Harriet's 4/26/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Pappy and Harriet's has two stages, one indoor and one outdoor and Bikini Kill was playing outside. We caught a couple songs of their regular set before playing some songs for their encore, saving the best for last, their most well known single, "Riot Girl". If there's one song to see Bikini Kill play live it's "Riot Girl" and we saw it! First time seeing Bikini Kill as well as the first time at Pappy and Harriet's made for a great night even if we only caught the tail end of the show. 

10. Pussy Riot 8/7/2022 @ Outside Lands 2022 

Day three of Outside Lands welcomed Pussy Riot to the Panhandle stage at Outside Lands last summer. It was a beautful sun shiny day in Golden Gate Park when Pussy Riot took the stage. The righteous feminist activist group from Russia has windeled down from 11+ members to a solid handful with Nadya Riot at the helm. 

Pussy Riot @  Outside Lands 2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Pussy Riot @  Outside Lands 2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Bandmates donned the signature Pussy Riot ski masks while Nadya's long Billie Eilish-esque locks blew in the Summer breeze. The front lady of the provocative punk band wore arosing fishnets, thigh high pink leather boots and an oversized T-shirt which she later shed on stage to reveal a more revealing outfit, if you can call it an outfit. While shedding said T-shirt she made it clear that it stated Free Brittney Griner. A protest of you will and very apropos. 

Her vocal range from modestly incocent singing to diaphragmatic scream sining was surprisingly impressive. Ski masked dancers suggestivly danced on either side of her as she worked the crowd with silky movements, death stares and dominating attention from the crowd like a domanatrix with props like a long red whip. And of course there was political banter. Aside from freeing Brittney Griner, Nadya Riot also comented on Russia's attacks on Ukraine and a woman's right to choose in the US. 

Pussy Riot @  Outside Lands 2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

It wouldn't be a proper Pussy Riot show without some political banter, right? Nadya Riot delivered on all fronts. 

As 2023 tour annoucements and fesival line-ups keep coming we're looking forward to a year full of live music. What's on your must see list this year? 

Strawberry Matcha cupcake from Cakegirl

 Cakegirl is a little bakery tucked in a corner store in East LA that serves all vegan, gluten free, soy free and for the most part peanut and nut free sweet treats. And yes, it is owned and operated by a girl. 

Strawberry Matcha cupcake from Cakegirl 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

This wasn't my first time having a Cakegirl cupcake but it was my first time visting. It was for a special occassion, my birthday and since I too, am a cake girl there was really no other place to get my celebratory cupcake. 

The Strawberry Matcha cupcake won me over not only with the unique flavor combo: matcha is a popular flavor as is strawberry…put them together and oh my yum and flamingo pink frosting didn't hurt either. 

Strawberry Matcha cupcake from Cakegirl 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The cupcakes at Cakegirl are the size of homebaked cupcakes and for being free of all of the food allergies mentioned above $4.50 is a pretty reasonable price. 

The strawberry frosting is as fragrant and flavorful as it is pink. It even has a buttercream texture. 

The matcha cake is strikingly green and slaps with the beloved earthy flavor. For as popular as matcha is not all baked good deliver the true essence of the flavor but Cakegirl does. One might think that the robustness of the two flavors is too much for one little vegan cupcake but again, Cakegirl works their magic. 

The complex, grassy, nutty, bitter notes of matcha are carried gently by the sweetness of the strawberry frosting, highlighting one another in a marrying of flavors that serendiputiously bring this cupcake to life. I kept forgetting that it was vegan because the cake was pretty buttery for being dairy free and it's cakey bouancy didn't scream gluten free like so many gluten free treats tend to do. 

Strawberry Matcha cupcake from Cakegirl 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Strawberry Matcha cupcake from Cakegirl 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

If I hadn't have known that this cupcake, or the other cupcakes I've had from Cakegirl were vegan and gluten free I'd never would have even thought that they are. That's how good they are.

We love you so matcha, Strawberry Matcha cupcake from Cakegirl!

Strawberry Matcha cupcake from Cakegirl 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Cakegirl is open today, Valentines Day and every Monday - Saturday. 

Frosted gingerbread & Eggnog cupcakes

When you think of Christmas flavors what comes to mind?
How about gingerbread and eggnog?
Both make me think, "Christmas!" and they just might be seasonal flavors that are the most synonymous with the holidays to me.  

Eggnog and Gingerbread Cupcakes from Frosted in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I peaked into Frosted Cupcakery to see what handcrafted Holiday time cupcakes they had and was delighted to see they had an eggnog cupcake! People either love eggnog or hate it, I love it and was excited to finally try an eggnog cupcake.
Like many other cupcake places, Frosted has a  Chocolate Peppermint cupcake this time of year but their December flavor of the month rang yuletide more. Gingerbread. 

Eggnog cupcakes from Frosted in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Both had sprinkles on top of their buttercream frosting: the eggnog cupcake with bigger colorful confetti sprinkles, the gingerbread with small colorful sugar crystal sprinkles that remind me of sugar plums dancing in sleepy heads. 

Gingerbread cupcakes from Frosted in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Rich and creamy buttcream frosting topped both.  The frosting on the eggnog cupcake was tinted with the Wintery drink in flavor as well as color while the frosting on the gingerbread cupcake had a merry and bright zest of lemon in every bite. 

The eggnog cake was so buttery and I can't tell if the frosting was more eggnoggy or the cake itself. It's almost like a vanilla cake with a little Christmas spirit boost. 

Eggnog cupcake from Frosted in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Gingerbread cupcake from Frosted in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The gingerbread flavor was just as subtle in the gingerbread cake. It also wasn't as buttery but maybe that's because I waited a day to eat it. 

Christmas time can be overwhelming but there's no overdoing it with these two Christmasy cupcakes from Frosted in Long Beach!

Courtney Marie Andrews @Troubadour 12/14/2022

Courtney Marie Andrews @ Troubador 12/14/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Courtney Marie Andrews brought her velvety, story telling vocals to the historic Troubadour in West Hollywood on December 14th. She'd been on the road since November 2nd in support of her new album Loose Future, of which the tailend found her at one of my favorite venues in San Francisco, The Independent the night before she played in LA and would bring her to the Casbah the follwoing night. 

It was a chilly Wednesdsay night in LA  but it was nice and cozy in the qaint music venue that boasts of a 500 capacity which is hard to believe once inside. It's small stage, wood paneled walls and dive bar lighting reminded me of that favorite San Francisco venue of mine only smaller, much smaller. 

There was a meager crowd for the opener Johnny Fritz who served a comic relief before the headliner, mixing folky guitar playing with humorous lyrics. The place filled in a little bit more but was by no means full by the time Courtney Marie Andrews and her band took the stage right before 9:00. She was dressed in all white with slithering snakes down each white long sleeve which could have, and were, easily mistaken for tattoos. Her and her four accompanying bandmates comfortably fit on the stage under swirls of purple, blue and crimson lighting. 

Courtney Marie Andrews @ Troubador 12/14/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

With her smooth, calming voice a nostalgic feel wrapped around the room as soon as she started singing. First up, "Burlap String" off of her 2020 realease Old Flowers. The 33 year old from Arizona has been busy. She's released seven albums since her 2008 debut, Urban Myths, making this year's Loose Future this country desert song bird's ninth album. 

Her soothing sound strikes as country but without the twang: a slow drawl with a gentle delivery, painstakingly painting a new picture with each song.
An Americana woman of our time, Andrews serendipitously manuvers through the murky waters of emotions navigated by steadfast singing and humble accoustic guitar playing. She's a young woman with an old soul, that of which is heard through her music. 

Sharing excitement for her first headling show at the Troubadour, Courtney Marie Andrews showed fans in LA her lighter side quite a bit with bountiful banter between songs. She prefaced a new song by saying it should be enjoyed with a paloma in hand before telling us that that was what all of them were drinking that night. Then, the light percussion, easy strumming o f guitar strings and whimsical singing of "These are the Good Old Days" swept us away to an island somewhere with the likes of Jimmy Buffet. 

 

Courtney Marie Andrews @ Troubador 12/14/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

There wasn't too much action on stage but there didn't have to be with Miss Andrews steering the ship. The small crowd needed nothing more than to be spellbound by her singing stories carried by the Troubadour's spot on accoustics that night. 

Courtney Marie Andrews @ Troubador 12/14/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

It was a solid show.
There's no denying that she can sing when you listen to her music but seeing her live, hearing her sing live,  is something else.  She's set to hop the pond for a UK tour next year but will the new year bring her back to some stages in the US? A Courtney tour might be fun: Courtney Marie Andrews opening for Courtney Barnett.  We'll have to wait and see what the new year brings! 

in the spirit of giving thanks: Harry Styles @ The Forum 11/15/2022

Thanksgiving dinner, get togethers and turkey trots.
Black Friday.
Small business Saturday.
Cyber Monday.
Giving Tuesday.
All of this year's Thanksgiving festivities are over but the spirit of giving is still in the crisp Autumn air and I'm still in the spirit iof giving thanks. 
 There have been a lot of great concerts this year, a lot! Too many to name and so many to be thankful for.

I was fortune to be a part of some really awesome shows either as an attendee or as a cog in the production to bring the live show to life or to review it. I am thankful for each and every one of them, big and small.

Today in particular I give thanks to Harry Styles' Love On Tour. 

I worked Coachella this year and Harry Styles was one of the headliners. My shift started early on show days which means I was cut early on show days, two and a half hours before the headliners go on to be exact but "When will I ever get the chance to see Harry Styles again? And for free?" I thought to myself. So, weekend two, I took a nap in my car afterwork and dragged my sleepy self back to the Empire Polo Feilds to see some Harry. With a theatrical decent down a "Gone with the Wind" styled staircase,  he opened with "As It Was" the first single off of his third album, Harry's House which would drop shortly after the festival.  I wasn't fimiliar with the song at the time but never the less it eleated me. It's catchy, sparkly hooks have that feel good power. Plus, there's something about being in the thick of thousands of screaming adoring fans that really gets those juices flowing. And of course, there's Harry himself. 

I only stayed for two and a half songs cause a working gal has got to get her beauty rest sometime but this was the moment I knew I was in trouble because I knew then that I was a Harry Styles fangirl. 

Fast forward to November 2022.
After residencies in New York, Austin, Toronto and Chicago, Harry's last North American Love on Tour stop was at The Forum from October 31st - November 15th and I still can't believe that I was lucky enough to be at the last show of his residency. 

I made it to Harry's House!

The Forum 11/15/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The perimeter of The Forum was laced with specs of rainbow colored boa feathers wiggling in the breeze left over from past Harry's House guests. Lyrics like "In a LA mood" from songs off of Harry's House dressed up the columns outside the building in case anyone needed to increase their excitement before entering. Inside, the oblong stage was in the center of the floor and over it was a jumbo tron flashing numbers to text for different things like ending gun violence and volunteer opportunities. 

The Forum 11/15/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

As I made my way on to the floor, or the pit as it was being called, The Forum was a buzz with chatter and the occasional oburst of bloodcurtling screams in the wake of possible celebrity sightings (still haven't gotten use to that aspect about seeing shows in LA).  
I was beside myself with excitement as I stood  shoulder to shoulder with young Harry Styles fangirls waiting for the show to start in utter disbelief that this was my life.I didn't care at all if I was the oldest person in the pit.  

Finally, Harry Styles graced the stage, opening with "Daydreaming" but all that could be heard was screaming fans singing along, word for word. One minute he was out of sight, doing his thing across the stage to the other side of the room and the next minute there he was, right there in front me and then he was gone again. It took my breath away being that close. 

Harry Styles @ The Forum 11/15/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

His band was situated on either side of the stage, creating a makeshift cat walk for Harry to perform to either side of the room. When he performed the slower, sad love song "Satellite" he walked an actual cat walk that extended out into the crowd just to the right of where I stood.
He was lively and charsmatic, smiling as he made his rounds accompanied by enthusastic kicks, fist pumps, hip swivels and flailing arms encouraging fans to cheer louder.

 Harry Styles is a great showman.
Pauses between songs were filled with chants from the crowd that sounded like barking dogs. Still not sure if that's a Harry Styles fangirl thing or a One Direction fangirl thing but I did not partake. 

Harry Styles @ The Forum 11/15/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Introspective songs like "Keep Driving" and "Little Freak" built up the first half of the night with it's fearless leader galavanting around like it was the first night of tour. After introducing his amazing band and bringing out the horn section they all turned things up for the second half of the set with "Sushi For a Sushi Resturant", one of my favorites off of Harry's House. I danced. I Sang. I closed my eyes letting it sink in though I still couldn't believe it when I re-opened my eyes. New songs filled the night but there were some off his first and second albums, including of course the incognito risque "Watermelon Sugar" and even a One Direction song. 

Harry Styles @ The Forum 11/15/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Harry Styles @ The Forum 11/15/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

A little more than half way through the set Harry stopped and had fans hold up signs. Like magic the place was full of homemade signs on posterboard with handwritten messages in magic marker instantly.
Another fangirl thing I had no clue about.
He picked three lucky signs out of the crowd and read them, each one garnering roars from the crowd. From a far he engaged playfully with each fan who's sign he read and the crowd roared. One sign asked for his helpcoming out to someone's mom which was very heartwarming. 

Sensing that the end of the set was approaching, as much as I didn't want to leave I also really really really didn't want to get stuck in egress madness and traffic so I started heading out.

In an appropriate way to wrap up seeing Harry Styles live in LA, as I slowly made my way out, looking around at all of the happy faces in the pit and all of the people up in the seats, I spotted Olivia Wilde, Harry's now ex-girlfriend enjoying the show.

Harry Styles @ The Forum 11/15/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

When he left the stage in prepperation for the encore I knew it was time to go otherwise I wouldn't be able to leave if I saw him on stage again.

Right before exiting the building I heard the faint sounds of my favorite track off of his first album, "Sign of the Times". Turns out that was the most appropriate way to end my night seeing Harry Styles. If I was still in the crowd I for sure would have cried like the girl behind me did when he played "Matilda". Leaving early ended on a high, as I walked to my car with a smile on my face that wouldn't go away.  

Love on Tour went on to spread the love in South America and will pick up again next year in Australia. Not before returning to The Forum in LA for three nights in January 2023 to make up for the shows he had to skip because he was sick, though!

Thank you for a great night Harry!

The Forum 11/15/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

11/15/2022 set-list

1. Day Dreaming 

2. Golden 

3. Adore You

4. Daylight 

5. Keep Driving 

6. Matilda

7. Little Freak 

8. Satellite 

9. Cinema

10. Music For a Sushi Restaurant

11.Treat People With Kindness

12. What Makes You Beautiful 

13. Late Night Talking 

14. Watermelon Sugar 

15. Love of My Life 

encore

16. Sign of the times

17. Medicine 

18. Boyfriends 

19. As It Was