A Night to Remember: Trey Songz 'Chapter V' Tour with Miguel & Elle Varner [...

A few years ago, I stood in line for hours in the grueling summer sun, fought not to get trampled by the hundreds if not thousands of other people nearby, prayed I wouldn’t get squashed by the police officers who decided it was cool to ride around on their horses in the midst of all this madness, all in order to get only somewhat decent seats for a free Trey Songz concert at the Taste of Chicago. But it was all worth it. I so quickly fell in love with Mr. Neverson and vowed to go to as many of his concerts as I could thereafter. Saturday night, four concerts later, and more in love than ever, I stood inside the packed Arie Crown Theater to see not only Tremaine, but two more artists whose music I too have recently fallen in love with, Elle Varner and Miguel.

Saturday night was a night I will never forget. My best friends and I had some pretty good floor seats and were geeked to say the least when Elle hit the stage. For me, Elle Varner epitomizes a beautiful woman, inside and out, and seeing her live only further solidified my previous notions of the songstress. She sang her heart out, sounding just as amazing live as she does on every one of her tracks from her “Conversational Lush” mixtape and debut album “Perfectly Imperfect.” I had gotten the opportunity to interview her a few months back, and she seemed like such a fun corky, spirit and onstage she was no different. The girls throughout the theater sang along with her on tracks like, “So Fly,” and “Not Tonight,” as we connected to her every word. The men stood and watched in awe of her beauty. The girl was spectacular and I’m super excited to see where she will be in a few years. With so much talent, at such a young age (she’s only 23) I think that she will make a huge mark on the genre of R&B music.

Miguel is also an artist I have grown to have a huge appreciation for. His voice is angelic to me. I was sold when I first heard his track, “The Girl With the Tattoo,” off of his debut album, “All I Want is You.” His sophomore album, “Kaleidoscope Dream,” has only further made me a believer. I recently read that when asked about his collaboration with Miguel on the “Adorn” remix, Wiz Khalifa described Miguel’s voice as golden. To me, that’s exactly what he is as an artist, golden. After seeing him live, I understand this even more. He brings something so different to the game. Not only does he create a unique and beautiful sound, but it’s matched with eccentric lyricism and a stage presence like no other I’ve ever seen. The 26-year-old, mixed dances from the likes of Elvis and James Brown with his own special twist. Overall, it was definitely an experience like no other.

When it came down to the main act, my friends and I lost our minds like pretty much every other woman in the audience. This excitement was only elevated when a passerby handed my friend two tickets to the pit area, right in front of the stage. The only problem was there were three of us. In a frenzied attempt, we created a plan to work it out, and sure enough, 10 minutes later, the three of us found ourselves less than 5 feet away from the man of nearly every girl’s dreams. Being up close and personal made the experience even more overwhelmingly amazing. We enjoyed as Trey sang tracks from his newest album, “Chapter V,” along with other classics like “Neighbors Know My Name,” and cover songs of a few club bangers like the 2 Chainz and Kanye West hit, “Birthday Song.” The energy was live, everyone seemed to be having a good time, especially Trey, and even this girl who at one point thought it was okay to just hop on the stage before quickly being escorted off. After 5 albums, and my 4th concert, the only words I can think of to describe Trey as an artist and performer, would be those of one of his “Chapter V” singles. Trey is “Simply Amazing.”

As a proud lover of music, I have become somewhat of a concert fiend. Going to concerts is by far one of my favorite things to do. I’ve been to quite a few, and the one I went to this weekend is pretty high on my list as one of the best I’ve attended thus far. It would probably only fall slightly under Watch the Throne, and believe me, that’s saying a lot.