Robyn’s Seattle Concert Was Everything a 90’s Kid Could Want

I think it’s safe to say that the 90’s and early-2000’s was probably the last “great era” of music. I grew up as a 90’s kid listening to the likes of boy bands (Nick Carter will always be my first imaginary husband), Christina Aguilera, Mya, TLC, Mase, Tupac, and anyone featured on the Disney Channel – including Robyn. Last week, Robyn gave a concert here in Seattle; and since my friend Beks has always wanted to see her in concert, she flew across the country for the weekend and treated me to an incredible show at the Paramount. To be honest, I really haven’t paid any attention to Robyn since her “Show Me Love” days (I still have her CD). Also, I was only familiar with two of her more recent hits – mostly because I don’t write any dance or house-type songs, and I personally don’t have a lot of interest in the genre. That being said, attending Robyn’s Seattle concert was an amazing experience, not only because I had a great night out with my bestie, but because I was able to watch a true artist in action.

First off, Robyn’s stage design was very… as Beks and I stated at the same time… “Swedish.” It was minimal, yet artsy and eclectic. I had only known Robyn as a 90’s pop star, so it was interesting to finally see who she really was as an artist. I have to say, one of my favorite aspects of the concert was that none of it was contrived or over-rehearsed. Rather than some flashy entrance involving a rising platform or cables, Robyn walked onstage wearing a silver mini dress with matching go-go boots. Plus, she was rockin’ her signature short, platinum blonde coif, of which I’m totally jealous. Girlfriend is almost 40-years-old and looked incredible. Her voice had the exact same sweet, soprano sound as it did back in the day, and (in the name of industry research) I studied her every move to see if I could take away any pointers by the end of the night.

What did I learn after all of Robyn’s singing and dancing? Simply this: She doesn’t give a f*ck. Robyn was seriously in the zone, not caring about what her dance moves looked like; and she achieved that perfect balance of performing for the audience while still being true to herself and whatever she was feeling in the moment. As a performer who has historically cared too much about what the audience was thinking, I couldn’t have found her to be more inspiring. I also loved watching the people around me. Her audience was gorgeously diverse, with fans of all ages, ethnicity, and an LGBT community who showed up in fabulous faux fur coats and sequined leggings.

I think my favorite part of the evening was when Robyn performed “Dancing On My Own.” I didn’t know all the lyrics, so I sat back and recorded while the entire Paramount Theatre sang along with her. It’s truly an amazing moment for any artist when they can hand the mic over to the audience, who knows every word of their song – but the enormous smile that spread across Robyn’s face was one of the most endearing live music moments I’ve ever experienced, as it was nothing but genuine appreciation. (Check out my Instagram if you want to see video clips of the concert.)

Without going into the gory details, I’ll let you in on a little secret: I’m a rubbish audience member. Whenever I see any live shows, I tend to feel anxiety and even a bit of jealousy that I’m not onstage doing the same thing, which is why I usually avoid them. But at Robyn’s concert, there was none of that. More than anything, I found her to be an inspiring bit of proof that artists really can excel in this industry on their own terms. Robyn deserves every single bit of success that she has had and WILL have. And I’m SO thankful that Beks brought me along to see one of her favorites live!

NOW… for my fellow 90’s kids… here’s a throwback to one of my favorite songs from middle school. I even tried to model my clothing style after Robyn, but it didn’t work so shut up. Enjoy!