River Iris – FIRST CONCERT EVER

In this First Concert Ever segment, the electro pop artist, River Iris, talks about the story of her first experience with live music. You can check out the story, after the break.

Our hair was loosely pulled back by old bandanas, slightly unkempt as you would expect from rowdy children. It was the year 2000– I was 8 years old, my sister was 6 at the time. We wore frumpy white pants that looked like they were part of some sort of uniform that you couldn’t place. My sister had wanted a shirt just like mine so my Mom found one that resembled it and tried her hand at tailoring but to no avail–it still looked about 4 sizes too large. Nonetheless, we were smiling from ear to ear, we had prepared for this. We had choreographed our own dances in anticipation of it. We were headed to our first show: Britney Spears.

As it was my first concert experience I didn’t know what to expect and I had very little knowledge of “encores”. I presumed that when Britney left the stage and didn’t perform “Oops!… I Did It Again” that she was done and the show was over. I became emotional and started to cry as my parents reassured me that she would take the stage again and perform my favorite song. I was impressionable, and she was an icon. As an artist today, I understand the impact a musician can have, and that influence can often transcend generations.

Singing and performing has had a tight grasp on my heart since I was a toddler. Britney’s debut album “…Baby One More Time” was the first CD I owned. I knew every lyric to every song and sang them all constantly. I recall a prompt in grade school that asked, “What would you like to be when you grow up?” I answered, “Just like Britney Spears.”

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