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Girls Night Out Tour sparkles

Colbie Caillat and Christina Perri
Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre
Tucson, AZ
August 19, 2015

Christina Perri

Colbie Caillat

Christina Perri

Review and photos by Mary Andrews

Colbie and Christina are fine examples of stars derived from social media. Colbie Caillat started on the new, now defunct 'MySpace' when a friend posted her video of "Bubbly" unbeknownst to her. This became the first number one hit by a singer without a record deal and certified platinum. She auditioned and was rejected by the judges on American Idol when she sang "Bubbly" for them. Thankfully, everything has gone uphill for Caillat from there.

Ms. Perri had moved to California from Pennsylvania six years ago to pursue her dreams of being a songwriter. As she mentioned during the show, she held three jobs at one time as a waitress. She found that she spent more time trying to survive than writing during this stage of her life. In 2010, the television show, "So You Think You Can Dance," featured a one and one-half minute demo of "Jar of Hearts." It sold 48,000 copies the first week after the show. She signed a record deal shortly after that. Perri actually appeared in a Christmas show at AVA in Tucson that same year!

The show started with openers, Jason Reeves and Nelly Joy of High Dive Heart. This is a new group who are promoting their EP "Sonic Graffiti." Their single is "Vintage." Nelly Joy took the reigns as the spokesperson and the personality for the duo. She was dressed in a vintage white lace pantsuit with a flower wreath around her blond hair that gave her a cherub-like appearance. Colbie revealed in her set that Jason has been her best friend and song collaborator for the last ten years. The set was well received and a perky start for what was to come!

Christina Perri hit the stage like a lightning bolt from the first note! Unlike her previous visit in 2010, she was not constricted behind the keyboards. That excitement was quickly communicated to the audience and they were up dancing, taking photos and gravitating to the front of the stage. She was having a ball and it was instantly contagious. Christina was stunningly beautiful. She introduced each song with information on how it was conceived. She invited people on stage to dance with her. The 14-song set was filled with all of her hits over the last five years. The men, women, and children knew the lyrics and were mote than willing to sing along! These were her people.

Colbie Caillat followed Christina with just as many fans up and out of their seats ready to greet her. Again, Colbie was gorgeous in a black two-piece outfit and low, high-heeled boots. There was an immediate rush to the stage and Colbie seemed to have a sense of relief as she stepped down to the front to gee themd. She did not have quite the high energy that Christina displayed, but she kept the momentum going nonetheless. There was a large screen in the back of the stage showing videos during the songs. This was particularly effective during "Favorite Song" with Common in the background as a duet. Her fiancŽe, Justin Young, sang duet with Colbie on "Lucky" (originally done with Jason Mraz). His voice was very similar to Mraz. Colbie related many stories associated with her songs. She also discussed her problems with stage fright and self-confidence. She encouraged the fans to come down to the front of the stage and instructed security not to interfere with the fans coming close. This was a 16-song set that included all the fan favorites.

Set Lists:
Christina Perri's set list: 1. Shot Me in the Heart 2. Arms 3. Run 4. Distance 5. Burning Gold 6. The Words 7. The Lonely 8. One Night 9. Be My Forever 10. I Believe 11. Human 12. Jar of Hearts 13. A Thousand Years 14. I Don't Wanna Break	Colbie Caillat's set list: 1. Live It Up 2. Fallin' for You 3. If You Love Me Let Me Go 4. Never Gonna Let You Down 5. Lucky 6. Realize 7. Hold On 8. Shadow 9. Droplets 10. Like Tomorrow Never Comes 11. Blaze 12. Favorite Song 13. Bubbly 14. I Never Told You 15. Try 16. Brighter Than the Sun