No diggity. NO DOUBT.

So, Nihir and I went to see No Doubt and Paramore at the Starlight two weeks ago.

It was fantastic. After a grueling day on Neurosurgery, I was biting my nails hoping that I would be released from my hospital duties before the start of the concert. I made it with forty-five minutes to spare. Phew. I love seeing concerts at the Starlight, it's an open air theater with great acoustics. The weather was perfect for a concert, a rarity in KC in the summer.

We drove out there, missing the first act Bedouin Soundclash, but shortly thereafter, Hayley Williams & Co. emerged, starting off with Misery Business. I just want to say that she is the cutest person ever. Like, with that flaming red hair and her petite frame bouncing around all over the place, she's just adorable. Nihir is in love with her, and I can't blame him. She's all kinds of sweet. And her vocal range was really tight, she sounded great.

They of course played That's What You Get, and crushcrushcrush and some new material too...but you know what everyone was waiting for, Decode from the Twilight soundtrack. Everyone went apeshit over that finale, and it was incredible. God love the new iPhone for having videocamera capability because I totally recorded that shit.

Eventually, No Doubt took the stage and OMFG. Their stage was incredible. It looked like the Encounters revolving restaurant at LAX, like an alabaster spaceship/spider thing. Now for those of you who don't know me, Gwen Stefani is my idol. I adore her so much and I would probably take a bullet for her. I love her that much. She and I share the same hometown of Anaheim, California and she's been a huge part of my life since I was ten years old. No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom was one of the first two CDs I'd ever purchased with my own money (the other being Oasis' What's the Story Morning Glory? on the same day).

This was my fifth time seeing No Doubt. They just keep getting better and better. They are a well oiled machine even after not putting out a new record in 6 years. The sound was tight, and the setlist was killer. You don't realize how many awesome songs they have until you see them in concert, it's just hit after hit. Adrian had his jockstrap tutu thing going on (I sort of preferred when he wore the diaper actually, which is weird), Tom was looking delicious as usual, especially when he pulled out the acoustic guitar for Don't Speak. I died. And Tony, oh Tony, I love you. He was just amazing as usual. I admire Tony probably the most in the band because he was the one who spurned Gwen into writing all of these great songs. Like that guy dumped Gwen Stefani...he's like beyond the pimp stratosphere.

Overall, the quality of music was incredible. Add Stephen Bradley and Gabe McNair, who have been with the band forever, these are a fine group of musicians. They're not just some fly by night pop band. They're the real deal, and it was evidenced by how good they sounded.

And Gwen looked stunning, stupendous, fly, sexy, gorgeous. Everything. Her abs are like a twelve pack, and god her makeup and hair. I just...love her. Obsesionado. This woman has two children under the age of 4. Best MILF ever. Jesus, it's not even fair. While they were playing certain songs, they had these film clips playing in the background that the band had shot which were totally cool. They were like spies or being chased or Gwen/Tony were the bad guys in a Bond film. Like totally rocking.

Gwen bantered with the crowd a lot during this show, more than I've ever seen since their early days. She pulled a lucky fan on stage to take a picture after being bestowed with some cross-stitch patterns; they played Total Hate 95 for a fan who had a sign requesting it. She pointed out a lot of the fan made signs, actually, especially one that said "Mom Rock." She thought that was super cute. She's so down with the people. Sigh.


My favorites were Hella Good, Don't Speak, Running (complete with home videos of the band), It's My Life, and Stand and Deliver, which brought Paramore and Bedouin Soundclash to the stage again. It was all good though. Love them and can't wait to see them again.

Stand & Deliver with Paramore & Bedouin Soundclash

Setlist:
Spiderwebs
Hella Good
Underneath It All
Excuse Me Mr.
Ex-Girlfriend
End It On This
Total Hate 95
Simple Kind of Life
Bathwater
Guns of Navarone
New
Hey Baby
Running
Different People
Don’t Speak
It’s My Life
Just a Girl
Rock Steady
Stand and Deliver
Sunday Morning