We definitely shattered our record for most concerts attended in a single year in 2014. While we loved each and every show, and it was nearly impossible to narrow it down to 5 favorites, here are the ones that stood out.
1. Hunter Hayes – 24 Hour Road Race – Palace Theatre – Stamford, CT
We ended up seeing Hunter more than any other artist this year – 7 times in total. Impressive, considering on his past tours he came nowhere near NYC so we had no hopes of attending. Hunter, if you’re reading this, please keep coming to New York. We love you. Of all the shows, among them the We Are Not Invisible Tour, Tattoo (Your Name) Tour, Arthur Ashe Kids Day, and so on, the most memorable was definitely the 24 Hour Road Race. True, it was a short concert, but the record-breaking goal gave an added level of excitement, and now we can officially say we were part a Guinness World Record. Oh, but we can’t forget that time he performed “Storm Warning” right in front of us…
2. Austin Mahone – MTV Artist To Watch Tour – Hammerstein Ballroom – New York, NY
We also had a hard time deciding which Austin show to pick, but this show wins since it was Austin’s first big headlining tour. This show earned him his nickname of the “one man boyband,” due to his on point choreography. We don’t have many videos of Austin performing, because it’s literally impossible to not dance along, but we managed to get one at his Mets Post-game concert later in the year.
3. Dan + Shay – Where It All Began Tour – Highline Ballroom – New York, NY
“Where It All Began” is hands down our favorite album of 2014. While we saw Dan + Shay for the first time on the We Are Not Invisible Tour with Hunter Hayes, this was our first time seeing them play with a full band. We were blown away by how passionate and talented they are, and how much they genuinely love performing. Dan + Shay are so much fun to see live (seriously, the entire audience sings every word), and they make it special every time we see them. We can’t wait for their next headlining tour in 2015!
4. 5SOS – Stars, Stripes & Maple Syrup Tour – Best Buy Theater – New York, NY
This might get the prize for one of the hottest concerts of 2014. We were shocked when we scored a pair of tickets to this show! It had been such a long time since we went to a “pop punk” show that this finally made us remember why we fell in love. 5SOS have such great energy and they put on an incredible show to the sold out crowd. Calum, Luke, Ashton, and Michael owned the stage and had everyone singing along to every word, even though the band had yet to release their album in the US.
5. The Strypes – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY
Whenever we write about The Strypes, we feel like nothing can do justice to how insanely talented and incredible these guys are. All four members hail from Ireland and are under the age of 20, yet they play some serious rhythm and blues. We had never really seen grown men fangirl until this concert. That’s how good these guys are. We were floored by their musicianship, and some absolutely insane harmonica solos.
Bonus: 106.1 BLI’s Summer Jam – Nikon Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY
This gets the runner up place because of it’s awesome lineup: Austin Mahone, Cody Simpson, New Hollow, Midnight Red, AJR, and so on. Summer Jam definitely had something for everyone! The number of acts and the variety contributed to the “festival” feeling of this show, along with bonding with the people sitting around you for the entire day. We hope Summer Jam will be back next year!
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