Shut Up and Steal Christmas

Another Day, Another Concert

The life of a Promotions Intern, is certainly never a boring one. Exhausting? Yes. But boring, never. This week kicked off 101.1 WKQX's "The Nights We Stole Christmas" two night concert events, and while I missed out on opening night last Monday, I got to witness the chaos first-hand on Saturday.

Looking at the line up, I could barely contain my excitement when I realized that Walk The Moon was the headliner. For those you, who haven't heard of them (shame on you, first of all), they just released their new album "Talking Is Hard". Their hit single, "Shut Up and Dance" has been playing non-stop on my iPhone since it came on my iTunes Radio shuffle back in September. A catchy and dance-worthy song, I'm happy to say that Walk the Moon sounds just as great live, as they do on their album. Too often I find myself being greatly disappointed when a band sounds great on recording, and awful live. 

I spend a solid 10 hours at The Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on Saturday. (This is where the exhausting part of being an intern comes in) Being a part of the Promotional team, it was our responsibility to not only set up the entire venue before the show, but also to manage any of our contest winners and set them up with their VIP and Meet The Band passes.

Perks Of Being an Intern

With that being said, I have to share the good parts that come with being an intern. We arrived at the Aragon at 2:00pm, (I had arrived in the city at 11:00, so my day had already started waaaay before getting to the Aragon), and the set up began: promotional tables, hanging posters and signage from all there sponsors, setting up our "Awkward Family Photo" booth. The whole thing was exhausting. But--being there early before doors opened did mean one good thing: hearing the bands warm up. Kongos, Meg Myers, Vance Joy, and Walk the Moon, I was in heaven.

But it got better. While I was incredibly excited to be wearing my "Working" pass, and to get a chance to see the bands performs I wasn't exactly sure what perks came with wearing it. The perks, I quickly learned, were amazing. We were granted access to the VIP Lounge, I got a chance to meet Walk the Moon, be in the balcony behind the stage (giving me perfect view of the bands) AND during one of the performances, I found myself dancing with Noelle Scaggs (of Fitz and the Tantrums) who showed up after performing at their own show earlier that night. 

The Nights We Stole Christmas is certainly a show I'll remember, and with my internship coming to a close within the next few weeks, I'm beyond thankful to have gotten this experience of a lifetime.

                 For more behind the scenes footage, follow my instagram: xoxo_cgonzales

 

          (Video taken December 6, 2014 by Christina Gonzales. Aragon Ballroom. Walk the Moon.)