Sunday Funday: Santa Monica and Kid Ink

I've done it now. I went to my first rap concert on Sunday. For someone who's been to many many concerts, going to a rap concert was a completely different experience. Many thoughts ran through my head, but mainly, I felt a little out of place. Yes, I had no idea who the artist was. Yes, I don't smoke or do drugs. Yes, I'm not a rap music enthusiast. Yes, I only knew the one song that's on the radio. All of these factors definitely did impact my thoughts about the show. To be honest, I'm really glad I went. There was definitely nothing to fear except smoke inhalation and possible fight outbreaks (which didn't occur near us).

Let me start off by saying, Sunday Funday started off so calm and peaceful. I had purchased a brunch for four deal with Gilt City for The Penthouse @ The Huntley Hotel. I don't say no to brunch, ever. I also can't deny myself of bottomless mimosas or an ocean view either. This deal was perfect. I grabbed 3 of my favorite ladies and headed to a bottomless afternoon.

My Best Babes

After brunch, half of us split ways, but Gareen and I walked down to 3rd Street Promenade since we were right there in the heart of Santa Monica. With some walking and shopping to burn our brunch and sober our numbing faces, we spent the afternoon in the sun.

I LOVE DINOS!!!!

The best pillow EVER! *Ostrich Love*

We didn't have the most successful shopping finds, so we headed over to West Hollywood for dinner at Sushiya on Sunset then off to the House of Blues for Kid Ink.

House of Blues is a fun little venue. Gareen and I saw Third Eye Blind back in December out there. It's small and quaint. The smaller the venue, the more personal the experience. These two concerts were completely different experiences though. Different crowds, different moods. Third Eye Blind was filled with a nostalgic 90s crowd crying through Semi-Charmed Life with Stephen Jenkins. Rowdy and nostalgic and super pumped. Kid Ink was totally different. It was obvious that kids these days need extra enforcers to enable them to enjoy a show. The crowd was young; drunk and high and rapper wannabes. So much groping was happening all over that it felt like we were at a night club at times. Trying not to feel old lady like, I stuck it through and breathed in the smoke that I couldn't ignore.

One noticeable difference between a rock concert and a rap concert is that there's no encore and no applause. Something I did find extra awesome was that Kid Ink took the time at the end of his show to sign autographs. The music was still playing and he just started grabbing people's hats off the stage and started signing. It moved on from hats to iphone cases pretty fast as the crowd moved exponentially closer to get something signed.

We forcefully moved with the crowd, but as soon as we got up close, the moment had passed. Now, even more determined, Gareen and I stuck around and chatted it up with security and totally became one of those girls. You know, the groupie kind that does what it takes to make something happen. Our new friend, Andre, told us to head up to the Foundation Room on the 3rd floor where we can find him in the dressing room. The other ladies that headed on up there were no way comparable to us. If there was any chance of anything happening, we were the dust on the walls. Due to our overwhelming sweetness and charm, we did have the security guys help us out and have him autograph our tickets. The photo taking option was on a "need to stop and ask him" basis which we failed on due to the fact he was fully clothed and almost unrecognizable as he walked out. Oh, well. A good night's effort in deed.

"I'm not ratchet. I'm in khakis." - La Petite Gigi