Kelly Hynek

February 15, 2016

MUSC 146 Recitation 606
Ethnographic Sketch
On Friday, February 12, 2016, I attended a Carly Rae Jepson concert as part of her
Gimmie Love Tour. I was more than impressed. My decision to go to this concert stemmed
entirely from the fact that my best friend is a huge fan of the artist and would not have gone by
himself. I of course was familiar with Jepsons hit Call Me Maybe (it was played three times
at my senior prom), but had relatively little exposure to her other music. In preparation for the
concert, I spent a week of binging on Carly Rae, playing her music on shuffle at the gym and
fully listening to her newest album Emotion a handful of times. I was ready.
The concert venue was The Ritz in Raleigh. Nestled comfortably behind two auto
dealerships, the building seemed to resemble a converted warehouse, which it may well have
been. There was a long line into the building when we arrived at 8:10, twenty minutes before the
concert started. We were able to secure free parking by pretending we were out of cash, so I
could tell this was more of a lax establishment despite the red tape. There was a brief bag check,
our e-tickets were scanned, and we went inside the ironically gaudy Ritz.
The crowd makeup consisted of younger girls (16-18 years old), about six people I knew
(19-24 years old), and gay men (all ages) with some overlap. We fit right in. It was obvious to
me that most people in attendance were at least as familiar, if not more familiar, with Carly Rae
Jepsons music than I was before attending. The nature of the event did not suggest that people
had simply come to The Ritz to enjoy their Friday night and happened to stumble into the Carly
Rae concert. Beers were $10.
Standing toward the back with the help of my four-inch pumps, I had a perfectly
comfortable view. The venue looked like it held three to four hundred people, and it was perhaps

eighty percent full. The opening band started right on time. An acoustic trio of two men and one
woman, all perfectly groomed and styled, sang about five of their original songs. Their name,
something backwards like Fairground Clowns, suggested that they were a relatively new band.
They had a twangy sound that seemed to deliberately mimic the tight three-part harmonies of
1960s folk music. The guitar duo and tambourine also added to the retro theming of the band.
Their songs, however, were up-tempo and modern enough to prevent a complete recreation. This
organic-sounding opener was clearly meditated choice that would wonderfully contrast Carly
Raes more synthetic, dance music sound.
About twenty minutes after the Camptown Races left the stage, Carly entered. In midsize venue fashion, the lights dimmed, her band entered, and the music started before we ever
saw Carly. When Carly did appear, she was startling to behold. Embracing a 1980s aesthetic,
the once bubblegum pink pop star wore what I can only call a black mullet. The only part of her
outfit I could see was her gold bomber jacket, which was really enough to get the idea. Carly
Rae Jepson was clearly not appealing to children anymore. Her 80s ensemble suggested that she
was putting on a show, and I must say it was working for the audience. She looked awesome.
The concert itself was quite scripted and planned through. Jepson, teetering on the edge
of pop star and cult favorite, evoked an air of mega pop star in a small concert setting. The lights
were timed and programmed perfectly to match every beat of her songs. Her energy never failed
throughout the whole two-hour set and neither did the crowds. Songs I recognized included
Run Away With Me, Emotion, I Really Like You, Gimmie Love, Boy Problems,
Making The Most Of The Night, I Didnt Just Come Here To Dance (essentially all of her
newest album), Sweetie, and of course Call Me Maybe. While all of her songs are generally

quick-tempo percussive pop tunes, this particular mix of songs combined to never lose the
momentum but never exhaust the energy of the concert.
From what I could see past two hundred heads and seizure-inducing lights, Carly shared
the stage with a drummer, a keyboardist, and guitarist, and a bassist, however Im not sure how
much any of them were playing, as each of the live tracks sounded nearly identical to the
recorded tracks. I do not doubt that they were playing, but I just estimate the amount of
prerecorded music being played was not necessarily proportional to the live music. I do know
that Carly was singing live, as I went to the bathroom during one of her songs and could hear the
raw feed from her mic. Her voice sounded similar in quality to her recorded voice, but she
backphrased slightly, presumably in efforts to keep the intrigue alive. I understand that societal
understanding of sounding good live is just similarity to studio recording, whether in fact it
was better or worse. Carly Rae likely bought into that idea, as she sounded very similar to her
recording and objectively good (coming from my background of vague familiarity with her
tracks).
This concert far exceeded my expectations. Carly Rae Jepson was able to deliver a
highly professional concert in an intimate setting. The opening band, techno aesthetic, spot-on
vocals, and crowd camaraderie all married to create a thoroughly fun evening. The cultural
impact of this concert may not change society, but it served as a pop-culture touchstone for those
in attendance. Carly Rae Jepson may not push the envelope too far musically, but she is well
loved by her fans and managed to make another that day.