Drake Bell Concert Review
by: Emalee Denhem
Kids filed in towards a large orange inflatable canopy, while DJ Unieq mixed some beats on stage.
The High School Nation assembly brought music, free goodies and Drake Bell to McNary High on Monday, September 22nd.
As DJ Uneiq presented the band Nikos on stage, students were at booths surrounding the stage area. There was a Guitar Center tent filled with guitars and drums for students to play as they wish. Free sunglasses, headbands, and hats were given out to students. A tent with an orange cover was giving out free flavored water.
Other tents allowed students to enter a drawing to win free stuff. Another was allowing students to meet the performers that came on stage after their sets. There was a tent where students could make t-shirts and hats with certain designs on them.
Nikos started their set with “The Illusions”. Students in the front began headbanging to their hard rock-like sound. Cameras filmed the events around.
Nikos, the band’s singer, was trying to get the students to participate, saying things like, “Can’t this be real? Are you ready to sing it?”
He addressed the students multiple times, talking to them and introducing his band.
After Nikos set, DJ Unieq, with camo hat, jacket, and dreads came out to announce the second performer, Izzy Malik.
Malik came on stage singing one of One Direction’s hit songs, “Best Song Ever”. Malik was wearing a black beanie with a plaid shirt tied around her waist, leggings, and a baseball-esque shirt. Malik had two male background dancers who changed shirts between each song.
Soon it became clear that Malik had what many teenagers call “One Direction Infection,” or a love for One Direction, when Malik sang a song dedicated to one of the boys in the band, Harry Styles. The song was called “Living In Reality”. Before she got off of the stage, Malik asked everyone in the crowd if she could take a selfie with them. “Thanks you guys. We love you McNary High, so much,” said Malik just before she made her way backstage.
The next performer, Noelle Bean, who uses her last name as a stage name, had opened for One Direction the week before in California.
Bean came out on stage wearing a black hat, sunglasses, a plaid shirt around her waist, jeans, a white tank top, and a black lace bandeau.
Her first song was “Ready To Go”. During Bean’s performance there was a photographer on the side of the stage.
Her second song was written by her going through the experience of having her boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend. The song was called “Cops And Robbers”.
During the song, Bean pointed at Karl Halverson, who jumped up and down with his hands in the air. “Yes,” Halverson yelled.
“I love you too,” Bean yelled back at a student near the front of the stage.
Afterwards, Bean sang her song “Roller Coaster”,”basically talking about the ups and downs,” she said.
Many people were jumping to the beat, and in the middle of the song, Bean said “I feel like I’m teaching aerobics.”
After Bean’s performance, DJ Unieq chose four students, two boys and two girls, to go up and sing in front of the crowd. The person with the best applause would receive a t-shirt and a CD and to meet Drake Bell after his performance.
Paige Ryan and Karl Halvorson won the singing competition.
The next performer out on stage was Dakota Bradley, a country singer with his band from Nashville. Bradley came out wearing a jean overshirt with a white t-shirt, a necklace and bracelets, grey jeans, and sunglasses.
Bradley was playing a Fender Stratocaster of orange, black, and red color.
Bradley sang “Wild Child”, a song he wrote in high school. During the song, Bradley called out the high school girls, “All you high school girls put your hands in the air,” he said.
The next song Bradley sang was called “Cherry Bomb Lips”, written about a girls lips. When Bradley sang “cherry bomb,” students sang “lips.”
Bradley’s last song was “Kick it.” Everyone was singing along to the song and getting into the performance.
After Bradley’s performance. DJ Unieq came on stage to announce Drake Bell.
Everyone screamed and cheered as Bell came on stage. He was wearing a red jacket with a black graphic t-shirt, jeans, and a brown belt.
When he first got on stage, Bell’s guitar wasn’t properly tuned. He had to spend some time getting it tuned, and apologized to the crowd.
Bell didn’t have a band, but rather played the background music from a phone or ipod and played the guitar and sang himself. He was playing a black and white Gibson guitar.
When Bell came on stage it started sprinkling, but that didn’t dampen the students’ spirits. Almost everyone had their phones out taking pictures, recording, and snapchatting Bell’s performance.
The first song Bell sang was “Bull”. It had a country rock sound, but not many people had heard it before or knew the lyrics.
After this song, a group of people in the front of the crowd began singing the Drake and Josh theme song by Bell, “I Found A Way”.
The next song Bell sang was “Witchcraft”, followed by the song Lonely Summer Nights. Not many people sang along to the songs, but many were clapping along.
Bell’s last song was “I Found A Way”. It was a remix of the original song that started out slower in the beginning and moved up to the original speed of the song.
As soon as Bell started singing, everyone screamed and began to sing along. All of the phones were out.
As soon as Bell was off of the stage, people started filing out of the area.
Kids filed in towards a large orange inflatable canopy, while DJ Unieq mixed some beats on stage.
The High School Nation assembly brought music, free goodies and Drake Bell to McNary High on Monday, September 22nd.
As DJ Uneiq presented the band Nikos on stage, students were at booths surrounding the stage area. There was a Guitar Center tent filled with guitars and drums for students to play as they wish. Free sunglasses, headbands, and hats were given out to students. A tent with an orange cover was giving out free flavored water.
Other tents allowed students to enter a drawing to win free stuff. Another was allowing students to meet the performers that came on stage after their sets. There was a tent where students could make t-shirts and hats with certain designs on them.
Nikos started their set with “The Illusions”. Students in the front began headbanging to their hard rock-like sound. Cameras filmed the events around.
Nikos, the band’s singer, was trying to get the students to participate, saying things like, “Can’t this be real? Are you ready to sing it?”
He addressed the students multiple times, talking to them and introducing his band.
After Nikos set, DJ Unieq, with camo hat, jacket, and dreads came out to announce the second performer, Izzy Malik.
Malik came on stage singing one of One Direction’s hit songs, “Best Song Ever”. Malik was wearing a black beanie with a plaid shirt tied around her waist, leggings, and a baseball-esque shirt. Malik had two male background dancers who changed shirts between each song.
Soon it became clear that Malik had what many teenagers call “One Direction Infection,” or a love for One Direction, when Malik sang a song dedicated to one of the boys in the band, Harry Styles. The song was called “Living In Reality”. Before she got off of the stage, Malik asked everyone in the crowd if she could take a selfie with them. “Thanks you guys. We love you McNary High, so much,” said Malik just before she made her way backstage.
The next performer, Noelle Bean, who uses her last name as a stage name, had opened for One Direction the week before in California.
Bean came out on stage wearing a black hat, sunglasses, a plaid shirt around her waist, jeans, a white tank top, and a black lace bandeau.
Her first song was “Ready To Go”. During Bean’s performance there was a photographer on the side of the stage.
Her second song was written by her going through the experience of having her boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend. The song was called “Cops And Robbers”.
During the song, Bean pointed at Karl Halverson, who jumped up and down with his hands in the air. “Yes,” Halverson yelled.
“I love you too,” Bean yelled back at a student near the front of the stage.
Afterwards, Bean sang her song “Roller Coaster”,”basically talking about the ups and downs,” she said.
Many people were jumping to the beat, and in the middle of the song, Bean said “I feel like I’m teaching aerobics.”
After Bean’s performance, DJ Unieq chose four students, two boys and two girls, to go up and sing in front of the crowd. The person with the best applause would receive a t-shirt and a CD and to meet Drake Bell after his performance.
Paige Ryan and Karl Halvorson won the singing competition.
The next performer out on stage was Dakota Bradley, a country singer with his band from Nashville. Bradley came out wearing a jean overshirt with a white t-shirt, a necklace and bracelets, grey jeans, and sunglasses.
Bradley was playing a Fender Stratocaster of orange, black, and red color.
Bradley sang “Wild Child”, a song he wrote in high school. During the song, Bradley called out the high school girls, “All you high school girls put your hands in the air,” he said.
The next song Bradley sang was called “Cherry Bomb Lips”, written about a girls lips. When Bradley sang “cherry bomb,” students sang “lips.”
Bradley’s last song was “Kick it.” Everyone was singing along to the song and getting into the performance.
After Bradley’s performance. DJ Unieq came on stage to announce Drake Bell.
Everyone screamed and cheered as Bell came on stage. He was wearing a red jacket with a black graphic t-shirt, jeans, and a brown belt.
When he first got on stage, Bell’s guitar wasn’t properly tuned. He had to spend some time getting it tuned, and apologized to the crowd.
Bell didn’t have a band, but rather played the background music from a phone or ipod and played the guitar and sang himself. He was playing a black and white Gibson guitar.
When Bell came on stage it started sprinkling, but that didn’t dampen the students’ spirits. Almost everyone had their phones out taking pictures, recording, and snapchatting Bell’s performance.
The first song Bell sang was “Bull”. It had a country rock sound, but not many people had heard it before or knew the lyrics.
After this song, a group of people in the front of the crowd began singing the Drake and Josh theme song by Bell, “I Found A Way”.
The next song Bell sang was “Witchcraft”, followed by the song Lonely Summer Nights. Not many people sang along to the songs, but many were clapping along.
Bell’s last song was “I Found A Way”. It was a remix of the original song that started out slower in the beginning and moved up to the original speed of the song.
As soon as Bell started singing, everyone screamed and began to sing along. All of the phones were out.
As soon as Bell was off of the stage, people started filing out of the area.