On February 18th, Crate & Barrel hosted a FREE show with Rachel Platten at The Grove. Rachel released her album, Wildfire, in January and I’ve been obsessed with Fight Song. It has become one of my all time favorite songs. I found out about the event 2 days prior. There was an Eventbrite link to RSVP. Crate & Barrel had snacks, limited signed Wildfire cds for purchase, and a chance to meet Rachel afterwards.
Before I dive in, I’m warning you that I was a little disappointed. Not by Rachel, but with the setup. The event was from 6-8pm. The RSVP link hinted that Rachel would only perform 3 songs. We arrived before 6 and there was already a big crowd. They had chairs and small couches in front of a short stage. The chairs/couches would’ve been perfect for a small exclusive event, but there was definitely more than 50 fans. They should’ve had an idea regarding how many people would show up from the RSVP. There was not enough seats, so a lot of us were standing. They had fake trees surrounding the seating area and were in the way! I asked if I could move the one in front of me because a lot of us couldn’t see, but the trees had to stay because it was part of the setup.
They kept making announcements that Rachel would be out soon. They should’ve told us she wasn’t coming out till 7. Those who have been to The Grove know that you only get one hour of FREE parking, so I basically wasted my hour by standing. Fun times! But in all honesty, Rachel was fantastic. Her smile always lights up a room. Since she was sitting at her piano, that made it even more difficult to see her. I ended up standing on the steps of an escalator that was turned off in the back to get better photos/video. That’s how bad their setup was! You can even see from my video; I still had a tough time seeing her.
Regardless, it was amazing to see Rachel live for the first time. I know I probably came across as a grumpy fan, but I didn’t want to sugarcoat my experience. I wasn’t a fan of the set up. I definitely don’t regret going. Rachel had a great show. I’m sure it was lovely for those who could see and had seats. Next time Crate & Barrel host an event, I’ll keep this experience in mind!
krysten 