It Happened Last Night
Ida Maria / Photo by Erik Dixon
Perez Hilton Kicks Off U.S. Tour
The Queen of All Media throws a party with his favorite acts, including Ida Maria and Ladyhawke. And it is fabulous, dahling!!!
By Jonathan Baker 09.11.09 9:16 AM
Ida Maria / Photo by Erik Dixon
Perez Hilton helped put Lady Gaga and Mika on the map by featuring them in the "Listen to This" section of his popular site Perezhilton.com. So it was only a matter of time before America's celebrity blog princess became a de facto A&R man with his own label and a national tour.
See a photo gallery of the show here.
Thursday night at Atlanta's 1200-seat Variety Playhouse, said tour kicked off much like his fans would expect: The stage was flanked by shiny magenta curtains and a massive "Perez Hilton Presents" backdrop. A video screen played boppy tunes by the Ting Tings and Rihanna, until the house lights dimmed and the host bounded on stage, sporting perfectly messy hair and a tight-fitting turquoise tee that read "I'm Huge on Twitter."
"Hi Atlanta! I hope you guys are drunk," Hilton said by way of greeting. "And if not, it's time to get drunk!" Then suddenly recognizing how young the audience was, he added, "And I don't care how old you are, I approve of underage drinking…as long as you don't drive."
With that, the party was underway.
French pop artist Sliimy, the first artist Hilton has signed to his label, will be appearing at select upcoming tour dates, but for the Atlanta kickoff, New York glam-metal band Semi Precious Weapons opened.
Led by androgynous frontman Justin Tranter, the group looked and sounded like the Sex Pistols -- if they had emerged from Andy Warhol's downtown Manhattan Factory scene. "We are Semi Precious Weapons. You should start fucking now," Tranter urged. As for their set? It was like a drag show on speed, with just the right amount of pop fabulousness.
During the changover, Hilton hung in the crowd, smiling and chatting as flash bulbs popped around him, a constant reminder of the magnitude of his self-made celebrity. Then he was back on stage to pump the next act. "I have a silly celebrity website, but music is my passion," he declared, before unleashing Norwegian pop-punker Ida Maria, a rising star in her own right.
Within seconds, Maria and her band -- think Courtney Love fronting the Artic Monkeys -- had the crowd bouncing like excited Muppets, pogoing along to supercatchy tunes like "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked." But they also knew how to shut the hell up during stunning, delicate tunes like "Stella."
Before introducing the final act, the sexy, synth-happy Ladyhawke, Hilton said, "Thank you guys so much for coming out. It's the first time I've done this. Thank you." Then back into the crowd he went.
Perhaps it was all the PBR swilling or the fact that Ladyhawke could have been playing the soundtrack to a feel-good 80's-era John Hughes movie, but the atmosphere became less like a concert and more like a giant house party, complete with famous bands and your new BFF, that nice, surprisingly earnest Mr. Hilton.
Looks like he's on to something after all.
Oh Perez! You're So Hilarious! You Should Come To Winnnipeg, MB, Canada! I Love You So Much And You Have Tons Of Fans Here! You Always Make Me Lol!<3
Perez! Love u! Your concerts are the best... at least my friends say that...
Im from Venezuela. I hope this kind of events happend here in Latinamerica. Here its a lot of people that like u a lot!
You're the best honey!!
xoxo
LobitaVg
"complete with famous bands" Did you just say famous bands? I've actually never heard of any of these clowns. Where is Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Jonas Brothers, Coldplay? Not with Perez Hilton for sure. There's a reason for that those singers aren't with Perez Hilton and a reason that these other "singers" are. LOL. Like I said, "famous bands???" Not quite. I'm sure Perez appreciates the flattery, though.
I'm sorry, you seem to have mistaken "shitty artists" for "good music." It's okay, it's a common mistake. Maybe "famous" wasn't the right adjective but your idea of a star studded event makes me want to slit my wrists.
you are a buffoon. keep listening to your played out swill.
uhmmm im pretty sure everyones heard of lady gaga in america.............................................................. soooooo idk who youre talking about "sylph"......
hhaha @sylph what you said actually made a lot of sense, but cut the guy some slack. maybe these "singers" turn out to be good and in the near future, we'll be jammin to their songs on the radio. or maybe not. xoxo
I was there last night, and it was definitely the most unique concert i ever been to. Ida was fantastic and has excellent stage presence, and Ladyhawke *swoon* is an absolute bombshell. With the bands being practically unknown in the u.s. it was a def. treat for a fan to be able to be up close to watch... It was an incredibely fun and enjoyable show, and i wish perez ida and ladyhawke much success in their US Tour. Thanks for the picture perez, and remember to be nice to CLove! XOXO Brian
I dont think that Perez was really going for the JoBros crowd Sylph... but nice try. Its more of an alty underground feel and i love it. BUT im sureee theres a RadioDisney concert coming around to a fair near you ;)
On another note. Heard show was awesome! Can't wait till LA. Cheers Perez!
What he did was absolutely marvelous. To actually bring to the attention of so many the talents of so many is a precious thing.
Perez Hilton has mucho cojones, he could have fallen flat on his face. But his saving grace, his genial genius, is that the man has a helluva sense of musical style.
You GO bitch!
If there was a wage for hating, music websites would have generated the most wealth in society.
Love or loath, Perez is using his infamamy to support new music. And what have you done lately?
I hope this guy, Perez Hilton, dies in a fire.
Semi Precious were trying sooooo hard and not reaching. In order to be attention getting and shocking, your music has to be good enough for people to pay attention to. Theirs isn't. Guitarist was passable but Justin's posing, audience badgering and begging had no real talent to back it up. John Lydon wouldn't waste his spit on him. Ida was strong and great, tight band, she didn't play Oh My God but was a crowd pleaser. I haven't seen her before but she needs to lay off on either the Krispy Kremes or unprotected sex. One of those is swelling her up. Ladyhawke is a competent band with some interesting songs, but someone please coach Pip on the concept of a front[wo]man, audience patter and what a rock star is. She is talented and lovely but kills herself with self deprecation. Let one of the other guys do the talking or learn to herself.
This tour is a complete joke. The headliner is an unprofessional lush who has an on stage meltdown, ticket sales are poor, Ida Maria (the lush) drops out and now tickets are free because no one bought any in the first place. Perez, go back to whatever it is you do and stay out of the music biz. As far as Ida Maria goes, she is totally unprofessional and a boozer who cant even stay sober enough to get thru a show. Maybe they all deserve each other...
Just becasue you have not heard of a band before doesn't mean they suck....unless you are the type of person who needs instructions for everything in life...(remember to wipe your a** when you are done.)..I haven't heard of YOU before - does that mean you suck?
Don't rip on the bands because Perez sux - that's just not right
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