It’s just so well done and both hilarious and awesome at the same time.

This weekend, I’m going to see Lady Gaga live in concert as part of her Monster Ball tour.

What I’ve always liked about Gaga is that she never turns the Gaga image and personality off – as crazy, out-there and strange as that may be. At times, it’s even scary…

I always enjoyed the singles I heard on the radio, but I never expected that I would love her album. When I finally took the time to listen to it, it became one of my favourite discoveries from the past year – full of excellent and catchy pop and dance songs. I still can’t stop listening to it.

I’m sure it’s going to be a Gaga-good time – a delight to both the ears and eyes and an unbelievable night of entertainment. I expect no less than a full-on spectacle.

Image source: whittlz (Creative Commons License – BY-NC-ND)

Here’s the thing: I have a habit of getting into shows, books and musicians late in the game.

At face value, this may seem like a bad thing – it means I rarely get to be the “one who discovered the awesomeness of…”

But the truth is that I don’t actually care.

Waiting and being late in the game has its benefits:

• My friends and the general public let me know if something is worth my time
• If the person/book/show/etc lasts over time, it’s a sure sign that there’s something there – I know I’m not wasting my time or energy
• If it’s a show, I have tons to catch up on. It means no waiting until next week or season to find out what happens next. Anticipation is great but fulfilling a desire immediately is even better! The same applies for books too
• There’s lots of fresh material for me to soak up and enjoy while everyone has ants in their pants, waiting for the next season or the next book
• There are many opportunities for me to borrow the book, DVD or CD from friends who are already fans (cost savings!)

Here are some examples of things I love now but didn’t pay attention to for a long time:

• Dexter – this is the show I’m currently exploring. I just finished season 3 and I love it.
• Harry Potter – read the books 10 years after the first one was published.
• Friends – I started watching the first season while the latter half of the 10th (and final) season was airing.
• Doctor Who (w/ the 9th & 10th Doctors) -  I started watching while season 3 was airing.
• Lost – I started watching while season 3 or 4 was airing.
• Grey’s Anatomy – I started watching while season 3 was airing
• John Mayer – I had a friend who loved his music and wanted to go see him live. We all said no. A year later, we were all big fans.
• James Morrison – I recently discovered his music, three years late

The list could go on forever.

So what does this mean? People get to be excited and watch in anticipation as I fall in love and become addicted. They participate enthusiastically as I go on and on about these shows or books that they’ve loved for years already.

This also means that people think I’m slow and really out of touch – but I don’t mind.

From this point forward, I plan to write about and share my thoughts on all of my “new discoveries” here. So please bare with me – sometimes I’ll be on the ball and other times I won’t. Either way, your feedback and comments will greatly be appreciated.

Image source: Suchitra Prints (Creative Commons License – BY)

That artist is Matt Morris.

Matt was a Mickey Mouse Club star along with Timberlake (and Christina Aguilera, JC Chasez and Britney Spears). While his MMC peers went on to become pop sensations, Matt went home to a more normal life. He didn’t give up his music though and over time he worked with some famous pop stars on their albums, writing for Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson and Timberlake himself.

Long story short, after Timberlake decided he was going to create his own label, he signed Matt as his first artist. The first time I heard Matt sing was when he performed Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” with Timberlake at Hope for Haiti Now earlier this year. Remember that performance?

Matt’s first album When Everything Breaks Open was released earlier this year and is currently one of my favourite cds. His music style is quite different from those he’s written for – Amazon lists him as rock/pop and iTunes lists him as more singer/songwriter.  His album is diverse as each song is different from the others. I strongly recommend you listen to “Live Forever,” “Un-American,” “Bloodline,” “Money”, “Forgiveness” and “Love” here.

I recently got to see him perform live as the opening act for Ingrid Michaelson. I went to the show as a big fan of the album but I was blown away the minute he started singing. Matt’s voice was a lot richer, fuller and soulful than I had expected. He was a great performer and a half an hour set just wasn’t enough. I can’t wait for him to return to Toronto to do a full show.

We did manage to meet him after the show and had our CDs signed. He was soft spoken and kind, and seemed surprised by everyone’s enthusiasm for his music.

I will leave you with this acoustic performance by Matt of “Live Forever” – one of my favourite tracks from his album and his new single:

PS. Here’s a short but great interview that InMusic did with Matt when he was in Toronto.