Sophie's Concert and Travel Blog!
Sophie's Concert and Travel Blog!
Sophie's Concert and Travel Blog! Sophie's Concert and Travel Blog!
Two of my favorite things is traveling the world and experiencing new things, and also seeing my favorite artists in concert, and sometimes the two worlds collide! My parents raised me on experiences, and how important new things are, how important expanding one’s horizons are! So feel free to stick around and see some of my favorite highlights!
Reneé Rapp: Bite Me Tour
Atlanta, Georgia 11/05/2025
This was my first time in Atlanta for a concert! I grew up going to Atlanta a good bit as my mom’s side of the family lives just right outside and into the northern Georgia mountains. Before this concert, Reneé Rapp was not on top of my list for queer women artists. Not to say that I didn’t love her work not only as a current pop diva of this generation and have followed her since the 2018 Jimmy awards. But she just wasn’t in my top 3 favorite queer artists. But after this concert and driving home from Atlanta back to my apartment in Birmingham, AL I was eating my own crow. Reneé was authentic, lively, connective, and simply kind. This show was a rescheduled date after her cancellation two weeks prior. AND SHE SURE DELIVERED HER APOLOGIES! I truly was in awe for two hours, and even now as I’m writing this I still cannot believe that was something I was able to truly witness. And we got “Too Well” which no ones has really ever heard live so that was really an added bonus if I will say!
London, England
July 28th - August 4th 2025
Recommendations:
*Café Laville
*Little Venice
*Natural History Museum
*Portobello Road Market
This was my second time back in London as the first time I went was before i started undergrad. My mom and I went to celebrate my parents 20th anniversary as my dad was serving overseas in Saudi Arabia and wanted my mom and I to go on a trip. I remember begging my dad to let us go to London and see if we can do a day trip to Paris as my mom and I have never been, and surprisingly he let us. We stayed in Paddington again which we love as its so central to the city as the Paddington station was so huge. We left some things on our list from our previous trip, so we went to the tower of London (which was very much against my will) it was hot, and so crowded, the Sky Garden, which was kind of the same feeling just high in the sky. We ate a ton of Italian food, Café Laville on our first day was amazing, it overlooks the little Venice canal and it is beautiful at sunset. We looked around a little bit of Camden Market our first day and had friend gnocchi and. it was INSANE! We also saw Molotov Jukebox on this trip as well after spending the morning and afternoon in Nottinghill that Saturday. We went back to the natural history museum the day before we left and had a ton of tesco express meal deals and I had so much Ribena and Lemon coke. It was a much needed trip and I can’t wait to go back again soon!
Molotov Jukebox: London, England
08/02/2025
This was my second time seeing Molotov Jukebox! I saw them during my last trip to London and I feel like I start off this weird connection the exact same way every single time. Have you ever seen Game of Thrones? If you have, do you remember Osha? If you haven’t seen Game of Thrones did you see the other large franchise happening at the same time… Harry Potter and do you remember Nymphadora Tonks who is married to Remus Lupin…. well meet Natalia Tena, the actress behind both of those roles. She besides staring in some of the industry’s biggest franchises she plays in a band called Molotov Jukebox, a latin/gypsy fusion band. that she plays the accordion and in the main vocalist in… yeah its insane. And fun fact I even have a Molotov Jukebox tattoo and can see whatever Molotov Jukebox show for free! They performed in a much smaller venue than last time I saw them but its safe to say I think with it being so intimate it made the experience ten times better. The set was more intimate, it felt as though they were just hosting a get together. And they remembered my mom and I as “Molotov Jukebox’s biggest American Fans” which was awesome and even got a SONG DEDICATED TO ME ?!!!! I will always love and support this band and you should 1000% give them a listen and let me know what you think!
Edinburgh, Scotland
July 30th-31st 2025
Recommendations:
*Fluffee
*Holyrood Palace
*The Devil’s Advocate
Before I start, I just wanted to say that I didn’t think I’d fall in love this much with Edinburgh. I always thought London would be my forever home, and I am afraid to say that I have to live in Edinburgh before I leave this earth. We went the Wednesday and Thursday before the fringe festival and there is really no better time. We stayed in a gorgeous hotel and restaurant in the heart of the city where each room was themed after a large city. We got a tokyo room and it was HUGE! my mom and I hung out in the robes they provided and hung out! We just walked the city since the sun sets so late in the summer time. And we grab dinner at one of the oldest pubs in the city. We walked down some stairs to a cocktail bar called the Devil’s Advocate, and they had terrific parmesan truffle fries with a cocktail called “Whole lotta Rosie” and it was amazing! We also went to the Holyrood Palace where they still have royal engagements as well as royal palace of many Scottish royals. We also visited the viral Corgi Café which felt so special since we had lost our Corgi of 14 years, Keyton two days before we left to go on this trip. Edinburgh I miss you so much!!
Los Angeles, California
May 19th-27th 2025
My first time on the West Coast! I went to LA with my partner for her 23rd Birthday. She did her undergrad at UCLA so we thought it would be a perfect time to travel to the west coast to not only celebrate her birthday, but also see her friend group that she hasn’t really seen since her graduation! We stayed near WEHO so that was super fun! My partner took me to all her favorite spots that she had in undergrad, cool restaurants (I miss you pasta sisters), the Santa Monica pier, the Griffith Observatory (the la la land phase awoke back in me during this), and I even did a Hollywood sign 4 mile hike and got a terrible sunburn!! We did a ton of cool shopping trips, and had to stay and extra two days because our connecting flight in Denver kept getting delayed (the story coming home is frightening).
Recommendations
*Pasta Sisters
*Griffith Observatory ( go see one of the star shows)
*Barney’s Beanery for the trivia
Julien Baker and TORRES - “Send a Prayer My Way” Tour
Birmingham, Alabama 4/30/2025
Okay so talk about a whirl wind of emotions! I am in awe that I saw Julien Baker live! Just six months ago I was so so so upset I couldn’t see her on her solo tour to then being able to see her in my current city! And as well as seeing Lucy just last night was INSANE! I have to have a least a but of honesty! I didn’t really prepare myself as well I should have with the knowledge of this album! But I still had a fun time nonetheless. It was really cool and also sad that this was the last show of the tour because it got cancelled.
Lucy Dacus “Forever is a Feeling” Tour
Nashville, Tennesee 04/29/2025
First let me say what a night. I had been looking foward to this concert for months and my girlfriend, Hannah and I went. We met up with my friend Lilah and went to Lilah and I’s favorite pre concert spot Hawkers in Nashville (they have one in St. Petersburg and its amazing) We showed up and Jasmine 4.T opened as well as Katie Gavin from MUNA and I saw her back in December so it was so nice to be able to hear her again. Lucy was phenomenal, and it is crazy that I’m hearing my favorite artist live. She was an angel on stage, she has this sorta of introverted bad-a** presence about them that is so amazing to watch. She performed songs from her touring album but also some surprise songs from her first three albums and even some off of the Boygenius records. I sobbed my heart out by the emotional whiplash of “Lost time” (the closer to the album), followed by “True Blue” (off the Boygenius album and then “Night Shift” from Historian! So thank you to Lucy Elizabeth Dacus.