A Fabulous Night With Fresh 102.7 FM

Earlier this week, I enjoyed a girls night out at two of my favorite NYC venues.

My dear friend Sara and I met up at Pappardella on the Upper West Side. This cozy Italian eatery has long been a neighborhood staple with good reason–delicious, consistent fare and friendly service. We shared a caprese salad (with melt in your mouth fresh mozzarella) then enjoyed one of their signature dishes–pappardelle with wild mushroom ragu, white wine, truffle cream, roasted garlic & basil. Yummm.

After dinner, we walked over to the iconic Beacon Theater on Broadway. The event–Fresh 102.7 FM‘s first ever Winter Jam concert.

I always start my day with Fresh’s Kim and Kane in the morning. So it was a treat to see them emcee part of the four-hour show, which featured an A-list lineup of pop artists. I’ve attended several radio station concerts over the years; this was far and away one of the best, most well executed productions. And we got to experience it all from fifth row center seats!

The concert kicked off with American Authors, debuting a song from their upcoming second album and powering through “I’m Just A Believer” and “Best Day of My Life.” Spunky family band Echosmith were effervescent fun, closing out their set with “Cool Kids.”

Next up, Gavin DeGraw, who was as irresistible as he was when I saw him at an SPG Moments concert last year. He did older songs from his catalog like “Follow Through” and “I Don’t Wanna Be,” and newer classics like “Sweeter” and “The Best I Ever Had,” ending with his mega-hit “Not Over You.”

Daughtry performed an acoustic set, including a memorable version of “Home” dedicated to U.S. troops. It was fantastic to hear stripped down versions of “It’s Not Over,” “September,” “Battleship” and one of my all-time favorites, “Waiting For Superman.”

The evening ended on a very high note, with Train. Lead singer Pat Monahan demonstrated why Daughtry raved about him being one of the best pop vocalists today (not to mention, adept at taking selfies with front row audience member phones).

So many great songs in Train’s catalog, and they performed most of them—including “Cadillac, Cadillac,” “Angel In blue Jeans,” “99 Ways To Say Goodbye” and “Calling All Angels.” They ended their set with breakout hit “Drops of Jupiter.”

A truly amazing night of great music and fun with a dear friend. One that reinforced something I’ve been feeling a lot lately – truly blessed to call this incredible city home.