She may have had a head cold, but she rocked it. Ingrid Michaelson’s sold-out show at the LC Pavilion on Wednesday, October 10 had fans on their toes. This tour was labeled an acoustic tour, and it pared down many studio-recorded album favorites to their bare bones. No electric guitars. No bass. Just acoustic guitars, drums, piano—and even an accordion. This was music at its finest, at its most base. With the right vocalist, you don’t need all the extras—and Ingrid Michaelson definitely fit that bill.
I’d been looking forward to this concert since I heard Michaelson was coming to Columbus. I spent a lot of time listening to Michaelson’s newest album, Human Again, and enjoying old tunes from Be OK. Tell me a person who doesn’t love the sweet-sad message of “You and I.”

Personally, my friend Laura—a newcomer to the Columbus area the Arena District’s newest resident—and I enjoyed “The Way I Am” and “You and I” the best out of the setlist—classics, for this artist. But it was also great hearing songs off Michaelson’s newest album, Human Again, like “Ghost” and “Palm of Your Hand.”
One of the best things about any concert is the actual performer. I don’t attend a lot of concerts because I find that usually, so many albums are made with electronic add-ins and synthesizers that they sound better with studio quality. Live music is an old art that I’m happy the Arena District still manages to provide to us in spades. Michaelson’s quips and stories about my favorite city (New York) and about growing up awkward made her feel like someone I’d want to have a drink with.

I loved this opportunity to see the Arena District from a newcomer’s perspective—plus, how can you beat a night of Ingrid Michaelson’s folksy tunes?
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Jess Gambacurta, Social Marketing Strategist at Cement Marketing, lives and works downtown. She is the editor of Curating Style, a lifestyle blog, and a Girls on the Run of Franklin County board member. Connect with Jess on Twitter.