Here is the Calgary Official Road Reporter review from Josh's Straight To You Tour by abouvier! Want to enter to win for a chance to be Josh's Official Road Reporter? Get all the contest details HERE.

I must say that I have been a fan of Josh Groban’s forever, but never joined FOJG (didn’t know it even existed!) until I was searching for information about his upcoming tour and whether or not he would be making an appearance in Calgary. Well, locating the website was the first good thing that happened, joining up and then being able to get floor seat tickets on the presale day was completely amazing, and the icing on the cake was finding out that I had won the Road Reporter contest! I was completely surprised, and a little skeptical, but after rereading the email about 27 times, I realized that I had just been handed the opportunity of a lifetime.

Needless to say, I was a bundle of nerves as my mom and I drove to the Saddledome (yes, for those of you not from Calgary, Josh performed in a hockey arena shaped like a giant saddle). We were ridiculously early, but not knowing exactly where we had to go to pick up tickets and passes, and having read some of the difficulties encountered by previous Road Reporters, we wanted lots of time so we wouldn’t miss out on anything! As it turned out, acquiring the tickets and passes was a breeze compared to the one major hiccup I encountered (but more on that later).

We were third in line when the doors opened and found our “Meet and Greet” spot right away. While waiting there, on pins and needles – it’s Josh Groban, after all!!! – we chatted with some of the other meet-and-greeters and shared a few Josh-inspired stories. We also saw a large group of super-excited kids from the Calgary Arts Academy, which was the chosen “Find Your Light” Foundation recipient. Being a teacher myself, I can only imagine how grateful this school is, to not only receive a cash donation from Josh’s foundation, but to have the man himself recognize their work with the arts in education (not to mention attending his concert and meeting him in person!)

Finally the wait was over and we were on our way to meet Josh Groban! When it was my turn, it was just as quick and as fabulous as one would expect – a hi and a handshake, an autograph, and say cheese! in a flash, it was done, but I’m still riding the high from it this morning! What a total rush!!

When I left the Meet and Greet area, things got interesting for me as I was trying to figure out where the press area was so that I could take my “Road Reporter Photo Pass” pictures. Everyone I asked either had no idea what I was talking about (even when I showed them my pass) or suggested I speak to Darren, the head of security. I had actually been referred to Darren even before the Meet and Greet, but he was running around with so much to do, understandably so especially with a large group of school children to contend with, that it was impossible to ask him about this pass. So to make a long story short, I spent the next 35 minutes searching for assistance, speaking with people who told me to find someone else, who then couldn’t help me either. After Elew, the opening act, had been playing for about 15 minutes (I could hear him from my current waiting spot in a hallway), I decided to return to my seat so I wouldn’t miss any more of the show. I headed back into the area and just as I was nearing my row, I ran into the head of security, who took one look at my pass and said it meant I could take pictures from anywhere on the floor, as long as I didn’t get in anyone’s way (which is different from what it said in the email, but at this point I was just glad to find someone who actually seemed to recognize my photo pass and knew what it meant!) She also mentioned that Josh would be singing his first 3 songs from a smaller stage in the middle of the floor, and offered me a spot beside her, in behind where all the equipment was. When Josh arrived, I started snapping pictures and taking videos, which I’m sure, are mostly blurry as I was literally shaking with excitement! And then I finally met Darren, Josh’s personal security, ☺ and was told that no, I couldn’t take pictures from where I was, and since I was on the floor in row 11, that was a better spot than where I could have been so I might as well just go back to my seat. He was very nice about it and I was just glad he caught me before I tried to take more pictures from places where I wasn’t supposed to be! I realize that it may sound like I was put out by what happened, but really I was thrilled to win this prize and enjoyed every minute (even those that were a bit more stressful than the others!). I just want to let other Road Reporters know what I discovered and hopefully save them some of the same hassle – essentially, if you have floor seats, you’re set and need not worry about the photo pass. If you don’t have floor seats, the only person who can help you is Darren!

Okay, now on to the good stuff! Elew was absolutely amazing! He was doing things on the piano I have never seen before, like sticking his hand in the piano and plucking the strings while simultaneously playing the keys – crazy! He played a variety of songs, many while standing in an exaggerated lunge pose (this guy must have buns of steel!), and the crowd loved him. He was an awesome opening act!

And then it was time for Josh! He was completely flawless the entire evening and his two hour performance seemed like mere minutes to me (oh no, it’s over already?!). I can’t remember all the songs in exact order, but I can tell you that they were utterly fantastic. All members of his 13 piece band were also incredible and showed a lot of camaraderie, especially Tariqh, Josh’s long time musical director who always had a smile and a playful spirit! Vocally, “Higher Window” was marvelous, I think even better than the recorded version. I love “If I Walk Away”, and Josh’s version at this concert did not disappoint, and it was especially touching the way he dedicated it to the kids from the Calgary Arts Academy. Neil Diamond’s “Play Me” was a really unique addition, and I think that I, too, will be asking myself WWNDD (What would Neil Diamond do?) – too funny!

Some artistic highlights for me were “Oceano” – the backdrop was like some artistic rendering of ocean waves rolling across the sky, beautifully complementing Josh’s amazing voice. “The Bells of New York City” had iconic New York landmarks for its backdrop, and “War at Home” displayed alternating snowflakes and fireworks which really enhanced the heart-wrenching-ness of this touching piece. “Machine” was accompanied by all the spotlights rotating in turn with each other, like some mechanized dance – very cool!

Instrumentally, “Voce Existe Em Mim” was outstanding because Josh wowed us with his drumming skills (plus his drums were very sparkly!). Christian, the violin-playing hottie for “Weeping”, was marvelous and complemented Josh perfectly. My personal favorite of the evening was “Broken Vow” and the completely awe-inspiring trumpet solo at the end of the song – together they drew me very close to tears!

I also loved Josh’s commentary between songs. He is quite the comedian! Between the knitted socks he received from a fan to questioning “What would Neil Diamond do?” he had us in stitches. The texted questions from the audience were priceless! Lucky Sarah not only received a personalized song and an invite on stage, but she also got two kisses: “Oh Sarah, I wanna kiss you so hard I ruin your mascara!” And the rest of us were treated to some of Kanye West’s tweets – hilarious!

And then all too soon, it was time for the final encore song, which literally was a showstopper, “You Raise Me Up”. By the end of it, the audience was belting it out, yours truly included, and you could just feel the energy radiating from the Saddledome. Truly, one of the most amazing musical performances I’ve ever had, hands down. And winning FOJG Road Reporter totally made this a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you so much to FOJG’s Sarah and everyone else on the team for offering this to lucky fans like me, providing them with some invaluable memories. Oh, what a night!