Two pop acts make tour stops in Orlando for a stellar concert weekend

OWL CITY

From a basement to the Billboard charts, Adam Young (more commonly known as Owl City) has gone from making music in his parents’ home to having an album go platinum. Now Orlando fans will have the opportunity to see Young perform when he stops off at the Beacham on Friday.

On his current tour, Young is debuting his brand new album, The Midsummer Station. Released on Aug. 21 by Universal Republic Records, The Midsummer Station includes several forms of collaboration with various songwriters and producers — a change from Owl City’s previous albums.

Young’s most recently released single from The Midsummer Station, “Good Time,” is a collaboration with Carly Rae Jepsen. Jepsen is most commonly known for her recent hit song, “Call Me Maybe.”

On Wednesday, Owl City began its tour to promote The Midsummer Station. This international tour consists of 46 shows in total, with 23 of them being in the United States and Canada. Young will finish off his tour with a show in Sydney on Nov. 20.

Sophomore radio/television major Josh Miranda is a longtime fan of Young’s thoughtfully crafted compositions and hopes to arrive to the venue early on Friday to get as close to the stage as possible.

“I’ve always been able to relate to his music for as long as I can remember. His musical stylings have almost grown with me throughout the years,” Miranda said.

Also featured at Friday’s show is the pop band Action Item. Made up of five guys from New Jersey, the band has previously toured with popular teen acts such as Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber.

The concert at the Beacham is set to begin at 6 p.m., with Action Item opening for Owl City. Advance tickets start at $22, and the show is open to all ages. For more information on Owl City and The Midsummer Station tour, visit owlcitymusic.com

ED SHEERAN
English singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran seems to have only recently burst onto the music scene, but that didn’t stop him from selling out his upcoming Orlando show so spectacularly that he had to upgrade to a larger venue — only for the show to be sold out again. 

Sheeran, 21, is best known for his single, “The A Team,” off of his debut album + (pronounced “plus”). The song, which tells the story of a young girl who turns to prostitution to handle her drug addiction, was released to critical acclaim and landed the artist two BRIT awards in 2012 for Best Breakthrough of the Year and Best British Male Solo Artist.

Senior musical theatre major Jayne Dobrowolski didn’t manage to get tickets to Saturday’s show before it officially sold out, but said that she wants to look into purchasing a resold ticket. She became a fan of Sheeran’s when she stumbled across his single on iTunes several months ago.

“I love his acoustic style as well as his unique voice. And his lyrics are amazing,” Dobrowolski said. 

Sheeran’s Orlando tour stop will be taking place at the House of Blues, located in Downtown Disney. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m. with fellow Brit artist Passenger as the opening act.

Tickets may be sold out officially, but UCF students can try their luck at stubhub.com, Orlando Craigslist or the Free or For Sale UCF Facebook group.