Coldplay by Candlelight

An atmospheric evening

Often, when I'm traveling in other cities, I open a random social media app and see sponsored posts for cool arts events in that area. (What can I say? Maybe Zuckerberg knows too much about me.) I've seen several ads over the years for Candlelight Concerts by Fever. These atmospheric concerts feature contemporary music arranged for orchestral instruments, presented in a moody room lit be LED candles. 

Though I'd often seen them advertised in other Southern cities (Atlanta, New Orleans, etc.), I'd never seen them presented in Jackson, Mississippi. That all changed a few short weeks ago. I was served a digital ad for an evening of Taylor Swift music played by a string quartet (with musicians sourced from the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra) in a gorgeous room at Jackson's Old Capitol. 

My friend Kelly is a HUGE TSwift fan (and even made it to a performance on the Eras Tour), so I bought two tickets and gave her a call. We started with a delish dinner at Estelle (which is one of my go-tos if I have tickets or activities in the downtown area). I love their Caesar salad with a medium rare steak skewer and a cocktail. Yum!

From there, we made our way to the Old Capitol Museum, where we parked for free in the ample lots behind the building. Then, it was a quick walk inside to a candlelit wonderland! The seating at these events is limited, and the concert was mostly full, with both floor seats and some balcony seating. The performers are on a raised platform in the center of a gallery space, and candles are everywhere! 

The music was beautiful! I was surprised to find that some of the more uptempo songs translated best to a classical arrangement. The concert lasted about an hour, which is the perfect amount of time to incorporate a little art into your life without boring the husband you talked into coming to this event.  

I enjoyed it so much that I bought tickets to the next concert - one featuring Coldplay songs - immediately upon coming home. That one was great, too! (And it must be catching on, because I saw TONS of couples there. A great date night!)

Since then, they've announced other concerts featuring the songs of Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Childish Gambino, and more. Highly recommended!