Leighton Meester – Vogue Theatre – May 30, 2012
Usually we associate Leighton Meester with reading Vogue Magazine as her character Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl, but the Vogue Theatre In Vancouver is a long way from the Upper East Side.
On the second date of her West Coast tour, with the band Check In The Dark, Ms. Meester came onstage with non of the bravado, bitchiness or meticulous style of her TV counterpart, instead we were treated to a shy, slightly unsure of herself young woman with a lovely voice, appearing genuinely appreciative of the audience Wearing a floral headband and dressed in 
a long skirt, knit top with floral over shirt, she appeared more downtown than uptown and it certainly seemed that we were seeing the ‘real’ Leighton. As the evening wore on and with a few more song under her belt, she appeared to gain confidence and come out of her shell. Her vocals reflected the confidence as she sang her folk influenced pop, before a enthusiastic audience of about 500 fans, some obviously drawn by her Gossip Girl fame but an impressively large number were aware of her music already. With collaborators, Check In The Dark on stage with her, the songs felt familiar and comfortable to everyone, the performers and audience. As 
this tour plays on and her confidence and experience grows, Leighton Meester will definitely become a force in the music industry and can leave the world of Gossip Girl behind.