Mandy Moore, In Real Life At Webster Hall

Amanda Leigh Moore, otherwise known as Mandy Moore to the public and more recently as Rebecca Pearson on the hit NBC tv show, This Is Us, is a superstar with entertainment roots as a singer and songwriter.

She recently released her newest album, In Real Life in May which she’s currently on tour through July, and where I got a chance to watch her show at New York City’s iconic music venue, Webster Hall.

Like many millennials, I grew up listening to Mandy as one of the main pop artists of the early 2000s alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Jessica Simpson. A lot has changed since that era, especially Mandy’s style of music. Her music has since grown to more mature ballad-type songs that bring a sense of calmness when listening to her sing.

It has been 15 years since Mandy last toured. The last time she was on tour, in her words “she was 23, not 38, and six months pregnant”. The show was a family-friendly affair, where people that grew up listening to her music as an adolescent brought their toddlers so they could share a piece of their childhood with the next generation.

Admittedly, I’m not as familiar with her new sound and album as I was with her old music. Maybe it’s because a part of me will forever hold onto the nostalgia of music from the early 2000s, but I know I’m not alone.

While getting ready to photograph Mandy’s first three songs, I overheard a conversation between two friends in the bathroom where one of them said “I can’t wait for Mandy to sing Only Hope, I’m going to lose my sh*t’. And lose it they did, along with the crowd singing along and swaying back and forth. Instantly, everyone was brought back to the beloved movie, A Walk To Remember!

After the concert, I went home and played it on repeat as I’m sure everyone else did too.