By Neonu
One word: Hot! I attended the concert this past Sunday in D.C. at the Verizon Center. Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z definitely brought it to a sold out arena!
I admit I was a little apprehensive about the show. Although I am a big fan of both Mary and Jay-Z, I did not buy Jay-Z's most recent album. He boycotted iTunes; I boycotted his American Gangster CD in response. I had heard rumors that he performed almost strictly from the new CD. So I arrived ready to be mad (yes, the wish factor). But I was soooo not mad.
I won't give away too may details because you should see the show (worth traveling to see it). Mary and Jay-Z start the show together, then Mary performs several songs on her own. Wow! This woman brings the emotion and sounds great! She sings the old and new favorites. Jay-Z also gives you a taste of all of his best during his set - and he has a lot. They close the show together. Be ready to be hoarse the next day, because you will join the rest of the crowd in singing along - maybe you will be Mary, maybe Jay-Z, maybe both. I was both :)
And, no, there was no mention or even jokes made about a wedding. Back to the show review...
My favorite part, however, had nothing to do with the singing/rapping. Jay-Z incorporates into his performance a segment that reflects his opinion about the upcoming Presidential election. The way he did it was awesome and the crowd ate it up! I loved it because it evidenced that he realizes he has a voice and an opportunity to affect people beyond the lyrics in his music and he literally capitalized on it. Amazing!
3 comments:
I was there. I was in the nosebleeds. My seats were pretty high. Vertigo high. And on top of being extra high up, there were
some other guests who were getting high on Mary J (and I do not mean the singer). Between the contact high and the elevation
of my seat, I was too nervous to throw up any Roc signs -- had to grip the arm rests ... until 99 Problems was performed. Once
I realized Hov was going for "Problems" I identified a suffiently large woman seated
below me (who would provide a soft break for
my fall). I had to stand up to rock out.
Thankfully I did not take the two-story
spill. I got 99 Problems but a broken neck
ain't one.
The concert was wonderful. The energy in the crowd was invigorating. MJB & Jay-Z deserve the billion dollars I'm sure they made off of that concert! The nosebleed tix were $100 (with tax & fees) and the Verizon Center had to have been at capacity.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the "interesting" attire that some women chose to sport for the ocasion. I felt like I was in another universe where bright, neon dental floss was the norm and I, in my jeans and sweater, was grossly overdressed. I felt myself staring like at the bearded lady at a carnival!!! What are our people thinking....
T$
The concert was on point. Jigga did his thing. Mary J. did her damn thing!! I was more in love with her when I left than when I arrived. I go way back with Jigga concerts - from very small clubs to large venues -- and his performances have come a long way. While it may be hard for some to believe, his concerts in large arenas use to suck because he had minimal stage presence. He would simply stand in one place and rap (although the jewelry was always glittery). For him to command a stage in front of 15,000, get the crowd amped, and please the ladies and fellas showed incredible growth.
The one negative was the two dudes in the aisle in front of me, but thankfully not directly in front of me, who danced and yelled so hard (the weed they smoked didn’t mellow them in the least) that they repeatedly bumped into their seat neighbors. Those folks, who were too busy frantically matching Jigga word for word, didn't seem to mind the hands in their faces or the bruises. But for some reason those two distracted the hell out of me. Have you ever wanted to fight someone….or two people???....
M.F.
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