J Music: Legends of the Summer Tour

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I had been going back and forth about buying a Legends of the Summer ticket for months. I really wanted to experience a stadium concert and who better to see than two of my favorite artists?

The problem? The cheapest seats (in a stadium that holds 50,000) cost around $60-70.

Legends of the Summer Stadium
My view from the ether aka the 400 section.

To me, what is special about a stadium tour is the ability to reach as many fans as possible, and as more people means more revenue (and less intimacy), I would like to think it would also mean a more reasonable ticket price.

But I guess if you can still sell out a stadium charging $60-300+, why not. Moving on.

What I Loved:

• Sold-out show!

• Justin showed the range of his talent jumping on the keys and even pulling out his acoustic guitar. Vocals were on point.

• The Tennessee Kids were showing out! (Would love, love, love to see Justin perform with them in smaller venue – the 14-piece band’s individual sounds get lost with the terrible stadium acoustics.)

• Though they both just put out new albums, Jay Z and JT chose to focus more on a “best of” from their respective catalogs and performed around 40 songs.

• As my Mom pointed out, no one was the bigger star. They were able to take their two different sounds and find the common threads that made for a great show!

My Critique:

• Everyone without floor seats has to rely on the screens on either sides of the stage to really get a feel for what is happening on stage, however, the screens seemed to be positioned for those who can already see what is going on by focusing on close-up shots of the pair.

Favorite Moment:

Bob's Store Shoes
I got those shoes for free at Bob’s! Great find.

I missed the Trayvon tribute, but “Holy Grail” definitely sets the tone for the night! And of course at least 40,000* people singing a mash-up of “New York, New York” and “Empire State of Mind” in Yankee Stadium – can’t beat it.

Words of advice if you are attending?

• I would definitely suggest binoculars, as ridiculous as that sounds.
• Keep it casual and comfortable. It is too hot to do otherwise.

*Estimate

J Music: Hot 97 Summer Jam XX and Sound of Change Concert

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For those in need of some entertainment tonight…

Summer Jam starts now! I’ve never been or seen the live stream, so I’m sure I will have some thoughts to share. Check out the live stream below.

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As someone in the nonprofit realm AND a Beyonce stan fan, I am surprised I found out about the concert so late. I need to do my research…

Yesterday Beyonce headlined the Sound of Change charity concert in support of Gucci’s Chime for Change organization.  Chime for Change promotes education, health and justice for women and girls around the world. As a member of the founding committee, you know Beyonce had to make an appearance and shut it down.  I decided not to watch any of the videos that have surfaced, but I will definitely tune in tonight.

Check out the concert at 9pm ET on NBC.

J Music: Yahoo! On the Road

On Friday, John Legend kicked off the Yahoo! On the Road tour with the Salomé Chamber Orchestra and Ryan Leslie live from the United Palace Theatre in New York City.  I only caught the end of the performance, but the live-stream quality was fantastic.

Yahoo! On the Road is a summer concert series featuring Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore, fun., Fall Out Boy and more. Tickets to the show are free, but assuming you are like me and missed the only show in your area, you can also watch via live stream. Visit the Yahoo! On the Road website for the tour schedule and more info.
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Next: Kendrick Lamar & RaVaughn on Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00PM

J Music: Keep It Chordial, The Inspiration 2013 Spring Show

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It’s that time of year again!! Yesterday I made my way to Philly for my a cappella group’s spring 2013 show, Keep It Chordial. It was a great weekend filled with laughs, love, and of course, beautiful music. So good to see my ‘89 fam!

’89, iSing!

Below are a few of the night’s great performances.  Hopefully I will upload the rest this week!

Watch the Inspiration perform “Only Wanna Give It To You” (originally by Elle Varner and J. Cole) below. (I was beeming from ear to ear to see my fellow alto and little sister Aleisha killing it, confident as ever!!!)

If you are often on my blog, you know I love a good acoustic performance. Watch Wes performance an original entitled “So Much I’ve Yet to Know.”

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Perhaps not the conventional choice for a show’s closer, the final performance was BRILLIANT.

A MUST WATCH!

“Don’t Wake Me Up” originally by Lianne La Havas ✮ Enjoy the arrangement and the stellar vocals for The Inspiration Director, Samantha T.

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This was a special moment.  The 2013 Inspiration seniors singing their final song.

—-So proud of all of you, the continued growth (as individuals and as a group) is SO evident. 

J Music: Brandy at the Theatre of Living Arts (TLA)

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This weekend, I was all over Philly, New York, and Connecticut.  First stop was Philly to see one of my all-time favorites, Brandy!

Seeing as I was definitely tardy for the party, I missed Brandy’s opening act Go Go Morrow, but I arrived just in time to see Brandy open her set.  Her mission for the night was to give us the whole Brandy catalog in an hour and a half set, and trust me, it was no small feat.

Brandy performed songs from her new release Two Eleven and so many more including “I Wanna Be Down,” “Sitting on Top of the World,” “Angel in Disguise,” “Boy Is Mine,” “What About Us?” “Full Moon,” “Wildest Dreams,” a Whitney Houston medley, “Without You,” “Let Me Go,” and “He Is.” When she wrapped up with “Put It Down” I was left still trying to catch up as she took us through almost 20 years of music.

Two snaps to Brandy. Yes, honey!!

Find a great montage of her performance here. (Start at the 2:00 mark)

Brandy also had Luke James comes out and do a quick set for the crowd that included “I Want You” and “I.O.U.” Even though his entrance was a bit delayed, awkward, and confusing for the crowd, that was forgotten once he launched into “I Want You.”  The ladies loved him (and so did I)!

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BONUS: An inspirational story that came from the show — at one point during her set Brandy took the time out to thank her “fabulous” hair and makeup team.

Tatiana Ward, or @BeatFaceHoney as she is known on Twitter and YouTube, got the chance of a lifetime when her idol contacted her via Instagram to sing her praises and ask her to do her makeup for the Philly show. All in a few days her life has changed. She is now traveling with Brandy as one of her makeup artists!! Look at God!  

**Photos from Brandy’s Instagram.