To celebrate this year, I attended the Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day, a rally and concert on the Washington Monument grounds.
Leading up to the event there was much skepticism about its impact — although the event was meant to highlight important issues including climate change and the end to poverty, there was a fear that the big draw for people was the concert and the calls to action would be nothing more than an afterthought.
My view for the day.
Although I do think the concert was a big draw for people, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing because it provided an audience to hear great music, but also an important message by using interactive videos and big name speeches. The format definitely could have been more effective — they should have featured the speeches and videos in even shorter segments, they often called for taking action on mobile devices which were inoperable due to the huge crowds, and the event should’ve been more eco-friendly; however, even with the drawbacks, this type of event has great potential to strike that perfect balance of “work” and play to really motivate action amongst young adults.
To read more about the issues, watch video from the event and see interactive content go to globalcitizen.org
Now to get to the music — I wasn’t able to see all of the acts live, but I’m glad I made it just in time for Usher and No Doubt — it was such a beautiful day!
Enjoying the sunshine in front of the Washington Monument.
Find a few performances below:
Usher brought out special guest Common to perform “Glory” at the 6:40 mark. What do you think of Usher’s rendition?
No Doubt looked and sounded great. Gwen looks like she came in a time machine from 1999, absolutely flawless!
Usher was my first love. Before the Famous Jett Jackson, before Sammie, before J Boog — there was Usher Raymond IV. You name a record off My Way, 8701, or Confessions and my mind instantly goes to a cherished memory from my childhood. Growing up, Confessions defined for me what success was in the industry — diamond album, sold-out tour, movies, timeless music. Until he went and messed around with Tameka, Usher was the standard.
Some argued after Confessions he had nowhere else to go but down — I had always believed he would be considered one of, if not the best entertainer of our time. Nonetheless, it’s been years since I’ve attached Usher’s career with unmatched excellence. In his stead, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake have risen in the ranks, dominating the industry and record sales.
He has the star power, voice, technical skill, and over 20 years in the business — what is the missing element? It’s a question I have asked myself a thousands times. After attending the UR Experience tour at Mohegan Sun arena in Uncasville, CT, I think I can finally articulate my answer.
“Spotlight. Big stage. Thank U Uncasville #URXTOUR” via @howuseeit
I’ll fast-forward through DJ Cassidy (mostly because I missed his set — CP Time), and August Alsina (who sounded much less like a goat than anticipated).
I’ll tell you this, the problem with the concert is not Usher and it’s not the music. For two hours straight Usher performed all of his greatest hits with near perfect precision. He was accompanied by world-class dancers who performed a very high-energy set without hint of fatigue, three background singers, and a full-piece band. His charisma shined as he weaved in personal anecdotes throughout the night, keeping the crowd entertained.
via @howuseeit
The answer then — lack of innovation. The production value was nowhere near where it should be for a star of his caliber. Let’s start with the staging — a small, triangular stage flanked by two short ramps. There was no second stage. There would be no “flying” around the arena. Fans that weren’t in the front, lower level of the arena had little to no interaction with the star beyond a few shoutouts. There was scattered smoke and pyro throughout the performance, but nothing out of the ordinary for your average concert. There would be no stunning visual elements, no spectacular costume designs, and no storyline or cohesion to the songs performed. I counted one video (the intro), some filtered camera shots, 2 jacket changes, 1 shirt change and 1 hat.
I forgot, I think he changed his sneakers too.
Now I believe had the tour gone as planned, as a promotional tool for the now indefinitely delayed UR, the show would’ve been more along the lines of what I had envisioned. I understand they most likely had to cut back on the scale of the production as a result, but at 36, Usher doesn’t have time to waste on mediocre presentations. He needs something BIG to shake up the industry and remind us who has the #1 spot, and I.M.O. it’s now or never. From the album rollout, to the award show performances, to his tour production — everything needs an infusion of innovation.
Steps down off soapbox.
I know I just went in, butttt purely as a fan, I would still encourage you to attend the tour if it stops in your city. I had a great time, I sang, I danced, and when he flashed those pearly whites….swoon.
NOV 15 Boardwalk Hall | Atlantic City, NJ NOV 17 United Center | Chicago, IL NOV 18 Xcel Energy Center | St. Paul, MN NOV 21 Staples Center | Los Angeles, CA NOV 22 MGM Grand Garden Arena | Las Vegas, NV NOV 24 SAP Center at San Jose | San Jose, CA NOV 26 KeyArena | Seattle, WA NOV 27 Rogers Arena | Vancouver, Canada NOV 30 Rexall Place | Edmonton, Canada DEC 02 1st Bank Center | Broomfield, CO DEC 04 American Airlines Center | Dallas, TX DEC 05 Toyota Center | Houston, TX DEC 06 Smoothie King Center | New Orleans, LA DEC 08 FedExForum | Memphis, TN DEC 09 Philips Arena | Atlanta, GA DEC 12 Amway Center | Orlando, FL DEC 13 AmericanAirlines Arena | Miami, FL DEC 14 Amalie Arena | Tampa, FL
Every day, I drive an hour and a half to work. And when the work day ends, I drive an hour and a half home.
And every day, I hear the same 10-15 songs on the radio. Over. And over. And over, again.
It’s unclear how radio expects to maintain an audience with such rigid playlist parameters, but I’ll save my top 5 questions I’ve always wanted to ask a program director for another day.
The three songs I never want to hear again, and the ones I would replace them with:
The Worst – Jhené Aiko
Initially I was happy to hear an R&B song in heavy rotation, even if it’s one of my least favorite by Jhené Aiko. After replay 2,567 though, I’ve had enough. #theworst
Na Na – Trey Songz
It was tolerable at first. Catchy. Yet and still, so basic. And intolerable after 7 months. Next.
Loyal – Chris Brown Ft. Lil’ Wayne
Who didn’t love “Loyal” when it was first released? Questionable lyrics aside, it’s uptempo, has an infectious beat and (what feels like) fun wordplay. Even with Chris behind bars during the promotion period (-___-), the song took on a life of its own. But now that I’ve had AMPLE opportunity to learn and relearn all the words, I mostly cringe when I hear it. *raises hand* Not loyal.
New Flame – Chris Brown Ft. Usher, Rick Ross
While we wait on the new Chris Brown x Drake, “New Flame” can certainly hold us over. Yes, Chris can rap and “sing-talk,” but I love the songs where he is full-out crooning, he has such a wholesome sound, sighs. (Don’t ask me what he’s really saying though.)
The track gets a huge boost from the original heartbreak, Usher. I could do without Rick Ross, but you can’t win ’em all.
Dumb – Jazmine Sullivan Ft. Meek Mill
Jazmine Sullivan fans have been waiting 3 years for new music, so when I woke up to the world premiere of “Dumb” on the Breakfast Club last month, I was too hype. It has a nice groove, the obligatory rap feature — play my girl Jazzy!!
Love Never Felt So Good – Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake
I don’t care what genre the song falls into by industry standards, it makes you feel good, plain and simple. Everyone should be playing it. (Not that I agree with the decision to release posthumous projects, but that’s neither here nor there…)
