Tevin Campbell in Concert ~ COME BACK TO THE WORLD

Tevin Campbell.  I know...  It's been ages since you've even thought about him, but (i.e. if you're like me) hearing a few bars of the intros to "Can We Talk" and "I'm Ready" on a radio station that plays the (a'hem) "older" hits, can take you back to your youth!

I'm a 90s R&B aficionado.  My addiction is serious.  Something about the romance, melody, and soul of that time appeals more to me than the complete lack of subtlety dripping in today's lyrics.  "Dripping", you ask?  Yes.  "Dripping" can be gross, and I think some of today's music is gross --- but that's not the point of this post.

Tevin Campbell hit the scene when about 25 years ago.  ****  Did I just type "25 years ago"?!!?  I'm getting old...  People of the R&B era, familiar with New Jack Swing artists (e.g. Tony, Toni, Tone and of course every artist who Teddy Riley ever produced) probably remember Tevin hitting the scene with "Round and Round".  Round and Round was produced, in 1990, by Prince and on Prince's Graffiti Bridge CD.  Remember the music video?  I do.

Tevin Campbell followed that track up with other memorable hits.  "Can We Talk", "I'm Ready", and "Tell Me What You Want Me To Do" are on a playlist with other tracks that I'll listen to over and over, when trying to wind down after a long day (i.e. on a plane and/or when I just have time to myself).  Those songs remind me of high school, when relationships were soooooooo dramatic --- and in hindsight overly romantic, completely stupid, and overly encompassing.  HA!  Yeah, that about sums it up...

Anyway, for those of you wondering, Tevin can still sing.  He performed last night at The Howard Theatre.  The Howard Theatre is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to see a show.  It's an intimate venue where you can enjoy top talent and a "comforting" menu.  Music to your ears and food for your soul ---  that's The Howard Theatre.

Dressed in dark suit pants and a black shirt (i.e. with a white T-shirt peaking through), Tevin performed for over an hour and belted out his hits.  He also covered Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson.

Towards the end of the show, he asked the crowd whether there was anyone out there who thought he wouldn't be able to sing anymore.  A few members of the audience were honest enough to raise their hands.  He just laughed, smiled, and said he loves to prove them wrong.

I was one person away from the stage.  I could actually touch the stage, if I wanted to.  I can tell you that Tevin Campbell's smile is big.  He genuinely seemed happy and surprised to see a packed house.  People showed up to see him sing.  People sang their hearts out along with him.  Yes, we all have Google and may/not have heard about his issues in the past, but last night no one cared.  It was a friendly crowd.

Tevin said he's working on new material, and the crowd cheered at the news.  I look forward to new hits from a very talented man.

Come Back to the World, Tevin!  Your fans miss you.


THE WIRK

Made in America Festival, Day 1 ~ MMG, D'Angelo, Passion Pit, and Jay-Z

I was in the US for Labor Day and that meant that I could attend Jay-Z's Made in America Festival in Philadelphia.  The MIA Festival was a 2-day festival (i.e. Saturday and Sunday) and with Labor Day off, you know I was planning on making the drive up/over to Philly to check out the festival.  I bought a 2-day VIP pass, which gave me a free T-shirt, a souvenir ticket, a bottle of water, a special VIP tent, and a special VIP viewing area.  For someone like me, this was THE PERFECT way to go.  The VIP viewing area had its own bathrooms, but the tent had better bathroom facilities and it offered a buffet for $20.  There were also bars for your convenience.  ****  The Platinum VIP tent had open bar, but for someone like me who attends these festivals by myself at times, I don't usually drink.

There were two stages and a tent where DJs spun (i.e. I think).  I stayed in the VIP viewing area for 99% of the day, and only listened to the other stage and watched the screen, when I was interested.  Luckily for me, I could see the screen from my makeshift perch.  The way the barricades were set up, there was a line of seats in the VIP area, so about 20 of us were able to sit, without having to do so on the ground. 

Day 1 of the festival was a long one, but it was worth it to see Jay-Z perform, especially with special guest star Kanye West.  I'm a huge Kanye West fan, and having Kanye come out on stage was a dream come true for this fan.

My day started out with Rick Ross and MMG.  For those of you that don't know, MMG, stands for Maybach Music Group. 

After MMG, I saw D'Angelo again.  ****  I'd seen D'Angelo the week prior when he was in concert with Mary J. Blige.  D'Angelo's performance was shorter than the performance the week prior, but it was about the same with regard to tone and style.  The guy to my left said it perfectly, when he said, D'Angelo sounded like a mix of Prince and James Brown.

After D'Angelo, Passion Pit was on the main stage, and they definitely warmed the crowd up for Jay-Z.  Inflatable beach balls bounced around the general admission section (i.e. directly in front of the stage) and the energy of the crowd went up.

Each act, earlier in the day, was on for about an hour, but Jay-Z had 90 minutes.  If you want to see Jay-Z rock a show, by himself, for more than 90 minutes I suggest that you see him in concert.  This was a festival and with guests like Common and Kanye, etc. Jay-Z definitely shared his time on stage.

All in all, I had a great time on day 1 and couldn't wait for Pearl Jam on Day 2.

Oh, and for those of you that are curious, OF COURSE Kanye and Jay-Z ended the show "in Paris".

THE WIRK

Prince ~ Welcome 2 America is a MUST SEE... If you can go, GO!

To all of you Prince fans that acted like I was asking you for bone marrow, when I offered to sell you the extra tickets for last's night concert, I'd just like to let you know that you messed up BIG :-P

Last night Prince et al performed his 2nd show for the Welcome 2 America tour at the Izod Center in the Meadowlands.  The no camera and no recording policy wasn't enforced and everyone had a cell phone or camera out recording the action. 

My friend, Yonathan and I got there close to 8:30PM and the security guy said that Prince would go on at 9:30.  Wrong.  Prince was on stage at 9.

He opened up with "Let's Go Crazy".  I had chills when I heard him repeat, "Dearly Beloved" twice over the mic because I knew we were in for a treat.  As he ascended onto the stage from underneath (i.e. the stage was shaped like the symbol he used to go by), the crowd went nuts.

Armed with my camera, cell phone, and my 2 eyes and ears I was ready to experience Prince.  If you haven't seen Prince I have no idea what you spend your money on or where you live, but you've made some really poor decisions in your life.  ****  Just thought you should know...

Let's go Crazy, Little Red Corvette, Controversy, Take Me With You, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Purple Rain, Until the End of Time, etc. are some of the songs he sang.  I didn't keep track of the set list.  If you want it, I'm sure you can Google it.  Someone had to have written it down.

Prince can still move.  I've heard that he has hip issues, but based on what I saw ~ he's still smooth and fluid.  The man doesn't look like he's aged, and he's 52 years old.

Sheila E came out and rocked it.  I absolutely love "Glamorous Life" and wow did she knock it out.  She looks fantastic.

Prince and Sheila E performed "A Love Bizarre", and I was taken "back".  It looked like they were having so much fun.

Ask me how annoyed I am that I have the Miami Heat v Washington Wizards game tonight...  If it wasn't for the game, I'd be at Madison Square Garden, watching Prince perform tonight.

Like I said in the title of this post, "If you can go, GO!"  And if you go, don't leave early!  It's not over til it's over and Prince came out more than once at the "end" of last night's show (i.e. and sometimes he took a while to come back out).  Don't be one of the fools who missed out because they wanted to beat traffic.  This is Prince.  Show some respect.

THE WIRK

Prince Welcome 2 America tickets are on sale tomorrow, presale NOW

I just scored my tickets to see Prince and his Welcome 2 America tour in New Jersey and in New York.  I have 4 tickets to the Friday, December 17 show at the Izod Center and 1 ticket to the December 18 show at Madison Square Garden (aka MSG).

According to Rolling Stone, guests Maceo Parker, Cassandra Wilson, Janelle Monae, Sheila E., Mint Condition, Esperanza Spalding, Sinbad, the New Power Generation and more will join Prince at the shows.  I actually had Prince on the brain recently since I was just at the Rio Las Vegas Hotel and Casino and remember his shows at 3121.  I for one am very excited that he's back on tour.

Right now there are only a few dates that have been announced.

Izod Center:
Tuesday, 12/14
Wednesday, 12/15
Friday, 12/17

MSG:
Saturday, 12/18
Wednesday, 12/29

Internet presale is on NOW.  The password is: lights

Good luck!  See you at the show!


THE WIRK