Graycap23 said:

No...Not at all...Lord knows I'm down for some real, critical discussions about music...But I find it highly suspicious when someone starts a thread about one of the better "hip hop/R&B" tours out on the road today, saying that they passed up on tickets without even giving it a chance...If I was given tickets to an act that was fairly big in the market that I didn't dig, I would at least see what the hype or buzz was all about...

Again, it smacks of hate...lol

I would rather if someone come up with some viable reasons as to why they wouldn't dig a Mary J/Jay show (which by the way I've seen...Questlove really did a great job with the bands backing them...) instead of doing the usual "I don't like 'em" post...Hell, I've been critical of both of those acts in the past, and I have to say it was a damn good show...
[Edited 4/9/08 14:36pm]

murph said:

I'm not sure what u mean?

I go 2 more shows that I need 2. There is ONLY so much time in the day and seeing what I'd consider LAME live acts just does NOT fit into my schedule. I've NEVER see a live Rap/hip-hop show that I've enjoyed. NEVER. That's why I've stop going 2 hip-hop shows.

Graycap23 said:

The problem I have with your comments is labeling them "lame" before you have even seen the show...And if you've never seen a hip hop show that you've never dug over the years, then that speaks to your personal feelings about live hip hop/R&B shows (Mary J has a hip hop edge, but she's R&B last time I checked..) ...And hey, I'll be the first to admit I've seen some bullshit hip hop/R&B shows over the years, just like I've seen some bullshit rock gigs...But I've also seen dope shows from Public Ememy, OutKast, late '80s Run DMC, A Tribe Called Quest, DAngelo, Lauryn Hill, The Roots ect, ect...

murph said:

Lol.....when u have seen the best.....well u know the rest.

So did they have a band backing them in concert? If so, and if the band was actually good, it would have made me furious because they should have used the band in the studio when they were making their recordings. A live band on the road doesn't influence future artists and change musical styles as a whole which could finally kill shit hop but a live band on studio recordings by enough artists, will.

Graycap23 said:

I love it...You think you already have folks pegged...LOL...I betcha I've seen some of the same folks you've seen...The bottom line is, just start out your post with "I Hate Live Hip Hop Shows So I Gave Away Some Free Mary J/Jay Z Tickets"...Because that's what your post basically says...And hey, I would respect that instead of talking about a tour that you haven't even seen...LOL

vainandy said:

Both acts had a full horn section, live drummer, bass, keyboards, guitar ect, ect...The only time they (Jay-Z) switched it up to a DJ was for the stripped down hip hop songs that don't lend themselves well to a live sound...Again, I'm not a huge super fan of the two...I dig some of their shit and reognize their place in their genre's history...But it was a good show...And this is coming from someone who has seen The BEST....Whatever the hell that means...lol

But on the real Vain, I respect your posts because you let it be known that you are not a fan of the production and musical techniques of hip hop (ie sampling..) and it's lack of "musical" foundation...So from the jump, it's already understood that you are not a fan...I respect that more...
[Edited 4/9/08 15:20pm]

I saw Jay Z in 2006, absolutely incredible and I had third row tickets.

You truly missed out on an amazing show if you had front row tickets.

I wouldn't go to MJB either, but Jay Z is amazing on stage, the energy, the sheer talent, the acapella raps that seem to last forever.

Have you ever seen him live before this?

I saw Beyonce a year later and I can tell you, while they're both world class, Jay had something over Beyonce. A little bit more X factor or something.

Did you pay for the tickets?

It's kinda selfish you didn't sell them to someone who might've really wanted to go, especially front row!

purplesweat said:

Let me start by saying I LOVE me some Jay-Z. Lyrically I really respect his skill. He's one of the few rappers out there that knows what a fucking metaphor is and is kinda complex. Mary on the other hand has some great songs but her inability to stay in tune and affinity for hollering drive me INSANE So I'm kinda like about seeing her.

I saw Jay on that Best of Both Worlds tour with R. Kelly a few years back. I had third row seats but was disgusted that there wasn't a live band not even for Kelly who is an R&B artist (whom I detest BTW). I enjoyed seeing Jay live but it was basically a sing-a-long. Very disappointing. If this show is anything like that I'll pass, ESPECIALLY at $250 for good seats.

Graycap23 said:

The Roots are coming to charlotte april 26. I like black thought and
questlove. I figured the fact they are a live hip hop band is intriging.
Shows at this venue are generally 30 dollars. Ironically the last concert
i saw was mint condition at this same venue last year and i am waiting
for them to come back this year.

SCNDLS said:

Full band with strings and horns...not your average "hip hop" show...lol..Check out a review....

The Boston Globe
April 4, 2008 Friday
THIRD EDITION
Hip-hop's dynamic duo Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z
bring sounds of the street, and of success

BYLINE: Joan Anderman GLOBE STAFF



A dream team by virtue of their legendary stature, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige brought two very different sides of the hip-hop/soul coin to the Garden last night. She was transparent, emotional, and inward-looking - a victim-turned-survivor eager to empower her peers. He was cool and collected, the hustler-turned-mogul, personable but imperious.

Performing together, they made a thrilling whole for a few too-brief moments during the monumental "Heart of the City" tour, which was triumphant not just for its marquee names but for nearly 2 1/2 hours of top-flight music.

Class, not street cred, was the show's defining aesthetic, as befits a pair of pushing-40 megastars many years removed from their hardscrabble roots. Crystal chandeliers, two flights of stairs, a 12-member string and horn section, and glimmering video cityscapes set the stage for the longtime collaborators and friends, who opened the show together with "Can't Knock the Hustle," where Blige reprised the hook she sang on Jay-Z's debut record. Later they teamed up on Blige's "Real Love" and Jay-Z's "Song Cry," and once again to close the night with the tour's title song, "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)."

But the bulk of the evening was devoted to each artist's signature sound and style. Blige's set was dynamic, a model of well-paced passion. The singer may require "No More Drama" in her romantic life, but it's Blige's stock-in-trade as an entertainer. She wrung the feeling from every note, on pitch or off, seamlessly segueing from "Love No Limit" to "Feel Like a Woman" to "Stay Down," sweat glistening, clutching her sunglasses, squatting and scurrying and not seeming to care at all that her fabulous asymmetrical bob grew more matted with every righteous beat of her fist on her chest.

Talk about empowerment.

Blige's only misstep was using three actors to pantomime a melodramatic love triangle during "Your Child." Her transcendent delivery required no visual aids.
If Blige's set felt soulfully therapeutic, Jay-Z 's felt like a victory lap, brimming with bravado and confidence. His sunglasses remained firmly in place, and his opening song, "Say Hello" - one of several cuts from last year's "American Gangster" soundtrack - was followed by a long, sauntering adoration break.

If Jay-Z seemed especially swaggering, it may have something to do with the announcement earlier in the day that the rapper is poised to sign a $150 million contract with Live Nation, and the fact that he and longtime girlfriend Beyonce have reportedly obtained a marriage license.

Things are going swimmingly in Jay-Z's world (which includes a fashion empire and a piece of the NBA), so as commanding as he is as a performer, Jay-Z's hard-life raps didn't so much burn with significance as smack of nostalgia.

But snap and crackle they did. A fiery horn section spiced up an already simmering "Roc Boys," while a pair of drummers deepened the phenomenally complex rhythms of "Show Me What You Got." Rapper Memphis Bleek came out for "U Don't Know" and the rock-flavored "99 Problems," adding a burly layer to his mentor's rich, swinging flow.

At one point a huge photo of a confused-looking President Bush appeared on the screen, followed by the smiling face of Barack Obama and Jay-Z's hopeful solicitation: "We're ready for change, right?" But his brief flirtation with topicality was a tease. "Let's turn this into a club," he shouted, and burrowed virtuosically into a fistful of his greatest hits.
[Edited 4/9/08 19:57pm]

i woulda went for the hell of it.

phunkdaddy said:

THe Roots and Erykah Badu are gonna be in Greensboro in May. Mint Condidtion is here tomorow. Check around online, cause Mint may be Charlotte sometime soon, too.

unkemptpueblo said:

Mint? I'd go 2 that show in a heartbeat.

Rhondab said:

Lol...I'm not mad. I just have 2 be a bit more selective. There are a lot of venue and shows 2 attend in Atlanta. I have 2 pick and choose wisely.

But it makes me mad that they use the live instruments in concert. Why can't they use them on the album? That's what would bring a long needed style change to music in general.

I see it this way, they need to use the same type of instruments in concert as they do on the album. If it's impossible to play those instruments (computers) live, then they need to sing in concert over a pre-recorded tape. If that bores concert goers....oh well.....they should have thought about how boring it was when they recorded it that way in the studio.

I just want the shit to die and styles to change by any means necessary.

Stymie said:

I am not a big fan of seeing mary j live either. I have her live cd. the hip hop dude on the cd thought it was his concert and mary over sings ad libs when she sings live. love them both though. oh and it is good to support just because they are older and older acts in their arena of music are not getting the chance to tour unless they put it together themselves. (edited)
[Edited 4/10/08 9:24am]

SCNDLS said:

So now, TM just reduced fourth row tix that this morning were $250 to $150. Still not shelling out that kinda dough but I'ma keep my eye on it.

Does you nose ever come down?

PurpleCharm said:

Huh?

SCNDLS said:

I was asking Gray if his nose ever comes down because it's seems to always be up in the air. He's more of a music snob than me.
[Edited 4/10/08 17:31pm]

PurpleCharm said:

Oh, I thought you were talkin' to me.

SCNDLS said:

See, that is jacked for the people who paid full price.

PurpleCharm said:

If I like Ferrari's why get mad cause u like Honda's? I don't get or UNDERSTAND your point at all.

"music snob"?

Stymie said:

That's why I never buy tix right away. All that presale, fan club stuff (except for NPGMC ) is a bunch of marketing bullshit. At the end of the day, they want the front of the stage full and since they hold the best seats for last they have to move them so they reduce them. A price reduction doesn't always happens, depends on how well the show sold.

So, yesterday I came up on some 6th row VIP tickets to the show. My expectations for Mary were pretty low but let me say I was pleasantly surprised. She and Jay-Z put on a great show.

The staging and production were beautiful. The screen at the back of the stage was amazing. I was glad she only had dancers on stage for one song and the full horn AND string section was great to see AND hear. She held her own on the stage without the distraction of dancers. Yes, Mary was hollering off key with constant "I'm a survivor" histrionics but she gave great energy throughout and gave it her all.

You could really see Mary's joy of being on stage. She's come a LONG way. I saw her years ago when she was on drugs and she was high as hell, outta shape, and barely literate. So kudos to Mary for turning her life around. I just don't wanna hear about it anymore.

Jay-Z gave a great performance too and made wonderful use of a live band. The arrangements for 99 Problems, Show Me What You Got and Encore were stellar. Really all of the songs with the band backing were awesome and he only did a few with a track. This was a VAST improvement on that Best of Both Worlds fiasco I witnessed a few years back.

There were no costume changes or prolonged breaks so the show was a good 2 hours and 30 minutes of pure entertainment. The only negative about the show is that the band overplayed and were too loud the whole show. If you didn't know the words, especially in Jay's set you woulda been lost.

So, all in all, I'm glad I went. It's good to see to great artists, of their time, get together and pull this off. You can see that Mary and Jay-Z have a great respect, admiration, and love for each other. So, I'd recommend the show to anyone on the fence about going.

Next up in Big-D: Springsteen tonight. I've never seen him live so I'm looking forward to this.
[Edited 4/13/08 10:52am]

So I got 2nd row seats to Bruce THIS morning on TM. Troy Aikman was seated behind me. The show was aight. He's a legend and all but I really need some funk when I go to a show. But I'm glad I went. One of the highlights was Jon Bon Jovi coming out to do Glory Days while Little Stevie had a sourpuss cuz he usually sings co-lead on that song. LOL!!! Then during Dancing in the Dark when he pulled Courtney Cox up on stage in the video Bruce brought up a gaggle of 10 years olds that were in the front of the stage. It was really cute. I was disappointed that he didn't do Streets of Philadelphia OR Born in the USA but Bruce is looking good and did the damn thang.
[Edited 4/13/08 22:33pm]

SCNDLS said:

On the real, even if you hated the show, I would have respected that...It's the folks that make judgements on a show that they haven't even seen (and that goes for any show...) that gets me scratching my head...