Diamonds Are Forever

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Kanye West has officially transcended race, socio-economic levels and culture. Friday night I attended the “Glow in the Dark” Tour in Hartford, CT – a show that included Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rhianna and Kanye. When I got to the concert, I had to check my tickets to make sure I was at the right show. What kind of crowd would you expect at a Kanye concert? A rather urban, hip hop crowd correct? Negative. I honestly thought I was at the New Kids on the Block reunion tour or N*Sync. Teeny boppers and scantily clad, Miley Cyrus-esque girls running around everywhere. I was baffled, I thought rocking out my white sunglasses (it was raining), my Obama T-Shirt and Jordan hat would have had me fitting in nicely. Nope, I should have worn my Lacoste polo (with a popped collar), khaki pants and 4 pounds of hair gel. That way I would have fit in.

Enough about the confusion of the crowd and on to the music. Lupe Fiasco (the only one other then Kanye I wanted to see) came on first. I purchased (downloaded illegally) his new CD, “The Cool” when it came out and was instantly enamored with it. Currently, he is by far one of the best rappers (if not the best) that is out right now. He came out, got the crowd (it was still small) going instantly and maintained that level for his entire 40 minutes. He played some of his new stuff, “Little Weapon”, “Hip Hop Saved my Life”, “Superstar” and “Go Go Gadget” and some of his older songs. If none of you have heard Lupe Fiasco, get your act together get his CD and become a fan. I’ll be seeing Lupe again in August and I’m thoroughly excited for it.

Next up was N.E.R.D., you know that group with Pharrell and the Asian kid. I thought the just made beats, but appraently they make their own music too, with words. I always felt Pharrell was just this generation’s Nate Dogg or Jumaine Dupri and was always in other people’s videos to make money, I was wrong. They came out and were horrendous. The highlight of their set was when they bought 20 random girls on stage. 19 of those girls were all about it and dancing around, but as we all know there is always that one. The girl tried grabbing Pharrell’s mic and we all know you can’t tough a black man’s mic. He almost knocked that bitch out, but it gets better. At the end he hugs all the girls and get to this girl, right before he gets there she pukes. Pukes right on stage and Pharrell is just dumbfounded. It was hilarious. I’m not a fan of female abuse, but if Pharrell would have hit her it would have been priceless. Oh and their new CD come out June 9th. They yelled that 4,865 times (I counted) through their set.

Next up was Rhianna. Other then looking hot and dressing like Michael Jackson, she was nothing to write home about. She didn’t dance around, but she did play all her upbeat songs. She finished with Umbrella (shocker, it was raining and she played Umbrella). It wasn’t great. When she’s on award shows she’s dancing around, wearing no clothes and we all win. Not this time. She basically stood in one place, had weird dancers dancing around her with visors on and seemed like she was barely trying. Ah well, at least she looked hot.

Finally was Mr. West. When he first came on I thought I was at a WWE match and Diamond Dallas Page was

coming out. All these white kids are throwing up diamonds, I didn’t realize they knew what this meant. Kanye’s show was based on him traveling through space, trying to save the universe from a music perspective (I know, he’s not conceited). His spaceship, her name was Jane, crashes on some random planet and he starts his routine. He started with Good Morning and a few other songs from “Graduation”. He was typical Kanye, bouncing around, yelling and doing a helluva job as a showman. The show got a little mellow when he performed “Hey Mama” because as we all know his mom died from complications from plastic surgery (is that even possible). At the end of the show, Kanye started talking about how we’ve all probably seen reviews and how the critics say it’s a B show. Kanye’s response? “If this is a B, what the fuck is an A?”

Kanye is certainly a showman, and his concerts certainly reflect that. The show started at 8 and ended at 12:45, so my entourage and I certainly got our money’s worth. The only complaint from the ladies? Kanye didn’t play “Workout Plan.” Kanye has done a fabulous job of bringing hip-hop to becoming culturally acceptable, as witnessed by the audience in attendance (it’s not like Hartford and the surrounding area is predominantly white). I recommend seeing the show if possible. Also, make sure you listen to that Lupe Fiasco CD. You’ll thank me later.

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Tags: , "2008", "Glow In The Dark Tour", "Glow In The Dark", "Hartford", "Kanye West", "Lupe Fiasco", "Rhianna", "Toronto", "Tour"