Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Talib show cancelled

In an email, promoter Mike Kitchen announced that Wednesday's Talib Kweli show at the Neighborhood Theatre has been cancelled, but will be rescheduled.

Beyonce did the darn thang!

An all-female band, thick sisters as background singers and a non-stumbling Beyonce filling the stage.
That was the scene on Sunday at Bobcats Arena as thousands of folks screamed and danced during a nearly two-hour performance that was part girl-power, self-love and romantic-love.

I wasn’t sure how much of Beyonce's hip-shaking I could take, but she balanced her signature moves with routines by dancers and solos by band members. I can’t stop raving about the all-female band, made up mostly of women of color. It sent such a strong message to the thousands of young girls in the audience.

Beyonce gave plenty of space during, before and after songs for each member to shine.
The best was the blond-dredlocked bassist who played OutKast’s “So Fresh, So Clean,” the hook to “Get Money,” and other fan favorites. She finished her solo by playing the bass behind her head and giving it a long lick.

During the nearly two-hour set, Beyonce played every hit from her albums, as well as Destiny’s Child favorites and songs from the “Dreamgirls” soundtrack. The best were “Get Me Bodied,” “Irreplaceable” (which she dedicated to men and women who’ve been hurt in relationships), and “Dangerously in Love” (which she blended with Jill Scott’s “You Love Me”).

Her cheesiest moment of the night was crying at the end of “That’s Why I Love You.” She cried after singing the song in ATL as well, so you know she's just putting her acting skills to use.

Her best moment of the night was when she wiped her face with a towel she then gave to a guy wearing a white golf shirt. She told him that he was her biggest fan, and she’d watched him sing all the songs and do all of the choreography to the dances. She made sure security handed the young man the towel. The gesture said a lot about how she cares about her fans, and how she paid attention to her audience. Nice.

I’m not a huge fan of Robin Thicke, who opened with a respectable 30-plus-minute opening set, in which he played piano during some songs. He’s cute as all get out and I love “Lost Without U,” but the blue-eyed soul singer has little singing ability.

Did you go to the concert? What did you think? Post your replies below.