en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal The Last.fm journal for miketao. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/11/3067q9_top_five_reasons_you_should_attend_bumbershoot_at_least_once Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:01:20 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/11/3067q9_top_five_reasons_you_should_attend_bumbershoot_at_least_once Had a great time in Seattle for the Bumbershoot festivities. It wasn't just the lineup or the hot ladies, but the overall experience left me quite impressed. With that said, I've come up with my personal top five list of reasons you should attend this festival in the future, especially if you haven't yet.

5. Women - Who am I kidding? They were everywhere, BUT please remember that this is an all-ages festival, so please act responsibly as I always do. No pictures necessary. I'm not a stalker or perv, you'd just have to take my word for it.

4. Seattle Center - This is the perfect location for a festival. There's tons of stages, both indoor and outdoor, a decent food court indoors if you're tired of the street food vendors, and best of all, indoor restroom facilities! While, music is the primary focus of this festival, the list of comedians are top notch, and a great way to relax for a few before joining the massive crowds again.





3. Non-profit and green - This should be #1 on my list if I were more of an activist, but I appreciate the direction this festival is going regardless. From encouraging the use of non-disposable water bottles by offering free water stations, recycling bins and compost stations everywhere and recyclable art all around the festival, hopefully more festivals can follow the direction Bumbershoot is headed.



2. Artists - With the exception of booking Sheryl Crow, this festival was filled with A-list musicians and comedians. There aren't too many places I can think of where you can see Aziz Ansari, De La Soul, Katy Perry and David Cross all in one day. I'm not saying I saw Katy Perry, but she performed the same day as said performers. Child please...



1. Organization - This festival was run like a well-oiled machine. Almost every act I saw performed on-time, which is extremely rare. Also, I must point out as press, the volunteers were extremely helpful as well. The same woman checked me in the first two days, while another volunteer checked me in the last day just as she was taking her break. However, recognizing me from the first two days, she caught me in the press lobby and noticed I didn't have the correct press credential for main stage access. She cut her break short and gave me the necessary credential.

Also, unlike every other festival I've been to, Bumbershoot gives you credentials each day upon check in so you don't have to wear the same stankin' wristband for three days straight that you've been sleepin', eatin' and bathing in.

Oh, and the press access to the main stage was excellent! General admission enters from one side of the stadium while press and v.i.p. enter through the other side of the stadium. I never had to wait in line for the big acts because of the way this was set up, genius!



If you can't find your way around this festival, you've got serious issues.




Before I forget, KEXP's Music Lounge live broadcasts were excellent. Booking artists like Raphael Saadiq and Metric to perform in a tiny indoor theater was probably my best moment. I'm not sure when an opportunity like that will present itself again, but it was an awesome experience. Big up's to KEXP and a huge shout to the folks at Bumbershoot for making this festival an unforgettable experience.




See ya next year Seattle!]]> http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/09/300jyx_bumbershoot_day_%25233_with_modest_mouse%252C_franz_ferdinand%252C_sly_%2526_robbie_and_doug_benson. Wed, 9 Sep 2009 22:55:12 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/09/300jyx_bumbershoot_day_%25233_with_modest_mouse%252C_franz_ferdinand%252C_sly_%2526_robbie_and_doug_benson. I finally checked out some of Franz Ferdinand's performance and walked away, actually ran away very impressed, only because I had about five minutes to catch Patton Oswalt's standup on the other other side of the festival. Back to that in a minute, but Franz Ferdinand sounded great. I'm not familiar with their entire catalog so I'll spare you with trying to name the songs I heard, but I wish I could have stayed longer.






For every fan that's just trying to have a good time, like these kids below:




There's at least a few of these:




Back to Patton Oswalt. I had a friend save me a seat for the show, but the only problem was that I got a text saying I had to get there within the next several minutes otherwise my they'd have to occupy my seat. So I ran, got there, sat thru some pretty funny comedians, specifically the Taco Bell bit, forgot the name, but that had me rollin'.

Doug Benson and surprise guest David Cross came out, and they were hilarious, but I got the feeling Patton Oswalt wasn't going to appear. The acts got worse and worse after Doug Benson and I had to get outta there.

Modest Mouse's fans by far, had the most energy of all crowds I witnessed. Of course, I didn't check out any death metal groups, but this should give you an idea:









Modest Mouse sounded great as well. Again, I'm not familiar with their entire catalog, but enjoyed what I heard.






For me, there was no better way to end this festival than enjoying some big tunes from reggae legends Sly & Robbie along with the Taxi Gang. I arrived a bit late, escaping the mayhem from the Modest Mouse show, but caught some classics they've been responsible for like Dennis Brown's "Revolution," and Ini Kamoze's "WORLD-A-MUSIC," which many may know as the sample to Damian Marley's "Welcome To Jamrock," and covers like Dawn Penn's "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)."






I'm exhausted, yet relaxed. A hot bowl of pho and sleep await. Thank you Seattle for presenting one of the most impressive music festivals of 2009.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/09/3002x6_bumbershoot_day_%25233_with_janelle_monae%252C_metric%252C_the_new_mastersounds_and_mr._lif Wed, 9 Sep 2009 20:14:06 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/09/3002x6_bumbershoot_day_%25233_with_janelle_monae%252C_metric%252C_the_new_mastersounds_and_mr._lif The last day of Bumbershoot was the most interesting of the three, primarily because, other than the Black Eyed Peas, I had never seen most of the featured artists.

After BEP, kicked off my day, I tried, and unsuccessfully, to catch Aziz Ansari one last time. However, I did notice someone who looked very familiar, but didn't want to awkwardly stare for too long. Luckily, he spotted me and said "WHATTUP!" first. It was the homie Mr. Lif, who just moved to Seattle over the weekend. Check the pics from the last time I ran into him and how he's livin' now and you'll understand why I didn't recognize him right off the bat:

Before:



After:



After 14 years, he finally decided to let go of the dreads. Lif's a great dude and a real dope emcee. My biggest surprise of the trip by far.

After catching up with Lif, I stumbled upon a dope funk band out of England called The New Mastersounds. I should be up on groups like this, but I've definitely been sleeping on them. Very similar vibe to Breakestra and Poets of Rhythm.





Up next was another intimate show in the KEXP Music Lounge, this time with Metric. Fortunately, I got in line a bit early and got in, because the press pass did not work for those who tried to sneak in last minute.

Lead singer Emily Haines and guitarist James Shaw came out for a short, stripped down "unplugged" set.



http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/34948165/Metric+IMG_3314.jpg

I enjoyed Janelle Monae's performance. Very eccentric, possibly some Andre 3000 influence in there somewhere, given her work with OutKast, and possibly some Tina Turner. She's not an artist that can easily be described because her music has no boundaries:







Stay tuned for more to come from the final day of Bumbershoot, including headling artists Franz Ferdinand, Modest Mouse and Sly & Robbie.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/09/2zyjmx_black_eyed_peas_at_bumbershoot_day_%25233 Wed, 9 Sep 2009 12:05:50 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/09/2zyjmx_black_eyed_peas_at_bumbershoot_day_%25233 I figured I'd give the Black Eyed Peas their own Bumbershoot journal entry solely based on the magnitude of their popularity today. I remember back in 1998 like it was yesterday when a homie of mine at Interscope sent me an advance cassette (don't laugh) of their first album Behind The Front and needed some help finding a venue for them to perform their first ever show in San Francisco. They freestyled on the college show I was dj'ing for and packed the venue of my weekly party with cuts like "Joints & Jam" and "Fallin' Up." I was an immediate fan.

Fast forward to 2009 and a lot has changed with this group since 1998. They've since added a fourth member, Fergie, and instead of filling up 300 capacity venues, they're now selling out arenas around the world. I'm not mad personally, because at the end of the day, it's business. They could have kept it "real" and struggled to sell albums and deal with the possibility of getting dropped, or tweak their sound a bit to sell more records. I can't say I'm a fan of their music now, but I can respect how far they've come to achieve the level of success they're at today.

With that said, let me move on. I'm tempted to hold a contest of sorts for the best Fergie caption below:



I caught will.i.am staring at me for a minute. I'm pretty sure he was thinking, "Yo Mike, remember when I used to mash down Hollywood Blvd. in that red Dodge Neon? Well I still have that Dodge Neon sucka, but now I accessorize with fuzzy felt hats and dress like an evil elf with purple trim now."



I'm not mad at apl.de.ap at all. He's a positive brotha and he's opened some doors for other Asian-American artists.



I don't think Taboo gets his props. Heads see him as the fifth Beatle, but he's probably the illest dancer out of the group and he's a decent hype man with some lyrics to go:



"Yo, but did you really tell Fergie that fit looked cool? You cold blooded man!"



"Yeah man, I hid her wardrobe son! She gonna kill us backstage, lookin' like Fran from Dodgeball! "You are the one that stares at me. Why is this?"



And here's Fergie grabbing her...err...ehh...uhh...forget it:



Fergie in action, either bustin' one of her classic fierce raps, possibly "Fergalicious" or maybe one of her soulful tunes that makes all dogs howl like "Big Girls Don't Cry."



The Peas gettin' "retarded." No pun intended, they kept it real and performed the original version of the song, not that soft, sissyfied, sell-out "Let's Get It Started" arena jock jam crap.



In all honesty, the Peas put on a good show for the kids. I saw babies dancin' and teenagers going crazy for them. There was even an adult at a comedy show later that said he was in attendance because of the BEP. Of course, that person was then clowned on for the next five minutes for admitting that, but I digress.

More to come from Day #3 soon...]]> http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/09/2zycw1_bumbershoot_day_%25232_with_raphael_saadiq%252C_roy_ayers%252C_jason_mraz%252C_swollen_members_and_mstrkrft Wed, 9 Sep 2009 10:10:32 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/09/2zycw1_bumbershoot_day_%25232_with_raphael_saadiq%252C_roy_ayers%252C_jason_mraz%252C_swollen_members_and_mstrkrft After partaking in the incredible festivities Saturday at Bumbershoot, Sunday's acts had to follow up big, and disappointed I was not. It's possible I could be a bit biased because I got a chance to check out one of my favorite artists, Raphael Saadiq, not once, but twice in one day, but more on him later.

Back in my college radio days at KZSU Stanford, one group I had in heavy rotation was the Swollen Members. I figured I'd peep their show since it's been a minute since I've seen them and I bugged out to see the line for their show, which was inside one of the indoor venues, was wrapped around the building! It dawned on me that they were from nearby Vancouver, but regardless, much props to them for drawing huge crowd.




Now, I meant to check out Seattle's own Common Market, but local radio station KEXP put together these live on-air performances with Bumbershoot artists in this small intimate theater and Raphael Saadiq just happened to be the scheduled artist the same time as Common Market set. I'll definitely catch up with Common Market another time, but I wasn't going to miss this show. I mean, an opportunity to catch him in a venue like this isn't going to come around too often, right?

For a 30-minute set, Ray Ray and band wooed and wowed the crowd with selections from his latest retro-soul album "The Way I See It," even coming back out for an encore performance with a special treat from his classic Instant Vintage album, "Skyy, Can You Feel Me." I left amazed, but this was just a teaser for more to come later.






I had to make a tough decision between checkin' out David Cross, Patton Oswalt or Roy Ayers. Of course I went with my first instinct and had to see the legendary Roy Ayers.

I knew I was missing his show in San Francisco so his show was definitely a priority on my list and dude was easily the coolest cat out in Seattle. After talking to the crowd for a minute, he jokingly told the crowd to "take their clothes off," then busted out some Dizzy Gillespie. Feel me?





But he was just warmin' up. His saxophonist kicked off the solos with "These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things," prompting the crowd to sing along.



The bassist got his ill licks in, so much so that he had to be cooled off by his fellow band members, a la James Brown:



The biggest surprise and easily the most entertaining solo was the drummer's. After started off with some casual rolls, dude seriously freaked his set by flipping a towel over his head, seamlessly continuing his solo, then adding body tricks similar to a turntablist. He ended his solo drumming all around the stage, tappin' anything and everything he could get near. This dude was ill!






From there, it was back to business, and the band started hittin' the crowd with gems like "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" and "We Live In Brooklyn, Baby" even replacing Brooklyn with Seattle for the second verse, nice.

Next up to bat was MSTRKRFT. I wasn't familiar with them at all, but I wanted to know what all the hype was about. I can't front, their DJ set was pretty dope, but I knew i was at the wrong show when I saw my co-worker Anngie in the photo pit. I kid, I kid. In all honesty, they had the room fool of teenagers going bonkers, but I had to make the trip from one teenage infested venue to another and check out what Jason Mraz' deal was all about.




Aight, I get it. Girls dig this dude, primarily girls who still need to get picked up after the show by their parents, who they may call their roommates to sound older, but that's another story. As for his music, it's catchy, it's poppy, no hate here, just not my type of music:



And no disrespect to your band, but they're the oddest collection of musicians I've seen. I mean if you took a look, you wouldn't think any of these dudes kicked it at each other's crib for the next UFC fight or Monday Night Football or keg party:




I think Jason lost a bet to the dude below in a bar. It probably went something like, "If you lose, then I get to play guitar in your band," or maybe it's that one crazy uncle in your family that you just had to put on otherwise he'd just be talkin' about what his band back in his high school days could have been if they would have written "Hard Day's Night" first:



From there it was back to check out Raphael Saadiq one mo time to cap off Sunday's festivities and if y'all thought we were just going to see the same show he gave the select few earlier in the day, you were sadly mistaken. Yes, he opened with several tracks from his new album, but quickly jumped into some classic Lucy Pearl joints like "Dance Tonight" and "La La La" and eventually went into "Don't Mess With My Man," and I must say his backup singer seamlessly filled Dawn Robinson's vocals just as, if not, more impressively.




Saadiq gave the crowd about all they could handle, ending his first encore with a surprising cover of "let the sunshine in" from Hair, which was a bit disappointing only because I hadn't heard a few of my favorites yet. But he had yet to disappoint me at a show, and before I could walk 100 feet, he was back for a second encore. He had left out a ton of hits, but the two I really wanted to hear were "Still Ray" and "Get Involved," and that's exactly how he ended his show.



To quote the immortal words of Ice Cube, "Today was a Good Day." Indeed, it was.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/09/2zy4yx_bumbershoot_day_%25231_with_de_la_soul%252C_mayer_hawthorne%252C_aziz_ansari%252C_u-n-i_and_os_mutantes. Wed, 9 Sep 2009 07:17:57 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/09/2zy4yx_bumbershoot_day_%25231_with_de_la_soul%252C_mayer_hawthorne%252C_aziz_ansari%252C_u-n-i_and_os_mutantes. I had high expectations for Bumbershoot, with the vast array of talent and all of the positive things I've heard from friends, and I'll be the first to tell you that if you're going to go to one music festival in any given year, Bumbershoot should be that festival.

First of all, the organization was on point! The press lobby was great, stocked with food and drinks, wi-fi, comfy couches and best of all, because the lobby was indoors, NO portable toilets! Actually, I don't think I saw a single "porta-potty" at the festival, but I'll stop there.

But back to the festival. I missed Katy Perry because she was the only artists from the main stage not to allow pictures. But did I really miss out? I think not. Instead, I went to support Stones Throw's latest artist Mayer Hawthorne, a throwback to 60's soul and he absolutely set it off. Not only was the crowd feelin' the tracks he performed off his album, but Mayer and his band, The County, absolutely nailed down a few covers, including Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky" and The Isley Brothers' "Work To Do." Very impressive indeed. His album just dropped this week and it's a great listen from beginning to end, so once you're finished reading this, please support the brotha and cop that.






LA-based U-N-I followed up with a very impressive performance as well, tons of energy, dope beats and rhymes, similar to a Slum Village/Pharcyde vibe, and entertained the crowd with a lil' Michael Jackson tribute to Billie Jean, as well as standouts like "Fat Girl" and "K.R.E.A.M." This group is definitely on my list of artists to look out for in the near future.



Time to switch gears and check out some comedy. One of my favorite comedians, Nick Swardson, was originally scheduled to perform, but had to cancel due to scheduling conflicts with a new movie he's currently shooting. Props to the Bumbershoot folks, who did not play with a second-hand replacement. Instead, Aziz Ansarifrom Human Giant fame filled Swardson's shoes and killed it! I left the amphitheater still crackin' up over dude's jokes, specifically the Craigslist bit. HILARIOUS! I'd get more detailed, but most of it is not kid-friendly so you'll just have to google him for more.



Caught the very last song of Os Mutantes' set. Very interesting, I just wish I could have caught more.




The headliner for the first night was my favorite hip-hop group of all-time, De La Soul. Think of how many artists from 1989 are still on top of their game like De La is and you'll struggle to compile a list. Anyway, with this year being the 20-year anniversary of their seminal 3 Feet High and Rising album, they've been touring with the incredible Rhythm Roots All-Stars as their backing band, and out of the countless number of times I've seen them, this anniversary show could be the dopest De La show I've ever seen. Classic after classic, the band nailed down the instrumentals while members Posdnuos, Trugoy and DJ Maseo traded wordplay, roaming the stage and laughing like it was their first time on stage together. Artists today could definitely learn a lot from De La, and it's refreshing to see a group 20 years in the game still have the amount of energy and chemistry like De La does.





Yeah, they're tired of playing the one song everyone knows from them, "Me, Myself and I," and they even mock it, switching up a few lines like: "Can it be my De La clothes or is it just because we hate this song?" Classic.



Some of the other tracks that stood out include: "Much More, "Pass the Plugs" with the band playing "Pass The Peas" and "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" with the band flawlessly switching up the track during the second verse to George Benson's "Give Me The Night." WOW!





It truly was a great way to cap off the first day of festivities! Stay tuned for more reviews and wrap-ups from Bumbershoot.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/07/2zs39s_bumbershoot_so_far... Mon, 7 Sep 2009 09:32:53 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/09/07/2zs39s_bumbershoot_so_far... Having a great time in Seattle so far at the Bumbershoot Festival. I'll have a ton of pics and more in-depth reviews later, but had to post a lil' somethin' while my internet connection is actually active. I've had better luck guessing when the sun will come out out here than get a working internet connection in my room, but I'll stop there.

I'm not sure if there's a better festival that combines a wide variety of great artists and comedic talent than Bumbershoot. For example, I was excited to see Nick Swardson from Grandma's Boy and Reno 911! fame at one of that comedy stages, but later found out he cancelled. However, that crazy dude from Human Giant and Parks and Recreation, Aziz Ansari replaced him and homie was HILARIOUS. All I have to say is, his bit on Craigslist was probably the funniest stuff I've heard this year.

Rather than go on and on about the highlights of this festival right now, stay tuned for more, with plenty of images shortly after this festival is over Monday.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/08/05/2x3nbs_hot_mess%21 Wed, 5 Aug 2009 21:47:16 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/08/05/2x3nbs_hot_mess%21 First of all, yes, the all caps are warranted. If you were one of the thousands who endured through the pouring rain and swampy mess at All Points West, I salute you. I couldn't drag anyone out of their dwellings if my life depended on it. For those who chose to stay in their caves for the time being, let me give you a recap of the conditions you missed from stage to stage.

Here's an image from the first day of the festival. Notice the bright green grass? Well, don't get used to it. It may have looked like a foggy afternoon, but it was actually due to a steamed up camera lens that i couldn't fix, or maybe it was just my heavy breathing:


Note to self: The new summer line of outerwear by Hefty Brands should not be mocked, ever:


Me Mike. Me want stay dry in hut:


My co-worker wanted to meet up for a drink at the beer garden. The only thing preventing me from enjoying a cold beer was this:

Uhh, unfortunately, that beer never happened.

Yeah, I was a long-jumper in high school. I'll bet you a clean pair of socks I can clear this:


I knew I should have just taken that Staten Island ferry:


They shut down the photo pit for the Black Keys, dissin' dozens of not-so-happy photographers, myself included. To replace any pics from the Black Keys, here's a much more scenic image of what i had to walk thru to get to that damn pit that I hope all of you can appreciate:


Ok, now I'm officially screwed:


Regardless of the conditions, I had a great time at the festival and the All Points staff did an excellent job all around despite the weather conditions. I hope I'll be lucky enough to be in attendance for next year's festival.

I also would like to thank all of you who gave me crazy looks on the subway for having swamp feet, as if i purposely chose to cover my entire shoes in mud. Thanks for making me feel like the freak on the train.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/08/02/2wu2of_organized_konfusion_reunites_with_a_surprise_guest Sun, 2 Aug 2009 19:57:41 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/08/02/2wu2of_organized_konfusion_reunites_with_a_surprise_guest It's a damn shame Organized Konfusion isn't a household name. It's rare to find one, let alone two superior emcees in any group these days, but Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po are unquestionably two of the all-time greats. The bigger question is usually who is the better emcee of the two, but I won't get into that because, despite the pouring rain, this was the performance I was looking forward to the most at All Points West. No disrespect to The Pharcyde, Q-Tip or Jay-Z, but I've seen all of them multiple times in the past ten years. This was the first show Monch and Po have performed together in the past twelve years, and now backed by theX-Ecutioners DJ Boogie Blind, die-hard fans nodded their heads in appreciation as they came out to 9xs Out of 10:








Monch and Po traded verses throughout the show like they'd be touring non-stop for years, even quieting rumors about any "supposed" beef among the two, even mentioning love for O.C., who first appeared on their classic, Fudge Pudge. I was hoping they were building up a surprise guest appearance and once they did perform "Fudge Pudge," O.C. indeed was introduced and spit his verse while the crowd, myself included, was going nuts in the rain.

But he didn't stop there folks. O.C. proceeded to drop his all-time classic Time's Up, and I officially lost my mind. I got so caught up in the moment, I completely forgot to take pics and the rain was not conducive to phone twittering at all.

After a few more joints, I had to take cover in one of the tents and enjoy the rest of the show from a distance as they continued to keep heads noddin' with more classics like Bring It On, Stress and Monch's solo classic,Simon Says. Definitely my most memorable moment from the fest so far.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/08/01/2wrbee_the_roc_was_in_the_building%21 Sat, 1 Aug 2009 19:13:05 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/miketao/journal/2009/08/01/2wrbee_the_roc_was_in_the_building%21 I didn't think I was going to make thru the entire first day of the All Points West festival, with pouring rain and thunder storms turning an otherwise stellar lineup into a few hours of seeking cover. The rain came down so hard, at times it was impossible to twitter from my phone and a lot of my pics had the effects of a foggy lens or water drops.

However, I persevered through the storm, determined to catch one of the biggest acts in hip-hip, [artist]Jay-Z. Before I go any further, I must give the All Points West organizers serious props for keeping the artist schedules on point throught the storm. Now, before Jay-Z's set, I noticed his trailers near the press area. I was considering testing their security and crashing Hova's premises, but I settled for this picture instead:

I personally think i could have taken this dude but I guess we'll never know.

Of course, we had to wait a bit longer for Hova than all the other acts, but that was expected:


Hov, you're out of time. Quit apologizing to Beyonce and get yo butt on stage son:


And once he finally stepped on stage, he proved why he is one of hip-hop's class acts. As a matter of fact, it was only right that he kicked off his set to No Sleep Til Brooklyn, considering he was their replacement:


The stage was so high up, I couldn't get any shots of the homey DJ Neil Armstrong or the band from the pit, but y'all probably just wanted to see Hova anyway:


I was a little disappointed he didn't perform more tracks from Reasonable Doubt, but the masses weren't knowin' about him then, so instead, he went with selections from his most recent albums, like Blue Magic, Roc Boys (And The Winner Is) and his latest, D.O.A.

Overall, it was a solid show. I'm a bit skeptical how the Blueprint 3 will sound, but we'll save that for another discussion. Last night was all about Jay-Z and the music that has made him one of the most successful artists for the past fifteen years.]]>