Author: Natasha Murray
Published: December 31, 1969
Tool: [ email ]
It's 4:32 on a Friday afternoon and it's raining
hard. To top it off, it's about fifty-something
degrees outside. Not good weather for anything,
especially the first big concert of the summer.
Anyway, my thoughts about my clothes change from
fashionable to comfortable when I realize that rain,
sleet, or snow, the concert must go on and I must be
there. Some of the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B
were going to be at Nassau Coliseum and regardless of
what the weather was, so was I. So, I threw on my
jeans, black shirt and black shoes and I was on my
way.
My arrival to Nassau Coliseum was about 6:30. There
were already a lot of people there and the show wasn't
scheduled to start until 7:00. After being thoroughly
frisked and searched twice, I was told to enjoy the
concert and sent on my way. Now was the task to get
my backstage passes. After an unsuccessful attempt to
get the backstage passes, I walked back to where my
seat was located. It was on the left side of the
lower section. Much better than the seats I usually
have. I could see everything, even some of the chaos
that went on next to the stage that was supposed to be
hidden.
The host for the show was comedian Drew Frazier who
was accompanied by DJ Mister Cee. I don't know what I
expected but Drew Frazier was actually funny! He was
very comfortable on stage and kept the crowd
entertained before the first act. The show really
began at 7:00, even though the Coliseum wasn't even
half-full. But whatever, the sooner we started, the
sooner we could get to the big acts.
The lineup I was given had Don Vic, Blu‚ Warta, Luck
Luciano, and Ron J starting out the show. To tell you
the truth, I don't really know who was performing but
all I remember was that there were at least 10 guys on
the stage. Some of them were rapping and some of them
were hype men, but all of them were walking around the
stage to where you didn‚t know who was who. O.K., I
guess it's time to see about those backstage passes
again.
Between 7:30 and 8:00pm was when everyone started to
arrive at Nassau Coliseum. It seemed like a nice and
peaceful crowd besides every vendor trying to sell you
something, take your picture for a fee, or hand you
fliers for some party or Djing service. But, besides
that, everything was calm. My backstage passes were
finally ready, and I was in.
By the time I got backstage (which wasn't really
backstage, it was more like right beside the stage
where the sound guys were), Carl Thomas had already
performed two songs and was on his final song "I
Wish". The popularity of his song really got the
crowd into his show. You could hear all the ladies
singing with him as he sang the first hit song of his
career.
Right after Carl Thomas came his label-mate, Black
Rob. When he came out, he was real amped. He had a
couple of hype men but he has one of those voices that
doesn't need any strength behind it. He did about 3
songs from his album and then tore the house down when
he did "Whoa". It was so hype! Some of the crowd was
on their feet dancing and everyone was saying the
words. I think he did an extra extended version
because I could have sworn that he did the song for
about 20 minutes. But I ain't mad at him, the crowd
was lovin‚ it. Then, when you thought it was all
over, he did the remix. Rah Diggah ran out to do her
part of the remix and the crowd was out of control!
Of course, before Black Rob left, he did his tribute
to Biggie Smalls, and then it was time for the ladies
to represent.
The ladies were definitely represented as Rah Diggah
entered the stage backed by her female DJ. The crowd
remained on their feet as she performed the hits off
of her newest album. Rah Diggah was accompanied by
Busta Rhymes toward the end of her show. Busta and
Diggah left the stage with a bang of fireworks after
Busta did one of his newest songs.
It was still time for the ladies as Ginuwine
electrified the atmosphere with his dances and
singing. For those of you who don't know, Ginuwine's
voice sounds exactly like his records and he sings
while he‚s dancing with his entourage of dancers.
Some of the hits he performed were "#1 Fan", "So
Anxious", and "My Pony". When Ginuwine entered the
stage, his stage performance and stage presence were
breathtaking. He is a true performer. I may have to
be his next "#1 Fan"!
After Miss Jones and Fat Man Scoop (from New York's
Hot 97 radio station) addressed the audience, it was
time for Nasty Nas, or as he is known now,
Nastradamus. Prior to Nas steppin‚ on the scene, the
stage crew was hard at work setting up the necessary
equipment for the three-minute movie which preceded
his performance. Nas‚ show was seen on the backdrop
that was set up. So, wherever you were seated in the
audience, there wasn't one move that Nas made that you
missed. Nas was on the stage for a longer time than
the previous performers as he performed songs like "If
I Ruled the World", "Whose World Is This?", "Thug Life
is Mine", and "Hate Me Now". He also called Ginuwine
back on the stage to perform "Owe Me Back" which tore
the house down! Before he left, Nas was sure to give
tribute to the fallen hip-hop legends Biggie Smalls,
Tupac, and Big Pun.
After a half-hour thong show, Canibus entered the
stage. He performed a few songs and introduced a few
friends who performed with him. At this time, there
was some confusion going on backstage and Fat Man
Scoop announced that Havanna White, a new artist,
would be performing. The crowd got a little restless
and started yelling for Eminem to come out. A few
minutes later, Fat Man Scoop came back on stage to
introduce Redman and Method Man. I guess Havannah
White decided not to perform.
By this time it's about 12:15 am and Redman and
Method Man were so ridiculously amped that I can't
even describe it. They entered the stage doing "Bring
the Pain" and everyone was back on their feet. They
continued with "M-E-T-H-O-D Man", "Pick It Up",
"You‚re All I Need", and of course, their latest hit
"Blackout". The crowd went crazy! The crowd picked
up on their energy and it was absolutely amazing.
Method Man jumps into the crowd and everyone was
passing him around as he was still performing! If
there was anyone who should have performed at that
time, it was definitely them.
The show ended with a crowd-arousing performance by
Eminem. He performed many of the songs from his
latest album that kept the audience on their feet
(which was an unusual feat being that he didn't
perform until 1:00am!) His dynamic personality came
across on the stage and the enthusiasm was definitely
reciprocated by the audience.
All in all, the concert was one phenomenal
performance after another. It was definitely worth
the money. In spite of the minor mix-ups and the time
it took to set up before each performer, each person
got to see performances from 7:00pm straight through
1:30am without an intermission. Not only were the
performances electrifying, the songs that were
performed were all the most recent hits. Also, if you
were lucky enough to be in the first few rows, you
could have even walked home with free t-shirts, CDs,
and even sneakers! That's right, they were throwing
out free sneakers into the audience! Unbelievable!
joe538.com
would like to thank Naquan Busby
Management and Ayana Montgomery for their help and
assistance.
