Mobile Beat

A Fitting End to an Extraordinary Blogging Experience

2008-02-11T11:05:56-05:00

After a weekend of preparation and a summer of hopeful anticipation, the 2008 Grammys and with it, my mobile blogging experience, are officially in the books. Beyond hectic during pre-show, the excitement that was covering the Grammys during pre-show was not only a historic event, but something that I don’t think I ever would have thought I would have the opportunity to do.

So much of this day was about learning as you go. From wandering around for over an hour to try and check in, only to find that the check-in area no longer existed (which everyone found a little weird), to the red carpet turning into a near-free for all as soon as the biggest names started arriving, this was a day without instruction nor time-outs. Thankfully, I ended up finding some really nice journalists, cameramen, and photographers to hang out with on the red carpet, making all the confusion a little bit easier to handle collectively. As individuals, there was confusion. But as a whole, it was some frantic fun on a Sunday afternoon.

I don’t know how anyone or anything could accurately capture the speed at which all of the artists were arriving as the show time got closer. At the 4:45PM “Doors Close” time, the red carpet was just barely beginning to thin out and some of music’s biggest names were still trying to speed through the area. While Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, Plain White T’s, Paramore, and others were able to make their way through the media circus earlier in the day, others like Chris Brown, Akon, Miley Cyrus, Jay-Z, John Legend, and Beyonce’ all showed up within minutes of one another and the show! Most of us expected that it would happen as such, but I have a feeling this was a particularly hectic day based on the reactions of my peers. And honestly, I kind of enjoyed that this experience was as frantic as many had ever seen.

As I sprinted back to my car in hopes of making it to the show on time (failure), I realized that buried under all of this manageable insanity was just a really fun time. Normally, my Sundays are spent watching football or catching up on my DVR. Instead, I was straining to catch a glimpse of the side of Carrie Underwood’s face as she zoomed through the red carpet to get prepared for her early-on performance (which I missed, representing one of the only real bummers on the night).

I got to say "hey" to the infamous Delilah, speak with Paramore, see some of my favorite American Idol alumni, and ask Paul Wall to give me a shot of him flashing his grill. While a lot of this was still pretty surreal, I realized that I felt completely comfortable in this environment. Nothing was anything close to intimidating. It made the whole day a lot more fun because I could just enjoy all of it, without being scared by any of it.

When I finally got to sit down after over six hours on my feet, it dawned on me that this night was the end of a priceless experience. From 19 concerts over the course of a couple months, music’s biggest award show was the culmination of this blogging journey. I was treated to some incredible performances by Josh Groban, Alicia Keys (and a little Stevie Wonder!), and a performance of “Rhapsody in Blue” that got the Staples Center applauding on its collective feet. Overall, my favorite performance on the night belongs to Kanye West, who seems to steal the show at any award shows he decides to attend.

His time on stage was truly electric in performance and execution, but it was the tribute to his late-mother that really made it memorable. Most of us have an idea about who Kanye is, since he clearly has no qualms about making that known, but he showed a more human side to the hip-hop Superman that he plays everyday. I really enjoyed that! I was hoping that Carrie Underwood would win an award or two, making up for the fact that I missed her performance, but then I realized that I was being ridiculous considering I had just been lucky enough to see her a few hours before. I did have a feeling that Amy Winehouse was going to walk away (via satellite) with a bunch of hardware and was right about that, but who could have predicted that it would be Herbie Hancock that would have beaten out Kanye West and Amy Winehouse for the night’s biggest award??

Even after the show, I got to attend the official Grammy after party, where my newest crush, Natasha Bedingfield (who I think looks like Rachel McAdams in a way), performed for a huge, huge audience, followed up by Cyndi Lauper, who was just thrilled to still be on stage performing. And best of all, since I hadn’t eaten all day, the food was great! In our Grammy gift bag? Skin and hair care products. I don’t know if any gift could have possibly been more fitting for me to finish out this experience.

Being at this historic event, where the experience returned whatever you put in, was truly a fitting reward for a summer that will forever rival the best I’ve had in life. This was the opportunity of a lifetime with memories to match and I am forever grateful to those who made it happen and those who supported me along the way. I hope that you enjoyed coming along for this blog-filled journey! I have everyone to thank for making it happen.

We'll be putting up a boatload of my pictures in the Grammy blog photo gallery, so be sure to check them out! There will be some desktop background worthy shots in there. Thank you again to everyone taking the time out of your day to see how I've been spending mine. I'll miss everything that came with this experience, but it couldn't have ended on a better note.

During the Ceremony...

2008-02-10T21:28:28-05:00

Alicia Keys played the "Blues" with Sinatra, Obama beat Clinton (and Carter too for that matter), and Kanye and Amy W. scored trophys too. Billboard.com's news page has the latest on all the winners, losers, duets, surprises and more.

While we're at it, here's a handy link to the whirlwind of Grammys Redcarpetry we just survived.

And another jump to the extended red carpet photo gallery.

More photos and goodies coming up.

5:06pm Red Carpet Roundup: Beyonce, Ludacris, Fergie....

2008-02-10T20:36:13-05:00

More photos to come later tonight. I'm running late after the red carpet and I hear I missed Carrie Underwood!... Just made it in for Rihanna! Enjoy the show, everyone!
Here's a round up of the final rush on the red carpet before the show.
Slash, I beat you in Guitar Hero!

Beyonce

Ludacris

Fergie

More photos in the GRAMMYS RED CARPET PHOTO GALLERY.

4:51pm Brad Paisley, Akon, Evander

2008-02-10T20:09:34-05:00

Do a bunch of them run into the Staples Center right before the show starts? There are still plenty to go, there will be a lot of seat fillers for the start of today's show. Cyndi Lauper just walked in too! Here's Best Country Collaboration nominee Brad Paisley, he'll be performing too.

Best Pop Collaboration nominee and presenter Akon just went in too.

And the real deal, boxer Evander Holyfield, too.

More photos in the GRAMMYS RED CARPET PHOTO GALLERY.

4:42pm Miley Mania, Foos, Rihanna

2008-02-10T20:01:16-05:00

Miley looked beautiful and was making some pretty borderline sexy faces for the camera.

The Foo Fighters walked in as couples.

Rihanna walked in to people singing "Umbrella."

More photos in the GRAMMYS RED CARPET PHOTO GALLERY.

4:27 Daughtry and Paramore, Fast and Furious

2008-02-10T19:50:01-05:00

Daughtry and crew: one of the biggest crowds in one band for a night. The sign read, "Daughtry and wives," which was kind of awesome and got a laugh from everyone.

Red hair and all, the pop punk greatness of Paramore caused quite the stir! They said they were heading to Mel's Diner later for milkshakes

This is intense. Everywhere you turn, it's another big name. Or...Musiq Soulchild again.

4:09pm Carrie Underwood, Ne-Yo, Keyshia Cole

2008-02-10T19:19:54-05:00

A very blonde, very beautiful Carrie Underwood walked down the carpet being seranaded by the fans singing "Before He Cheats." The photographers went CRAZY for her. She's up for both Song of the Year and Best Country Collaboration With Vocals among others.

He didn't stop for interviews, but Ne-Yo did a lot of yelling, moonlwaling and waving to all of us.

And last night, I couldn't get an answer but nominee Keyshia Cole is definitely in the house now!

3:44pm Alicia Keys, Sgt. Pepper's Minion, and Sabrina the Pregnant Witch

2008-02-10T18:55:13-05:00

Alicia walked in to the fans singing ''No One'' as she posed for pictures. Alicia couldn't resist smiling and bouncing to the beat.

But not before...

3:32pm Mellissa Joan Hart...
and baby.

3:34pm This guy will be part of the Beatles Love show later tonight.
I'm feeling the love, but not the outfits.

3:15pm Hey There! Delilah!

2008-02-10T18:32:14-05:00

In this crowd is the Plain White T's with the THE Delilah. The fans greeted her with a "HEY THERE, DELILAH!" as soon as they broke out of this area. They say they're coming back for more pics, but I'm a little skeptical.

More Plain White T's photos in the Grammys Red Carpet Photo Gallery. And the non-televised winners, Kanye West and Barack Obama among them, have started rolling in.

But then, PWT's and Delilah did come back.
Delilah, who looked beautiful stopped by with the Plain White T's. She's training for the Olympic trials and said that she's loving all of this Grammy fun. She was really sweet and looked beautiful! Oh, what'd you do to me?

Meanwhile....

3:02 pm Gospel Nominee Erica Campbell
Erica looked really stunning and was more than happy to wait her turn for interviews and photos. She wore a beautiful strapless dress that was one of my favorite outfits so far tonight!

3:14 pm Pop Singer Adrienne Lau
Wearing the shortest dress on the night and some Jimmy Choos, Adrienne blew a bunch of kisses to the photographers and even lifted up her already short skirt to get the flash bulbs going.

2:57pm The-Dream Cometh; Jimmy Jamily

2008-02-10T18:15:56-05:00

The-Dream, writer of Rihanna's multi-nominated "Umbrella," spent a ton of time with everyone on the line. He said that he was excited and here for Rihanna and Mary J. Blige tonight. However, most of the photogs were really into his date!

There have been a lot of cute family photos taken today, but producer Jimmy Jam and his crew have to be one of the best looking families here today.

More photos in the GRAMMYS RED CARPET PHOTO GALLERY.

2:45pm Evanescence's Amy, Joey Fatone, more Idols!

2008-02-10T17:54:44-05:00

Coming in right before Joey Fatone from 'NSync was Amy Lee. She seemed like she was in a hurry and posed on our wall instead of the standard photo wall. Evanescence is vying for Best Hard Rock Performance against Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Tool and Ozzy.

Girls went CRAZY for Joey Fatone and were chanting for him.

American Idol finalist Paris Bennett came in earlier, around 2:15pm. She was incredibly excited to be at her first Grammy show. She talked about how all the Idol alumni cheer for one another and how she was crossing her fingers for Ace Young and Chris Daughtry. She said that Ace is like her big brother. Paris is working on a jazz album right now as well.

More photos in the GRAMMYS RED CARPET PHOTO GALLERY.

2:22pm Now and Laters and Non-Televised Awards

2008-02-10T17:38:16-05:00

As we wait for the next big wave of nominees and celebs, all of us are pretty happy to take a seat and get some down time before it gets rolling again. None of us have eaten and we're enjoying a healthy diet of Now and Laters for now. There's a rumor that there's food a little ways down from the tent, but none of want to miss a big name so we stay, drink water, and eat candy.

One of the things that I personally often forget is how many nominees that actually are for the Grammy Awards. We have had a stampede of nominees roll through,for so many awards that don't even get televised. It's such an achievement for all of them and people so far have been beaming.

RED CARPET PHOTO GALLERY

1:48pm More 'Idols' in the House: Ace Young

2008-02-10T17:07:25-05:00

He's here with fellow American Idol contestant Daughtry and is up for a writing award for ''It's Not Over." Ace sang a few bars and spoke really highly of Chris and the experience of writing the song. He said that he's a big fan of Beyonce and all the hip hop artists in attendance tonight.

And now that we have a few minutes to breathe, I'm learning that so much of the photography for this event is all about looking ahead. I'm teaming up with about four different other journalists to try and spot who is coming down the red carpet. It gets frantic, but it's a lot of fun.

We're about halfway through arrivals and I'm hearing that we're going to get an avalanche of the biggest names as it gets closer to the the show. A very pregnant Melissa Joan Hart just walked by, but promised that she would be coming back.

This is organized madness of the best kind right now and we still have hours until showtime. Apparently this is an extremely long arrivals session, so people are getting a little restless, but I'm more than hanging in thusfar!

More photos in the GRAMMYS RED CARPET PHOTO GALLERY.

1:36PM Musiq Hopes Michael Jackson Shows

2008-02-10T16:41:47-05:00

Musiq Soulchild said that Michael Jackson might be showing up and he's really hoping it happens. I hope so too! Meanwhile, Musiq is up against no less than Prince, among others, for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance tonight.

More photos in the GRAMMYS RED CARPET PHOTO GALLERY.

1:29PM Fantasia

2008-02-10T16:37:14-05:00

Fantasia said she is done with "The Color Purple" and her hair took two hours to bleach on the side. She was friends with Jay Manuel from America's Next Top Modey and they said hello to one another. I got some great pics of that to share later.

More photos in the GRAMMYS RED CARPET PHOTO GALLERY.

1:07PM Pillar & Montgomery Gentry Hit the Carpet

2008-02-10T16:16:52-05:00

Nominees keep coming and coming... I wish you guys could hear how loud this crowd is for everyone! Here's Montgomery Gentry, who are up for Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals against heavy hitters like the Eagles and Brooks and Dunn.

Pillar spent a lot of time with everybody. They were incredibly patient the whole way down and all four of the band members were into each and every interview. It was refreshing to see a full group so engaged! They're looking to win Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album.

12:43pm Jennifer Pena & Fantasia's Producers

2008-02-10T15:56:35-05:00

Grammy nominees are all over!! Here's Jennifer Pena, the singer whose "Dicen Que El Tiempo" is up for Best Latin Pop Album tonight.

And here are Fantasia's producers.

More photos in the GRAMMYS RED CARPET PHOTO GALLERY.

12:35pm Tia Carrare Starts the Flood

2008-02-10T15:40:49-05:00

In the midst of a ton of nominees, Tia Carrere just slipped by!

This is a huge rush of people rolling through now, trying to catch them all! It's like Pokemon!

3:24pm Arrivals Crib Notes?

2008-02-10T15:28:46-05:00

I never knew this, but before talent walks by, crew members write down their names on a white board and walk in front of them so that all members of the media will know who they are before they arrive.

3:19pm It Gets Crowded...

2008-02-10T15:23:05-05:00

Thankfully, I'm more bundled with the print and video crew, but it is definitely getting competitive as people start to arrive at the Grammy pre-show. I'm trying to imagine how much bigger this is going to get as we get some more of the nominees walking by. The seat fillers are going absolutely crazy to my right. Chances are, they've been awake longer than anyone here, but they are not shy about making their presence known for anyone walking by.

11:49am Grammy Walk

2008-02-10T14:56:22-05:00

When you enter the red red carpet, Grammys Awards are station in a row to lead the talent down the line. So even if you don't win one, you can get really close to one! We're about 15 minutes from the time everything is supposed to kick off and I'm in my spot and ready to go! There is a Grammy pre-show next door, so I'm guessing we'll start getting some arrivals soon!

The View From My Spot in Line

2008-02-10T14:23:23-05:00

I'm noticing that the guy who told me all media would be dressed in Black Tie attire was slightly wrong as some people have t-shirts and Hawaiian shirts on. I kind of look like a concierge, but I feel like I should be carrying some of these peoples' bags.

I do look pretty fly though, but that doesnt make up for me tripping over a step in front of a huge crowd of people seated at the end of the red carpet. I almost ate it on the red carpet! It would have been a glorious moment in my life's history, next to me peeing my pants before my 3rd grade tee ball photo.

I'm sharing my space with three print publications, four of us total, which is intense when you realize that the space is only 3 feet wide! All of us are really relieved that the red carpet is inside today because it's really hot! There are some pretty amazing decorations all around and everyone has been pretty kind so far. I know this will turn crazy in a few, but I'm loving all the frantic confusion.

Found My Spot! The Waiting Begins

2008-02-10T14:00:55-05:00

After an hour and a half of walking in circles, I just found my spot on the red carpet. I'm quickly learning that covering the red carpet here will be a lot of fending for myself because everyone has a job to do. Since I'm on my own out here, I had to find a magical piece of duct tape that read ''Billboard'' on it to find my home. Jesus, take the wheel, what a moment that was!

There are huge set ups all over the red carpet for platforming interviews and we're going to really be packed in the photography area! It's no doubt going to be hectic, but it's going to be awesome. One of the plus sides to getting lost was that I got to hear Carrie Underwood doing her sound check of her performance tonight! Getting lost can be awesome!

More photos after the continuation...

Me in Black Tie

A peek inside the Staples Center

Next Stop: Staples Center and the 2008 Grammy Awards

2008-02-10T12:08:08-05:00

As expected, I got about three hours of sleep last night. While adrenaline and little kid Christmas-like excitement are things that I hope never get old, it does get a little old when you could really use a little some rest the night before an exciting day. I'm heading out to Staples Center to find my spot on the line and see just exactly what's going on out there.

While putting the finishing touches on my ensemble, I've come to realize that my neck has definitely gotten thicker since the last wedding I've attended. It must be the pilates. I got all geared out in my room to see how it would feel to have all my gadgets on me and I have to say that I end up looking like a robo-tourist. I'd have it no other way.

Next stop: Staples Center.

Pre-Grammy sleep is not easy to come by...

2008-02-10T03:30:08-05:00

I just checked into my home for "Grammy season" and am getting settled for what I hope to be a decent night of sleep before a day/night of nonstop blogging and photos tomorrow. Just when I'm coming to terms with this whole weekend, something comes through and gets me going all over again, like this lovely living room I'm sitting in right now. Anyways, this area is going to act as my "war room," where I hope to regain some sanity tomorrow night and put together everything that I wasn't able to do from the street. Not that anyone was really envisioning where I was sitting, but I always find it interesting to see what someone's "office" looks like. For the weekend, this is my office!

*cue Cassidy f. R. Kelly - "Hotel"*

Before I curl up in my bed (which could fit about five of me in it, in any direction) with some Billboard magazines to read for good luck, I wanted to take a look at some of the categories that I'm most interested in for the Grammys tomorrow night. While this list is by no means all inclusive, it includes those that I'll be clapping for like a seal begging for fish and beach balls (I assume they enjoy that) tomorrow night. They're not predictions per se, because I don't know if I would want to be wrong to that many people at once, but they're the categories that happen to be the most interesting for me.

Record of the Year
- "Irreplaceable," Beyonce'
- "The Pretender," Foo Fighters
- "Umbrella," Rihanna f. Jay-Z
- "What Goes Around... Comes Around," Justin Timberlake
- "Rehab," Amy Winehouse

This one is always an interesting one because I think it surprises us a lot of times. In this group of nominees, I think that you legitimately have two songs that never seemed to leave Top 40 radio play - "Umbrella" and "Rehab." If we're going off anthems for a year, I think you look no further than those two songs, along with maybe "SexyBack" (that might just be me though). I think that this is a great list of nominees that is very representative of what was really big this year. Sometimes, the nominees make you go, "Hmmm..." but I think that this is a very strong, totally justifiable list that I personally feel like is headed up by "Umbrella" (or Ohm-Bur-Ella), though I have a feeling Winehouse is going to walk out with some goodies this year, at least from afar.

Song of the Year (I know this is a songwriter award, but I think most of us know the songs by the artist)
- "Before He Cheats" (Carrie Underwood)
- "Hey There Delilah" (Plain White T's)
- "Like a Star" (Corinne Bailey Rae)
- "Rehab" (Amy Winehouse)
- "Umbrella" (Rihanna f. Jay-Z)

I'm really torn on this one. Clearly, my love for Carrie Underwood has me lean towards her in any category. I wish I could help it, but there's too much out there, even within Mobile Beat alone, that shows my obvious bias towards her. But hear me out on this one! "Before He Cheats" is an interesting inclusion on this list because it had unbelievable staying power on the country charts (I believe this will be the song Carrie will be performing on Sunday night). BHC, as the song is known to Carrie fans in the message board world, just dug out a hole and lived on the charts all year. What's interesting about BHC is that it's essentially a caricature/over the top country song in terms of lyrical content that really caught on in the mainstream. While this was not Carrie going "Dirrty," a la X-Tina a few years back, it was a big shift from "Jesus, Take the Wheel," Underwood's first single off her debut album "Some Hearts." While I'm not sure if she'll win it, its inclusion is well-justified.

I do really like "Rehab" on this list. For some reason, it just feels like a song that would win this award this year. It's a little different than what we're used to hearing every year and introduced us all to Amy Winehouse, who will be performing via satellite on Sunday. It feels like another one for Winehouse and Rihanna to duke it out for, but don't be surprised if BHC surprises some people. The song was huge!

Best New Artist
- Feist
- Ledisi
- Paramore
- Taylor Swift
- Amy Winehouse

I'm going to be totally honest and say that I don't own CDs by three of these artists. I own both Paramore and Taylor Swift, but have heard excellent things about both the Feist and Winehouse albums from trusted friends. I really don't have a feel for this one as a result, but I always feel like this category surprises people. Remember when Christina Aguilera (v. "Genie in a Bottle") won Best New Artist over Brit Brit (v. "Hit Me Baby One More Time") in a showdown that still feels like yesterday? (And now they've both had babies!) I think that both Paramore and Swift put together albums that are completely listenable (in a good way) from start to finish. On both albums, there is not a single song that I skip. Swift has a huge young Country following (just listen to the screams every time people say her name on an award show) and she hangs out with Idol Alumni Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler, which is pretty cool as well. This one is a toss up for me.

Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
- "Steppin' Out," Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera
- "Beautiful Liar," Beyonce' & Shakira
- "Gone Gone Gone," Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
- "The Sweet Escape," Gwen Stefani & Akon
- "Give It To Me," Timbaland, Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake

This is one of the few categories where I legitimately have a favorite song out of the nominees. My favorite of this group is definitely the effort by Timbaland, Nelly Furtado, and Justin Timberlake. There have been countless mornings where I have almost fallen down in the shower getting down to this song during Ryan Seacrest's radio show while getting ready in the morning (TMI? I thought so too...). While Beyonce' and Shakira did look incredibly alike in the "Beautiful Liar" video, it didn't really do a whole lot for me song wise. "Give It To Me" was one of those all-star collaborations that completely lived up to the hype and I would be very happy to see this one win.

Best Contemporary R&B Album
- Konvicted, Akon
- Just Like You, Keyshia Cole
- Fantasia, Fantasia
- East Side Story, Emily King
- Because of You, Ne-Yo

This is another tough one for me because I honestly liked Ne-Yo's previous album more than this one, but I know that you're only supposed to think about this year. While I liked most of the songs on his previous album, I felt like the really good songs on Because of You were far superior to the songs that weren't as good ("Because of You" and "Make It Work" representing those "really good songs" for me). Keyshia Cole really continued her rise in the music scene this year by teaming up with Diddy and Missy Elliott on a couple radio tracks. I was a huge fan of "Love" by her before, so it was really great see her continue her run this year as well.

Best Rap Solo Performance
- "The People," Common
- "I Get Money," 50 Cent
- "Show Me What You Got," Jay-Z
- "Big Things Poppin'," T.I.
- "Stronger," Kanye West

First, I think it's great that the Grammys used the radio friendly title of T.I.'s track instead of the actual title. Something about having one of the presenters read, "Big S**t Poppin', T.I." would be very funny, but yet, so very wrong. I feel like we've seen better things from Common, "Fitty," and Jay-Z in the past, so it makes it tough for me to really cheer for them in this category, though I'd definitely be ok with any of them winning.

For Common, I will always think about "The Light," even though that was a long ways back. Fitty, I think about a "Patiently Waiting" or even a "What Up Gangsta." And Jay-Z, everyone thinks about "Can't Knock the Hustle" or even a "Can I Get A..." but I think that he had so many tracks on The Blueprint that were superior to this offering that it makes it hard for me to be all about him winning this category. Jay-Z is one of my all-time favorites and I actually saw 50 Cent in concert with Senor Hova and Eminem way back in high school, so I'm big fans of them. However, I feel like for radio friendly, get you all "hyphy" tracks, T.I. and Kanye West (and those tight glasses) really turned it out on those two singles.

Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group
- "Southside," Common & Kanye West
- "Make It Rain," Fat Joe & Lil Wayne
- "Party Like a Rockstar," Shop Boyz
- "Int'l Players Anthem," UGK & OutKast
- "Better Than I've Ever Been," Kanye West, NaS, & KRS-One

You just have to cheer for "Make It Rain" on this one, at least a little bit. The mental image of Fat Joe and Lil Wayne making it rain on their way to the stage or people doing it from the "cheap seats" (I don't think there's such thing at the Grammys) while the guys walk up to the stage would be one of those Three-Six Mafia at the Oscars-type moments that no one would forget. For those of you who do not know, "making it rain" is the act of flicking, throwing, dumping, or swishing (when you would deal it out like cards by rapidly moving your hand back and forth over a stack of bills) out dollar bills from high above so that they "rain down" on awaiting arms below. When people "make it rain," it often causes quite a stir because it's quite the sight to see! I do it myself sometimes with change!

"Make It Rain" has to be one of the greatest figures of speech to come into mainstream usage in 2007 - from Pac-Man Jones to Lil Wayne - and it would be a shame to miss out on the opportunity for these guys to make it rain inside Staples Center.

Best Rap Album
- Finding Forever, Common
- Kingdom Come, Jay-Z
- Hip-Hop is Dead, NaS
- T.I. vs. T.I.P., T.I.
- Graduation, Kanye West

Would love to see this one go to Kanye. Again, I know that I'm unfairly being influenced because I feel like we've seen better in the past from the first three nominees (especially NaS, when you compare it to a God's Son, or a couple of his other albums). I wasn't crazy about Kanye's second album, but really enjoyed this third one. I feel like it had "bangers" from top to bottom and think it is well deserving in this category.

Best Country Song
- Before He Cheats (Carrie Underwood)
- Give It Away (George Strait)
- I Need You (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill)
- If You're Reading This (Tim McGraw)
- Long Trip Alone (Dierks Bentley)

This one is instantly another tough one for me because Carrie Underwood is nominated. However, if there's another song that I would be completely ok with winning, it would be "If You're Reading This" by Tim McGraw. If you've never heard this song, you're missing out on one of the most emotionally touching songs that's been released this decade (it makes me emo). The song is about a fallen soldier whose final words are being read by a family through a pre-written letter after he's died in battle. The melody is simple, but like you expect from Tim McGraw, the vocals are not overpowering, but perfectly suited and pure. It's one of those songs that can make even those who say they "hate country," sit down and take a really good listen.

Best Country Performance by Duo or Group with Vocals
Not listing these ones for this year, but I'm definitely hoping to see Sugarland's "Stay" in the list of nominees for next year's Grammy Awards. I think it was released as a single too late for it to be considered this year, but that is hands down one of my favorite songs that's been out lately.

It's getting late! Heading to bed and will check back in before I hit the road down to Staples Center tomorrow morning.

'Twas the Night Before the Grammys...

2008-02-09T22:03:13-05:00

Though I've had some time to think about it, it's still a little hard to believe that by this time tomorrow, I will have already seen the opening performance at the 2008 Grammy Awards.

I have no doubt that I'll be sweatier than an advertisement for prescription strength deodorant (please, don't let me down tomorrow), begging to use a bathroom, and exhausted from a long day of photographing, running around, blogging, and adrenaline roller coasters galore, but really, what could be better?

If you're reading this and have never had the opportunity to attend an award show before, I wanted to give some "normal guy" insight into what it's like to get ready in the days leading up to the show.

I'll start by saying that Grammy-mania has taken over the city of Los Angeles. I don't know if you guys can tell from these pictures that I took out of my dirty windshield while driving around the city today, but those black banners that you see hanging from street lights are Grammy advertisements. These banners are not only in Los Angeles, but Hollywood, West Hollywood, and pretty much anywhere that you'd expect to see people "in the biz." Not that it wasn't enough for me to attend, but seeing these banners all around town has made this very real experience seem all the more surreal.

I'll get over this "I'm a beautiful princess in a commercialized dreamland!" feeling by tomorrow, I promise. But for now, it hasn't gotten old *plays with his frilly dress...very much joking, guys*.

For this particular event, there were four days that all members of the media who had credentials/tickets could go down to the Los Angeles Convention Center (which is right next door to Staples Center in Downtown) to flash some ID, take a picture, and walk out with an official Grammy credential that has your name and picture printed on it. Whenever I've had the opportunity to go to a special event like this, I always keep my credential as a souvenir. I'm not really a t-shirt guy or a poster guy, but for some reason, the credential, which has no monetary value whatsoever, has always been my most treasured item from any night. I guess you could say that it's kind of like my Roc-A-Fella chain or my G-Unit spinner, even though it only takes someone about 10 seconds to make and doesn't give me the "ok" to suddenly start "repping" to people in the street (I would get beat up in 2 seconds, really. My Salsa dance moves don't really help out in the streets).

I made the two hour round-trip downtown from my workplace in Beverly Hills (believe it, traffic gets bad when roads are closed) to pick up my credentials on Friday afternoon. That same night, Aretha Franklin was to be named the "Person of the Year" by MusiCares. The convention center was all decked out! A red carpet was set up and event staffers were getting prepared all around the building for the event that ended up raising a whopping $4.5 million for the Musicians' Aid organization! Thank goodness the staff was all around, because otherwise I would have gotten even more lost! Either way, it sounds like it was a wonderful event and it looked really nice inside!

To get your credential, you flash some government issued photo ID, say who you're with, and generally make a friendly joke about the webcam or something else. My one-liner was, "I would've got all dolled up had I known I was going to take a picture today." The girl working the picture area laughed, so I guess it kind of worked (but I'm sure she made fun of me after I left). After that, I had a handful of questions for the PR guy who was helping handle the event, before I went over to check out the souvenir stand, where some of the Grammy shirts were actually pretty cool! I didn't end up getting one, but have a feeling that I'm going to cave tomorrow.

I always think it's important to get the logistical questions out of the way early on because the reality is that if you don't know where you're going, there's no way you'll be able to get anything done! It seems silly to ask simple questions, but sometimes, it really helps! By talking to him, I learned that I should show up fully-dressed (not that I was going to come in the nude, though the thought may have crossed my mind...and thankfully sailed straight through) in my suit tomorrow morning as I wouldn't have any time to change after covering "Arrivals" (aka the red carpet) before heading inside. He let me know that spaces weren't assigned yet, where members of the media generally get about a foot and a half to two feet on a fence to jockey for position with other photographers to try and get some of the night's best images. I didn't see my space, but I'm crossing my fingers that the Billboard name on my treasured credential will give me some prime real estate on the line to get some great pictures for the photo gallery that I'll be putting together right here!

I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to sprint to my car to drop off my stuff after arrivals in order to make it into the doors to catch the first performance, but I have a feeling that a seat-filler (a well-dressed stranger that runs and fills a seat while someone goes to the bathroom, leaves the area, etc.) will be taking my spot next to my lovely date for the night for the first segment.

Later, it was off to find a tie! Something that would prove much harder than you'd ever expect! It took 4 stores, two of which were large department stores, for me to find a black tie! At one location, a salesperson told me, "We have one style left, but it's an extra long, which probably won't fit you. It's Grammy season, so it's tough to get one." I kid you not, he actually said that it was "Grammy season." It was one of those "Only in L.A." moments. I asked him, "Is it also funeral season? It seems like there would always be some demand for it." He looked back at me with a blank stare.

I jokingly told him, "I'll just give it a shot. I'll just wear it as a bow tie." He actually thought I was serious for a second and went back to go get it, which I found kind of awesome. I told him it was probably not a good idea for me to get it because of the high probability of me soiling the low-hanging tie at some point in the night. He agreed. I left him alone.

I went from store to store, seeing if they had "The Ryan Seacrest." I almost got a tie that had a skull on it and read "To Die For" in vertical letters because I was that desperate, but I got lucky and found a standard black, skinny tie - The Seacrest. A really nice salesperson kept telling me that I should sign up for the store credit card so that I could save $6 on the purchase. I mentioned to her that this $6 could really help me "make it rain" at a club that I would have to show ID to gain entrance for, but that I just needed the tie for Sunday.

Grammy season. Really.

For the sake of all the good-looking people that will be walking the red carpet on Sunday, I knew that I couldn't mess it up for everyone. I really had to get a haircut. Good lord, did I need a haircut...

Even though I don't plan on being on camera at any point on Sunday, any regular person thinks to himself before a nationally televised event, "What about if the camera somehow pans over me for .003 seconds and half of my ear is suddenly on TV over Soulja Boy's shoulder??" Normally, I get my haircut in South Los Angeles, which isn't really the safest area in this city, but $8 haircuts are tough to come by nowadays. Unfortunately, I think the place that I've been going for six years just closed, for what I would assume to be health code violations. I never really thought much of the critters that roamed the floors at my beloved barber shop "in da hood," but I'm thinking they added up, or something else must have happened that I don't want to know about.

It was off to Hollywood to get the first haircut over $20 (barely) I've gotten in years! It's the Grammys, a guy can splurge, right?? (Credit card company says, "Not really.") I asked (ok, I "axed") for the "Suburban Mohawk," which is a pretty popular style out here on the West Coast. It's fun, but a little more rebellious than the "Hipster Front Cone." So just in case you're watching red carpet coverage somewhere (while you're reading here, of course!) and you see the suburban mohawk on a little munchkin fiddling around in the background of your screen looking like Smeagol from Lord of the Rings, but with a slightly more toned lower body, there I am!

Tonight, I'm off to my hotel in Hollywood for some R&R for what will likely be a very sleepless and anxious night. Before anyone says it doesn't make sense for me to go to a hotel tonight, you'd have to be sitting where I'm sitting right now where one of my neighbors just got a home sound system and keeps playing Nate Dogg's "Gangsta Nation" ("na na na na na na na na na, WESTSIDE!!!") over and over again. I'm with that G-Funk, but I have a feeling the G-Funk Era isn't going to stop at a reasonable bedtime for me tonight. I'll be blogging from morning until the show officially begins on Sunday, then blogging literally all night long to give everyone a fan's perspective from the inside of the 50th Annual Grammy Awards!

Come back tomorrow because that's when the real stuff begins! Less of me, much more celebrity!

Mobile Beat:road :: Grammys:destination

2008-02-08T15:31:34-05:00

This past summer, my Billboard/LG Mobile Beat summer, was a blur of 19 concerts, 19 photoriffic blogs posts, a plethora of surreal experiences that made me want to invest in diapers (my hips are too wide), and very, very little sleep. I entered the competition on a whim. Who knew that it would turn into something so big?

After all those shows last summer, when I got the call telling me that I was the winner, earning a trip to the 2008 Grammys right here in my hood in Los Angeles, I wished that I had invested in those diapers. A lot of this is still setting in, but it's really here - GRAMMY weekend - my reward for being an OCD blogger of the best/worst kind.

Through the magic of modern mobile technology, I will be blogging live from the event. I will be giving the readers of Billboard.com a personal glimpse into the Grammys. I'll be there for both blogging and photography, so please check back for some very exclusive photos and commentary that are coming straight from this fanboy's mouth that I promise will be embarassing and awesome at the same time.

Not that I wasn't worried for awhile there. Threatened by the much publicized WGA strike, I checked the news everyday, figuring that I was fortune's fool. Was my trip to the granddaddy of music award shows going to be cancelled? Would the hype surrounding the event merely culminate in a dusty FedEx box with a "Hey, sorry. xoxo, Billboard" note, a puffy-paint Grammy sweatshirt, and a generic picture of my favorite singer, celebrity crush, and personality in music, Carrie Underwood, whose first album Some Hearts has just been certified 7x platinum, marking the biggest debut in Country music history for a solo artist, waving at me with a pasted-on word bubble that read "OmG, sry?"

In the end, fate smiled upon my over-gelled mohawk and the Grammys said, "Somehow, someway, we gotta make it up out the hood someday" (what up, Jay-Z, you know, because I know you reading this... because we is homeys... in my dreams, where I am tall enough to go on all the rides at California Adventure). The Grammys were on and I realized, "It's Game time, homey I'm living proof, like Snoop Dogg c-walking on top of the Devil's roof" (what up to you as well, The Game). That same moment, I realized that it makes also no sense for a guy who listens to the soundtrack to "Wicked" on his way to work (it's Gah-linda) to quote so many hip-hop lyrics in his everyday life. But sometimes, life doesn't make sense.

In essence, "Game time" officially starts this Sunday at the Grammys, though I feel like it's been on since last summer, in what has been one of the longest, but most fly overtimes in the history of live event blogging (I know, I know, I am being forceddddd to look at celebrities and listen to music all day long, boo hoo). Needless to say, I can't wait.

What am I looking forward to? A whole lot. Two of my favorite artists, Josh Groban and Carrie Underwood, both of whom I saw this past summer, will be taking the Grammy stage to perform. Groban will be doing a duet with Andrea Bocelli, while I'm hoping Carrie performs her newest single "All-American Girl," which would be my "wrestling music," if I was in the WWE (and I just want to see Brunette Carrie or Astro Carrie if you're familiar with the music video, which is reminiscent of dreams that I have on a bi-weekly basis).

I was excited to hear that Beyonce' will be performing with the legendary Tina Turner, but part of me would be ok with hearing/singing Beyonce's "LISTEN!!! I AM ALONE AT A CROSSROADS!!! I'M NOT AT HOME IN MY OWN HOME!! AND I'VE TRIED AND TRIED *humming because I forgot the words*...BUT YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWWWWWWN!! OH!!!!" from the Dreamgirls soundtrack. Though I'm realizing that as I stood up, mouthed the words, and started throwing my hands all over the place just by typing that just now, it's probably for the better that she doesn't sing that song.

In terms of presenters, my all-time favorite artist Stevie Wonder will be in the building, which is a thrill above all else. If he drops a couple bars of any of his classics that kept me sane during high school and college, it will go down as the greatest night of my life. While a lot of people think I'm joking (but people who really know me know I'm serious), I can't pretend that it's not a big deal that Miley Cyrus, THE Hannah Montana, will be a presenter as well, along with previous castmember of The OC, loveydoveyloveydoveykisskisskisskiss Chris Brown, who has to be one of the more certified fresh personalities in music today (and he's touched Autumn Reeser, which instantly makes me want to touch him. Yeah, I said it).

Huge thank yous have to go out to my bosses at work for dealing with my sleep-deprived grumpiness all summer after long nights of concert-going and blogging, the bands in Los Angeles that gave me unprecedented access after my unsolicited solitations, the Carriefans, Claymates, and Grobanites that spread the word and gave my blogs SO MUCH LOVE, and my friends that were cheering me on, setting me as their homepage, and being ok with me being asleep for full days on weekends as I prepared for yet another week of blogging. Thank you all, way too many times over.

It was a very long beginning, but there could be no better way for it to end. Luckily, this ride doesn't have a height limit. However, it has a dress code, does anyone have a black tie I can borrow? See you guys all weekend!

Photos & More: Watch this Space

2008-02-07T16:40:07-05:00

Tina Turner is just one of the major artists who will be at the Grammys on Sunday, so keep your eye on Mobile Beat for photos and more from the 50th Annual music gala.

Stomping On The Yard National Step Show Championship @ Liacouras Center, Philadelphia - 9/15

2007-09-21T23:45:47-04:00

Considered to be the 'super bowl' of step shows, Stomping On The Yard: SUPER STOMP, presented by Boost Mobile, is billed as a celebration of leadership, scholarship & showmanship. Don't let the cordial subscript fool you however, because this championship competition is also one electrifying event. Not only did the real life step tour inspire the box office hit film Stomp the Yard, the one-of-a-kind competition also boast its own ESPN special. This night was the culmination of a national step tour, now in its forth year. The show brought a sold out Liacouras Center crowd to its feet for performance after performance, as historically Black fraternaties and sororities lit up the stage with eleborate sets, routines and costumes. One by one, the various teams vied for the title of national step champions. Adding even more sizzle (and comic relief) was America's favorite perfect gentleman, Fonzworth Bentley, who drew uprourious screams from fans when he hit the stage as host of the competition. If you had a doubt, a misconseption, or were just plain uninformed about step as an elevated art form, this night was the night that you learned...

If you haven't been to a competition like this, you most likely have never in your life seen stepping at this level. Nearly every single team executed their performances with military precision, including incredible athleticism and stage effects afforded by a serious production budget. Cornerstones of the show were the props, sets and costumes for which no detail was spared. I mean, you know it's serious when Darth Vader steps out with light saber in hand.

The champion sorority of the night, Zeta Phi Beta, shook their tambourines to the hit song by hometown MC Eve. They energizing the crowd to an apex with an entrace fit for Caribbean Carnivale.

When I peeped a model helicoper flying in from the roof with greek letters branded on the side, I knew it was about to be a problem! Sure enough, the Alpha Phi Alpha team went on to best every other participating fraternity as national champions for 2007. Can you say army of one?

One of the best performances of the night came by way of this Sigma Gamma Rho team. Those sisters had a sick routine and that no nonesense swagger that could not be denied! Their voices resounded and you could see in their faces they were about the business. Besides that I just have three words... tossing canes blindfolded.

Pictured above: 'Delta Depot' workers work the stage, coming in second place for the night.

Pictured above: The audience holds cell phones in the air in memoriam of those we lost in war and in the struggle. Never one to not speak his mind, Mr. Bentley urged young people to vote in 2008 as enthusiastically as they hit record stores for Kanye and 50. Preach!

Pictured above: It was a great moment when I bumped into Tina backstage because she was actually the chapter president of S.G. Rho when I won their Greater Service, Greater Progress scholarship in 2005. I can't stress enough to those unfamiliar how much fraternal organizations do far more than stepping... they constantly give back as well.

It felt good to return to the Liacouras Center arena at Temple Univeristy, my alma matter, for this memorable event (the week was also highlighted by an entertainment industry career panel called Game Behind The Game). Following the announcement of the winners, confetti exploded into the air and the 4 hour extravaganza ended with a press conference backstage. While the winning ladies spoke eloquently about donating their $10,000 cash prize to causes, paying dues, and continuing their elaborate productions, the fellas took a more playful route explaiming their plans to party like rockstars! And with ten g's... they can afford it.

Jon Pierre also serves as the executive editor of the soon launching RecordBreakerWeekly.com and as host of Tha Sity Show podcast. Be sure to listen to Fonzworth Bentley's interview from the aforementioned panel event, Game Behind The Game, & more at http://myspace.com/thasityshow.

Summertime, Done come and gone, My oh my

2007-09-19T20:12:49-04:00

Well, the Billboard Mobile Blog for the summer of 2007 is over. It has been a wild summer with both some of the best music I have seen for a long time combined with some of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had. The summer started with Widespread Panic, then through my own contacts, I got to shoot Blues Traveler, but the one show that summed up my Billboard blog experience was Willie Nelson.

Willie is a living icon. To be able to get up close for the show was unbelievable, on the downside, the LiveNation controlled venue made the whole show a logistic nightmare. i was not given a ticket, but instead a wristband that did not grant me access to the show unless I was escorted by a live Nation employee.

My next show was at the San Diego Houses of Blues. For those who have gone to a show at any HOB, you know that they are very strict about camera usage. They don't even want people to use their cellphone cameras in their venues. So here I was at the San Diego House of Blues to shoot Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons. The show went well, and I was never asked to stop shooting.

Up next was Dickey Betts at Humphreys. It was a good thing that i had a working history with the venue, because the even with the confirmed email from Billboard, there was no ticket and no photopass. I did manage to shoot he show. You can read about it HERE.

After Dickey Betts, I shot two shows with Keller Williams and Bob Weir & RatDog. These shows were different from the other Billboard shows for me this summer, because I have a working relationship with RatDog. This made access and shooting much easier than previous shows, and the two shows are Here and Here

Next up was the most interesting show of the summer for me. The Faith Hill & Tim McGraw circus. The rules to shoot these two are just insane. I had to stand by the soundboard and they were literally across the arena from me. The review and photos are HERE
Next up was Fountains of Wayne and Squeeze, but because Squeeze decided that they needed no publicity, I was denied a photo pass from them and had to fight to be able to shoot Fountains of Wayne. Fountains of Wayne take the prize as the best band I had never heard. Review is HERE

Next up was Deep Purple, but once again, there was no pass and no ticket. So home I went with no review.
Then an old friend of mine came to town. Andrew Diamond with Prezident Brown. Read about it HERE

Next up was Macy Gray / Brand New Heavies. A great show and a good time. I did not know that at that show, it would be the last show that I would shoot that was organized by Billboard. A guess it was a milestone of my summer, but it passed with a whimper, not a bang. The review and photos are HERE

A buddy of mine had an extra ticket to Crowded House. Billboard got me a photopass. The rest is right Here.

Now i was supposed to shoot Korn, but due to Southern California traffic and Labor Day problems, that did not happen, and I was supposed to shoot one more show at Humpheys, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, but due to not being confirmed until the last minute I had to take a paying photo gig that night. So my summer for Billboard is over.

Summertime, Done come and gone, My oh my

9/17: Buckcherry @ Hard Rock Cafe, NYC

2007-09-19T00:25:42-04:00

Encore Blog...Rev up your engines!

“Excuse me sir…can I sit on your bike?” asks the 5’1, four-eyed English teacher. Forget fancy car shows and pimped out sedans. Four wheelers are for wussies! Monday night, Broadway’s Times Square was lined with the sweetest rides in town for Bike Night at the Hard Rock Cafe. Bikers from all over rode in to show off their choppers, compare chrome jobs and above all else, rock out to hard core L.A.-based band Buckcherry.

(Ross's competition)

To say I’m not much of a biker chick is an understatement. I owned leather pants once in my life, probably back in 1996 when I also thought putting my hair in hot rollers was stylin’, but ultimately came to realize that neither was a look I could pull off. And the closest I ever came to a tattoo was getting my hand henna painted down in the West Village on some incense-infused street corner. But, when Billboard asks if you’re able to cover one last show, you definitely don’t hesitate…and you definitely don’t care if it’s your favorite band playing or one you know absolutely nothing about. You’ll blog about the Wiggles if it means keeping your pro bono night job for just a little bit longer. So upon telling Billboard I was on board for the Buckcherry show at Hard Rock (though not revealing to Ross what we were seeing until showtime), I charged up my LG, did a little I-search about the artist(s) in question and stuffed my complimentary black backpack with an extra black and white marble notebook floating around my classroom. Hey, someone might as well use it!

If teaming up with Billboard this summer has taught me anything, it’s that I’m way more versatile in my musical tastes than I ever thought I was (or than others sometimes accuse me of being). Out of the 21 shows/events I’ve covered, I can honestly say there’s never been one that I didn’t walk away from feeling either awestruck or enlightened by…those positive feelings only reinforced when trying to relive and then convey them to others through my writing. I was only slightly freaked out when I read that Buckcherry was hard rock/alterna metal…I can hang with the big boys! The fact that AOL music compared them to both Korn and Bret Michaels concerned me a bit more. What was this…Head Bangers’ Ball meets The Bachelor? Regardless of whether or not Buckcherry blasted out on acoustic or electric guitar, I held fast to the notion that a good live show is a good live show, no matter what the genre.

If there was any hesitation in my head as to whether or not I wanted to cover this show, the fact that it was in part a charitable event for September 11^th victims quickly convinced me that I had to go…despite seeing double from a round of last minute late night blogging less than 24 hours prior. During the night, the Hard Rock and Indian Larry Legacy (Brooklyn-based builder of custom hand-crafted choppers) were said to be making a generous donation to the night’s benefiting charity, September’s Mission, an organization that supports the development of a memorial park on the former World Trade Center site. Together with Voices of September 11^th,they are working towards creating a 9/11 Living Memorial, which will be a permanent digital archive documenting the lives and stories of those lost on September 11^th. Early in the night, before the band even took the stage, a sizable check for $25,000 was presented “to help remember” the victims of 9/11.

The crowd went nuts when Buckcherry, “bringing back what rock and roll is all about,” stormed onto the stage. Raging fans flew their fists in the air, front rowers looked like their heads were literally banging on the stage, and in true R&R fashion, girls were being pulled off the stage (I tried to hold myself back to let the true fans get their shot at an up close and personal experience…don’t want to be too greedy now). It took me a song or two to really get into it, preferring gentler (relatively speaking) power ballads like “Everything” and “Sorry” (off new release 15) to the heavier, more scream-laden songs like “Porno Star.” I like when I can understand what the band is singing about, and the former tunes definitely prove that underneath his shirt of tattoos and often roaring vocals, Josh Todd definitely has an incredible voice filled with passion and harmony. That being said, it’s likely that Todd’s fiery energy and sound (as well as that of his band mates) is what gets their fans going…and rightly so.

Though Buckcherry might be too hard for me in terms of musicality (I think my ears were ringing louder after the first 3 songs than at all my concerts put together), I can’t say I wasn’t floored by their totally-tear-it-up performance. Xavier Muriel is insane, and if you look up the definition of “rock star drummer” in the dictionary, you’ll likely find a picture of him with his arms flailing all over the place and his long dark hair blowing in the wind. This was my first hard rock concert and I think I can safely say that I’m starting to “get it.” The intense music and energy from the band producing it (or at least in Buckcherry’s case) is contagious and cathartic at the same time. I mean sometimes, you just want to rock! Obviously these guys know how to do just that, because not just any band gets to stay on Billboard's top 200 for over 72 weeks...and rack up 2 Grammy nods. If I had to choose 1 signature song from the night, it would have to be "Crazy B*tch," which is a super high energy, thunderous tune that revs up even the coolest of biker dudes. You can hear hints of Steven Tyler on this one, but Todd can definitely wail way louder and harder. In truth (and perhaps somewhat ironically), I found it refreshing to be hit with Buckcherry's louder, rocks you to the core music. Sometimes you need something a bit more intense than an unplugged jam session, like a piercing guitar riff or thunderous drum beat. For those of you who like your music served up raw but still real (not just screaming and banging to see who can do it the loudest), definitely check out Buckcherry. "Everything" and "Sorry" have already made it onto my iPod!

American Idols Live Tour 2007 @ Wachovia Center - Philadelphia

2007-09-18T01:07:54-04:00

Okay, I admit it - I saw the American Idols Live tour. And this, my review, is the embarrassing truth that proves it forever. Now don't get me wrong, I do watch American Idol every season, but sitting through endless karaoke-like performances (made longer by a sudden 'intermission'), shrieking fans and schmaltzy speeches is another story. It turns out, American Idol in any arena is far less entertaining without the judges. If Simon, Paula and Randy toured along with these 10 finalist, I'm sure they would have packed the house. Fortunately, there were a few highlights that came along by way of a couple of this past season's shining songstresses. Idol winner Jordin Sparks, long-running favorite Melinda Doolittle, and most impressively Lakisha Jones, were all music to my ears. They may not have made the sea of tween girls swoon like the male hearthrobs did, but they ultimately won over the entire crowd, and me, with stunning vocal performances...

Pictured above: Female contestants perform 'Lady Marmalade' in one of many group numbers. I guess no one told producers what 'Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?' actually means.

Lakisha's rendition of Whitney's 'I Will Always Love You' came just in time to save me from my near karaoke-itis. Her a cappella intro, matched by a grand entrance, commanded the attention of all . It showed off her big, powerful pipes, slowly drawing thunderous praise from the crowd. By the time she hit that final big note, there was nothing and no one to focus on but her - in all her divalicious glory. Her precision on this wide ranging song was reminiscent of her performance of 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going' this past season - only better! She left me utterly satisfied.

When Sanjaya took to the stage solo, he did his worst imitation of Michael Jackson, fake moonwalking across the stage during 'The Way You Make Me Feel.' Still, as the contestant who caused the most sensation during his Idol run, he garnered screams loud enough to cause me to have to cover my ears. I thought that his singing would force me to do the same, but it wasn't horrible. Besides, I was laughing too hard at how much the little girls were going crazy over him to notice much about his barely-there vocals.

Even more deafening than the screams that met Sanjaya was the solo enterance of that 'mildly popular' runner-up, Blake. The male favorite of the competition, he emerged something like JT displaying a potential for star power that the other guys lacked. He's also a capable singer who I must say made good song choices. His beatboxing, also very JT, would be easy to dismiss if he wasn't so damn good at it. Blake shows definite signs on this tour that he is indeed an entertainer and an artist to watch.

Seemingly in a bid to end any possible speculation of a fued between Idol's winner and would-be winner, Melinda and Jordin probably spent the better part of ten minutes professing their love for one another and detailing their fun as roommates. It could have been real or it could have been phony, but either way it just distracted me. What I was really waiting for were those flawless performances Melinda and Jordin were both known for. Eventually those moments did come, most notibly with Jordin's spot-on vocals during 'I Who Have Nothing,' the song that made the judges sit up and take notice of the one-time contestant.

Pictured above: Jordin took to guitar for Jewel's 'You Were Meant For Me,' showing off her ability to be vulnerable and soft with her voice. Instrumentation is not an ability contestants get to demonstrate on the show, so it was refreshing that she and other contestants had the confidence to do so.

If you think American Idols Live is a show best reserved for obsessed tweens and grandmas, you're soooo right. Taking a bunch of incredibly talented young people and making them sing middle-of-the road ballads and poppy up-tempos is as cheesy as it sounds, but if you pay close enough attention, you might see a few of these future stars shine bright.

Pre-Emmy Celebration at Opera and Crimson in Hollywood, CA. September 15, 2007.

2007-09-17T04:07:03-04:00

I believe Confucius once said, "If you're going to go out, go out big with an Emmy party." While I attribute much of what has been a pretty unbelievable summer to being a part of this dark corner (really, the colors are dark) of Billboard.com, LG has also been such a huge part of this whole experience as well. From providing the bloggers with phones and random LG goodies inside our stylish Billboard backpacks (which I take to the beach with me in hopes of attracting women while I deliberately walk backwards and make declarative, minor lies like, "I MAKE LOTS OF MONEY!!!") to giving us this opportunity to share our experiences with a tiny slice of the online world, I am beyond grateful to everyone I've interacted with at LG and at Billboard for inspiring me to make the most of this summer. While the Billboard name has helped me out tremendously this summer, it was LG that gave me the opportunity to hang out in the outdoor LG lounge while I rubbed elbows with some of my favorite Hollywood stars at a pre-Emmy party on Saturday night.

After spending more money in a couple hours than I allow myself to spend in a normal week to create an acceptable hipster outfit for the night, I couldn't believe that I was actually handing my car over to a valet so that I could attend the Entertainment Weekly Pre-Emmy Party. Over the course of the past few months, I've worked the red carpet at the American Idol finale, met Carrie Underwood, seen Marie' Digby perform twice, been published on the snazzy Billboard Mobile Beat Concert Blog, attended a So You Think You Can Dance taping, attended nineteen separate shows (twenty by Monday), and now I was attending an official pre-Emmy party that was much more than me sitting on the floor eating Cap'n Crunch out the box before the television award show started. Honestly, so much of it has been a blur, but what a way to go out (though I am going to the Justin Timberlake concert tomorrow and will probably blog about it out of habit).

With music ranging from Top 40 to hip-hop spinning all night, the party was not only open bar, but was decked out with booths for sponsors LG, Dove chocolate, and Revlon. Right off the red carpet, the many stars from the cast of Ugly Betty made a cozy home inside a booth. Around the corner, the crew from Extra was interviewing stars throughout the night.

Initially, the party was concentrated indoors, as celebrities from Vanessa Williams, to Kevin Sorbo, to Anthony Anderson were interacting with friends around the venue. Eventually, with the DJ providing music that kept energy levels high throughout the night, most of the party moved outside to the LG lounge area outside the club.

The LG lounge area had a pretty cool set up with comfortable couches and lamps that were covered in cell phones. LG phones lined the tables and people could actually use units to make phone calls and send text messages if they wanted to (would have loved to have seen some of the anonymous messages that might have been sent that night). People seemed to like the phones so much that they even mysteriously disappeared as the night went on! Beyond the open bar and some of the hottest bartenders in the history of mankind (when every bartender resembles Carmen Electra, Jamie Pressly, Jessica Alba, or Taylor Swift, you could be drinking sweat from your worst enemy's unmentionables after they ran a marathon and you'd still thank them for making you such a great drink), one of the coolest parts of the outdoor area was the set up of televisions on the wall (I need to get me one of 'dem there TVs on the wall). With a feed that switched from cameras inside the club to shots outside on the red carpet, everyone could see who was making their way down the red carpet before they made it to the club. Maybe it wasn't all that fascinating for the well-dressed stars, but for someone who loves celebrities as much as I, it was pretty cool!

So yes, Dove had free chocolate and Revlon had free makeup things (ok so I took one and have beautiful, voluminous eyelashes without clumps right now... kidding... maybe...), but the LG lounge was definitely the place to be on Saturday night. Celebrities like Eric Dane (Dr. McSteamy), Kate Walsh and Alex Karev from Grey's Anatomy, Eva Longoria from Desperate Housewives, and even John Stamos were just some of the many celebrities that made the LG lounge the place to be on Saturday night. While I never sat on the actual couch, I sat on the armrest while meeting the guys from Grey's Anatomy, which instantly made me feel like my manhood had tripled in size to that of a properly endowed man. It was only a feeling, but it was a good feeling... in my pants.

Inside, people were getting down to songs like Britney's new single "Gimme More," which I'm not afraid to say that I really like (though I also have numerous DVD box sets of Laguna Beach and The Hills, which I'm also not afraid to say that I really like...so take that as you may). Masi Oka from Heroes and his castmates got down on the dance floor for a bit and Heidi Klum enjoyed the music while she chatted it up with some friends by the bar. Really, just seeing all this made me feel like I accidentally in somebody else's dream, as I wouldn't even be able to imagine something like this. The other night, I had a "crazy" dream where I was in New York with my friend Mariana, who lives in New York. What did we do in this "crazy" dream? We went to dinner and talked. Clearly, being at an Emmy Party was the equivalent of me brushing my teeth with the juice from a ten year old baggie of mushrooms before deciding to go to sleep listening to children's songs sung by prison inmates a la Maurice Clarrett.

I got to meet Miss J from America's Next Top Model (eee! That was exciting. He was incredibly tall and incredibly fabulous *does his best catwalk strut around his room before awkwardly shutting his blinds so the apartment next door will stop looking at him just looking fierce in his feather boa*), T.R. Knight from Grey's Anatomy along with the aforementioned Grey's Anatomy cast members, Eric Mabius and Michael Urie from Ugly Betty, and Masi Oka for the second time as well! (He spoke at one of my classes last year). All of them were incredibly kind and even took the time to strike up conversations with me, a kid who just watches all of them on DVR with a bucket of ice cream in his lap, a hand in a big bag of Chex Mix, while reading Teen Vogue and cursing my cellulite ridden legs. It was unreal and it was such a surprise to me that they were all so overwhelmingly kind to me and even said hi to me when we crossed paths throughout the night.

As great as it was to meet so many of my favorite stars, it was just that much more surreal to just see so many of them hanging out and having a great time, like normal people! I got to roam around free, small talk with some really nice people from all walks of life, all while seeing Jamie Pressly joke around with friends and Andrea Bowen from Desperate Housewives dancing to the beat of the music while she walked around the club with friends. Padma Lakshmi from Bravo looked unbelievable, as did Olivia Wilde from The OC (and now House M.D.), who I would have loved to have spoken to, but I was much too intimidated by how pretty she looked.

I could talk about all the unreal things that happened to me all night until my keyboard gives up the ghost, but because I don't want Billboard to have to pay for more server space from my overwhelming amount of text, I'll cut myself off. While I don't want to say that this will be the one and only time that I'll get to do something like this just yet because I hope I get to this point again at some point in life, I can definitely say that it was another life experience courtesy of this summer that I'll never ever forget. I'm so grateful to LG and Billboard for letting me not only experience Saturday night, but so much of what has been this past summer for me.

At the beginning of this whole experience, I was in a bit of a tough place. I was more than struggling at my new job (in my opinion), my car had just gotten stolen, and I was already working two jobs to help cover an unexpected car payment. I didn't know as much about music compared to some of my fellow bloggers, but I knew that I really loved blogging and that it was a ton of fun for me to do it. A little over two months later, I will have been to twenty shows in the Summer of 2007 by Monday night and I've loved it all. Something about that is both ridiculous and something that I'm really proud of at the same time. It has been an experience in itself to share my experiences with this small island of the Internet.

While I'll be one of the first to admit that I have more than questionable taste in music for a guy my age, this summer gave me the opportunity to check out a lot of concerts that I otherwise never would have seen. While I went to many a show on my own desire and own dime, I think that overall, this experience really showed me how much I absolutely love to take in live music. From taking in your favorite superstar artist to getting excited about an artist on the rise, there's nothing like it in the world. Above all else, I'll never forget this incredible opportunity.

Thank you to Billboard. Thank you to LG. It has been an absolute blast.

9/14: DMB @ Sound Advice Amphitheater, WPB, Florida

2007-09-17T00:19:25-04:00

It’s only fitting that my final blog be from a DMB show! What an incredible summer this has been! Once again, thank you Billboard for letting me live out my dream as a music journalist. This was the best, won’t-pay-my-bills job I ever had! And to those of you who've actually taken the time to see the music world through my eyes, even for just a night or two, I hope you enjoyed!

Not having seen DMB since exactly one month prior on August 14th (can you feel my withdrawal shakes through the computer?)at SPAC, and having to experience Alpine Valley vicariously through mid-show texts and message board posts, I was counting down the days to my Florida excursion. Shacking up at hotel de Grandma and Grandpa offered a slightly different type of pre-show prep (brisket, anyone?), but no trip to the Sunshine State would be complete without some QT with the fam, right! After picking up my seat date Reid and fellow concert buddies Casey and Kristen from their poolside pre-party, it was time for the show at Sound Advice!

Um, is this a sauna or an amphitheater?? Can someone turn up the A/C please!?!? At around 8:30 pm on a steamy Friday night, DMB strolled onto the stage and thanked their sweaty, screaming fans for coming. It wasn’t too long before Dave astutely observed that it was “a little warm in here” and was in need of a wardrobe change. But, the sticky heat didn’t slow down the band or the audience. The guys put on an awesome show, the crowd was full of energy, and I was psyched I made the trip down south to see my favorite band in a new venue.

An early set “Loving Wings” was probably the first of many highlights for me (although I’ll take a PNP>Rapunzel any show of the week). The jam at the end of this already beautifully sweet love song gets better and a little different every time I hear it. And watching Dave strum away, dancing with eyes closed and smiling, reminds us that they’re having just as much fun up there as we are down here…maybe sometimes even more.

“The Song That Jane Likes” is a favorite blast from the past that I regretfully missed after not sticking around for Camden N2. Was glad to hear it!

“Cornbread” is HOT! Definitely the best new song on this tour, in my opinion. I wish I could fully decipher Dave’s lyrics on this funky little southern-like tune…though I think it’s safe to say that he changes them a bit each night and they’re definitely not PG-rated!

This was the first time I’ve heard a whole band “Eh-Hee.” LOVED IT! The fuller, louder, more intense version rocks. It wouldn’t be the Dave Matthews Band without Carter, Boyd, Stefan, Leroi, Butch and Rashawn. No matter how many times I see them live, I’m still blown away by what comes out when all of the guys are on stage together. It’s times like this I wish I could fill a row or two with all my family and friends who have never seen the band live and “just don’t get” why I (as well as so many others) see so many shows. This is definitely a band you need to experience live, at least once! I guarantee you'll go back for more!

When Stefan starts “Crush” I always sigh, say to myself that it’s not my favorite song and then I kind of sit back and relax a bit…until the end. The extended outro jam totally makes the song worth it for me and convinces me that I really do love it, especially live. Every guy in the band gets to show off his stuff at some point during this jazzy tune, until they all completely rock out together again at the end.

It’s always interesting to hear what under played tune the guys are going to dust off for the night. “If I Had It All” is definitely not one I would have guessed had I not received a sound check spoiler about it, nor is it one I’d probably vote on if actually asked…but clearly I know nothing, because it was a great, surprisingly refreshing choice. Breathing new life into it was a beautifully harmonized tease of Simply Red’s “Holding Back The Years,” with Dave, Rashawn, Carter and perhaps Butch (though I couldn’t see him) sharing vocals on the repeated chorus line “I’ll keep holding on…” This was definitely a favorite part of the night for me.

"Sweet Up And Down” back to back with "Grey Street”…it doesn’t get much better than that folks! Despite their drenched clothes and the sweat-soaked stage, DMB turned up the heat even higher by blasting us with two of their highest energy tunes. A little more than half way through the set and these guys act like they’re just getting started. At this point, the sweatier the better!

After a passionately sung “Shotgun” that I’m sure gives many other fans chills as well, the opening guitar notes of my forever favorite “Dancing Nancies” started. I seriously NEVER get sick of this song, probably in part because it’s not a staple at every show. The song always brings me back to when I first fell in love with the band nearly 12 years ago (damn, that sounds like a long time ago!) in my college dorm. From the philosophical lyrics, “Could I have been, anyone other than me,” to the fusion of all the instruments that creates the quintessential DMB sound…it just makes me giddy. Watching Dave and Boyd duel it out with guitar and violin is absolutely hypnotizing.

“So Much To Say”>”Anyone Seen The Bridge”>”Too Much” is a song merge that keeps getting better with age. The freeze frame theatrics before they totally tear it up are hilarious. And if you’re not lucky enough to land a seat in front of fan-friendly bassist Stefan, then “ASTB” is your best chance to catch a wink or a smile from him while he jams his way across the stage.

After a solo Dave “Gravedigger,” Boyd completely brought down the house with his rock star violin jam on “Louisiana Bayou.” He puts any electric guitar god to shame…hands down! As soon as Carter pounded out the drum intro to DMB anthem “Ants Marching,” the crowd went even more nuts. I don’t care how many times you hear this song…when an entire theater or stadium is singing “People in every direction…” it’s impossible not to be overwhelmed. I can’t even imagine what that must feel like on stage!

WPB N1 was amazing (as was N2, but “technically” my blogging gig came to an end Friday night, so keeping it all fair in the Billboard blogosphere). Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!!

9/9: Farm Aid Press Conference @ Randall's Island, NYC

2007-09-16T21:55:53-04:00

If there was one show I really wanted to cover to this summer, it was Farm Aid…even writing a letter to the Farm Yard advocating for myself (which proved unnecessary anyway when you have Billboard in your corner). For those of you unfamiliar with this annual event (calling it a concert just doesn’t do it justice), here it is in a nutshell: “Farm Aid is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to keep family farmers on their land.” Rock legends Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid show 22 years ago in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise money so that family farmers could keep their land. Dave Matthews joined the board of directors in 2001. Over the past 2 decades, it’s turned into a huge, all day affair that includes incredible musical performances, delicious food (all organic and family grown, of course) and information about how we, as music abiding citizens, can help support Farm Aid’s “Good Food Movement.” As a lover of both good music and good food (those of you who know me know that one doesn’t necessarily supercede the other), there’s no way I was missing the chance to blog about Farm Aid, especially since this was the first year it was going to leave its footprints on New York soil! Rather than staging this “longest running benefit concert series” somewhere in America’s heartland, as it has more often than not done in years past, Farm Aid’s board decided it was time to bring their big show to the Big Apple. Woohoo! I’m not the biggest fan of festival type shows (usually feeling cheated by the shorter set times, overwhelmed by the massive crowds and frustrated with the usually restricted general admission view), but Farm Aid is different…aside from the obvious (i.e. great music and food), it’s for a good cause and there’s a great “we’re one big happy family” vibe in the air. Quite simply, it’s just a really fun day! Oh, and Randall’s Island has actual seats in addition to GA lawn.

Setting up shop at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island was the perfect choice, allowing the perimeter of the open field to be lined with concession stands of organic, family farm grown goods. From healthy versions of concert staples like French fries and chicken tenders (my personal concert meal of choice) to falafel, chicken kabobs, Cliff bars, granola and yogurt…us urban folks had a virtual smorgasbord of fresh, delectable choices to sustain us throughout the unusually hot September afternoon. Even the performers weren’t immune to temptation. Early in the day we spotted Tim Reynolds sampling some of the eats, and mid his acoustic set, Dave suggested we get some of the organic corn dogs, admitting that he “already had five.” Umm, perhaps a night I’m not tempted try to sneak onto his bus after the show. See, I’m not completely insane ;-).

I was a little disappointed when I got a call from Farm Aid late Friday afternoon telling me that I would no longer have photo privileges because the pit was being reserved for only “professional” photogs. I mean, is an LG not official enough?? No worries…they assured me I still had media access to the press conference prior to the show as well as the media tent throughout the day/night. And after seeing the gazillion hungry photographers rushing the stage for the first 2 songs of each artist’s set, I was relieved not to be in the mix.

Not having any idea what to expect from a press conference, I was having slight panic attacks throughout the week over the thought of actually being able to talk to any of the 4 music icons headlining the event. No joke, my palms are re-clamming just typing about it even though it’s been a week since the event and one on one time with the artists never even happened! The press conference was set to start at 11:00 am, but it was suggested we get there about 9:30 for press check in. Heading onto the Bronx River Parkway at 9:30, only to discover my tickets were still home did NOT help the nerves. Thank goodness Dave’s sound check was running a little late, which we were lucky enough to hear from where we were sitting.

At the press conference were the four board members, as well as representatives from Farm Aid and NY State, including Elliot Spitzer and a speaker from Bloomberg's office. To open the conference, Spitzer proudly announced that it was officially "Farm Aid Day" and reminded us that despite housing the largest city in the country, NY was also a farming state and one of the country's biggest apple suppliers (the first of many mini history lessons I'd learn over the next hour). "We're the biggest media city," boasted Spitzer. "If we can get the message started and out from here, we'll be doing something huge!" Following Spitzer's NYC plug, the four rock star headliners each took turns discussing the importance of Farm Aid and brining the event to NYC.

Farm Aid's founder, Willie Nelson, fielded the first and most pressing question of the day, "Why NYC?" by explaining that since ours is the most populated city in the nation with different ethnicities who appreciate good food, it was an obvious choice. "Plus, it's always good to go somewhere we're wanted."

So after all these years I've finally learned that if I wanted to meet Mr. Matthews, I should have… brought him a bag of fresh picked tomatoes?? If food is the way to a man's heart, tomatoes might be the way to his. But not just some almost red sad lookin' tomato...these tomaters gots to be the good ones! When asked "Why should we care where our food comes from?" Dave, always adding a taste of humor, told us about a time when his family's septic tank had problems (ironically when they lived north of NYC) and all of a sudden tomatoes started sprouting. Apparently he wasn't as concerned with the origin of his food back then, as his wiser, older brother was the only one who wouldn't eat 'em. "Food is fine, but food can be great and there's a big difference between ok food and great food. I mean, the difference between a tomato that you buy off a rack that doesn't tell you anything about it in a giant supermarket and a big fat juicy blowin' up on itself tomato, a multicoloered thing that grew out in the sun being tended to beautifully is sorta immeasurable...Good food that's grown beautifully and lovingly...It just tastes better, and it makes ya a lot smarter too! When I first came to Farm Aid, I was even slower than I am...and it's good for the farmers if ya eat good food too."

Neil Young reinforced the fact that family farmers protect the environment by stopping big corporations and factory farms from destroying the land. "It's economically sound to protect the land we live off." Seems like a no-brainer, right!?! Too bad it's still a novel concept to so many. Neil's not just another celeb-turned-trendy activist...he's done his homework and can back up his claims about why "family farms/sustainable farming is the key to the future of not only us but the human race." He even taught us native NYers a thing or two about our great state, explaining that the reason "New York's got the best water in the United States" is because when you go upstream, only sustainable farms are allowed to exist along the riverbanks. You mean, I can drink the...dare I say it...tap water!?!? But what will I do without my Brita Filter?

Finally, the ultimate "everyman" man, John Mellencamp, reassured skeptics that healhy, organic food isn't just for rich people who shop at fancy boutique supermarkets...where he lives, there are no fancy food markets. "Fancy markets are the local markets." And for those of us obsessed with Whole Foods (guilty as charged...brown rice sushi anyone? YUUMM!), Spitzer claimed there are 70 greenmarkets all over the city for local farmers.

The best news of the day came from Neil Young when he volunteered he and his friends to come back to NYC any time we'd like and have "Farm Aid Week." Fingers crossed, Neil...fingers crossed!!

Now, onto the show...

STEVE VAI @ The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA 9.12.07

2007-09-16T21:28:23-04:00

My last concert review assignment for Billboard/Mobilebeat -- what a bummer!

I have to say THANK YOU again to Billboard & LG for this wonderful experience -- I've enjoyed every minute of it, and hate for it to end!

But what an amazing show to get to see and photograph for my last assignment -- Steve Vai at the historic Fillmore in San Francisco.

As I traveled to Chicago and spent 11 hours in a stadium watching some of the greatest in the world at the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival, you've probably noticed that I LOVE the electric guitar. To get a chance to see Steve Vai, who is considered to be one of the all-time greatest guitar players was very exciting. ( Steve Vai was not at Crossroads this year, but was at the first Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004 ... and if you haven't bought or rented that DVD yet, GO DO IT!)

But wait ... there's more!

Steve Vai's opening act was another INCREDIBLE guitar player ... Orianthi.

Orianthi is a 22-year old young lady from Australia, and she players the guitar like you would not believe. (And she's absolutely gorgeous too!) Not surprising to learn that she is somewhat of a protege of Carlos Santana (one of my Top 3 Favorite Guitar Players), who she lists as one of her top musical inspirations. Her music ranged from one song which had a very Santana feel to it -- to heavy metal.

Orianthi is an amazingly talented young woman. After her set, she was signing autographs in the lobby ... I had a photo signed for my two sons. Well, I knew that my 12 year old would really appreciate the fact that this girl is beautiful, and I told them, "Keep this. This girl is going to be a BIG STAR someday." (You read it here, folks!) :-)

Steve Vai looks every bit the rock star -- his clothes, his hair, his lighting, and his guitars convey the perfect rock star image. But he's SO much more than that! His music is not exclusively rock; like his opening act, Orianthi, he plays many styles of music, and as he is a TRUE MUSICIAN (somebody who KNOWS music -- he's not just somebody who PLAYS music); it's an absolute thrill to see him perform.

OK, let me amend that ... he's not JUST a musician, he's also a PERFORMER. He's fun to look at! He puts on a SHOW!! (I mean seriously ... if you didn't care for a particular song, all you'd have to do is just WATCH him and you'd be plenty entertained ... with his hair being blown straight up by fans, his facial expressions, his moves, his clothing changes, the lights & the fog ... he even had a see-through guitar with a light-show going on inside!!)

Let me tell you a little bit about Steve Vai, and I think you'll understand just what an incredible guitar player and performer he is.

At the age of 14 he took guitar lessons from ... JOE SATRIANI. (Enough said? You want more??)

His first band gig was with Frank Zappa. (He occasionally sits in as a special guest with Dweezil Zappa's "Zappa Plays Zappa," which was expertly reviewed and photographed recently by SOMEBODY on this very website.) :-)

He has played with David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osborne, Al Di Meola, Eric Johnson, and Joe Satriani, among others.

He won a Grammy Award in 1994 for his performance on Frank Zappa's song "Sofa," from the "Zappa's Universe" album. He appears on many lists of "top guitar players of all time," and his guitar solo from his song, "For the Love of God" has been voted one of the "top guitar solos of all time."

Vai's work and his passion for music are all about creating new and different sounds. In 2002 he performed with the 100-piece Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, doing a concerto for electric guitar and (100-piece!!) orchestra written by an esteemed Japanese composer and pianist, Ichiro Nodaira.

His band includes to of the most incredible violin players you've ever seen. I can't find much information about them on the internet to share with you, but they clearly are both "classically trained" violinists. They performed a Dueling Violins that was a highlight of the show and just about brought the house down.

Their Battle of the Violins gave me goose bumps ...

Steve Vai has a "Jerry Rice-like" work ethic ... it's reported that he practices the guitar TEN HOURS A DAY. Reminds me of that old joke: "How do you get to Carneige Hall?" Answer: "Practice, practice, practice."

Steve Vai is a very special musician and performer, and I'm delighted that I had a chance to see his show. Thank you again, Billboard and LG! And thanks to all my friends, acquaintances, and people I don’t even know who have read my blogs and posted comments.

-- Lesley Beals

9/9: Farm Aid @ Randall's Island, NYC

2007-09-16T20:13:16-04:00

Typical of festival type shows, the earlier part of the day was reserved for shorter sets, by less mainstream names like Polka rocker Jimmy Sturr, country crooner Billy Joe Shaver, rock n' rollers the Supersuckers, and The Ditty Pops, who proved their devotion to preserving the environment by biking over to the show (so said Darryl Hannah upon introducing them). 21st Century country stars Montgomery Gentry kicked off the transition into longer stage times with a 4 song set that included "Hillbilly Shoes," "Daddy Won't Sell the Farm," "What Do You Think About That" and "My Town."

Hassidic rap wonder Matisyahu stole the still sun-drenched afternoon portion of the show by bringing his religious infused rhymes to the mainstage. "Kodesh" aptly paid homage to the water, but it was his off the hook beatbox jam that was most inspiring and had us singing his praises! Derek Trucks took his own band out on the stage for a soulful set before joining the Allmans and then Mellencamp later in the night. The guitar phenoms wife Susan Tedeschi lent her harmonizing vocals to "Soul Serenade" and "Key to the Highway." Alterna pop/rock band Guster followed with a longer set filled with their put-a-smile-on-your-face-make-ya-wanna-bop-up-and-down organic tunes.

Guster Set List: Captain, Manifest Destiny, Satellite, Amsterdam, Airport Song

One of the busier men of the night, Warren Haynes, treated us to a solo acoustic set, highlighted by an emotionally sung version of U2's "One" and topped off with his signature classic "Soulshine."

Warren Haynes Set List: Indian Sunset (rare Elton John cover), Ballerina, One (U2 cover), Soulshine

I was psyched when I heard Counting Crows were hitting up Farm Aid. They're one of my absolute favorite bands who don't hit the road as often as this fan would like. Thanks to a new album under their belts and perhaps Farm Aid being hosted in their hometown, the Crows perched themselves up on the stage for a 5 song set that mixed old and new. High energy old school classics like "Rain King" (which sounds way better live than as my ring tone) and "A Murder of One" had frontman Adam Duritz running and leaping (and on occassion miss-stepping...ouch!) all over the stage and speakers. Unfortunately though, the "get on up" vibe was cut short with a slow "Washington Square," the first single off their new album called Sunday Mornings, and a somewhat depressing "Long December" which seemed ill-placed on such a steamy Septemeber afternoon. Regardless of ending their set on a more sedate note, I still love these guys!

Counting Crows Set List: Rain King, Recovering The Satellites, Washington Square, Murder of One, Long December

Gregg Allman's short acoustic set, accompanied by Willie Nelson on "Midnight Rider" and Dave Matthews and Warren Haynes on "Sweet Melissa," was a rare treat before the rest of "The Brothers" joined Gregg on stage for a full on Southern Rock fest of greatest hits that lasted nearly an hour (one of the longer sets of the night).

Gregg Allman Set List: Midnight Rider, Sweet Melissa, Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Allman Brothers Set List: Statesboro Blues, One Way Out, Trouble No More, Who's Been Talking, Revival

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds..."Dreaming Tree"...need I say more!?!? NO WAY anyone could have predicted that one...a rare tune in and of itself at any DMB show (that's fortunately infiltrating the set lists more and more this summer) and one that Dave and Tim have never played together before (perhaps Mr. Yee called in a favor for us from Michigan). Definitely one of the most beautiful versions I've ever heard, especially considering Dave's admittedly hoarse voice after DMB's show the night before in Atlanta. His vocals sounded great! Giving the whole audience a glimpse into the intimate dynamic at a D&T show, Dave treated us to some lighthearted, inter-song Davespeak. Despite being one of if not the biggest draw of the night (and that's not me being biased...the crowd went nuts when he and guitar extraordinaire Tim Reynolds took the stage), Dave poked fun of his own guitar (in)abilities by joking that he "only knows one" song (while longtime touring mate Tim knows a lot), so he has to keep switching guitars so it sounds different.

"I love a good tomater! Not just a round thing, look like a ball that'll break if ya chuck it, but a big, lumpy, voluptuous joyful and almost rude tomato...ymmm...make your mouth hurt it tastes so good!" (Think he's got a thing for tomatoes?)

No doubt the funniest part of the night was when Dave accidentally started "LIOG" again after opening the set with it only 5 songs prior! "Just kidding! (laughs) I wasn't actually. I was gonna go ahead and play it again. Must have been something I smelled earlier."

Dave & Tim Set List: Lie In Our Graves, Gravedigger, Crush, The Maker (Daniel Lanois cover), Dreaming Tree, (LIOG tease), Ants Marching

John Mellencamp's set was one of my favorites of the night, as it was the previous year as well. Sing-a-long hits like "Scarecrow," "Paper in Fire" and "Small Town" got everyone on their feet and were complemented by new tunes "Troubled Land" and "If I Die Sudden." Highlights of the night included stripped down, slower solo acoustic versions of Chevy theme song "Our Country" and "To Washington," which Mellencamp ironically wrote 8 years earlier before the war even started. Truck's wife (and Mellencamp ex) Susan Tedeschi helped Mellencamp close out his set with a rockin', fist pumping version of "Pink Houses."

John Mellencamp Set List: Troubled Land, Scarecrow, If I Die Sudden (w/ Derek Trucks), Paper In Fire, Our Country, To Washington, Small Town, Pink Houses (w/ Susan Tedeschi)

In true Farm Aid tradition, Neil Young and then Willie Nelson ended the evening with a little help from their families. Neil Young, along with wife Pegi, lived up to his legendary status as "one of rock n' rolls' most prolific songwriters" by serenading us with beautiful classics like "Human Highway," "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" and my personal favorite "Heart of Gold." Willie accompanied him on Farm Aid mantra "Homegrown" before closing out the whole show with a 10 song set that blew past the 11pm curfew.

Neil Young's Set List: Human Highway, Silver and Gold, Beautiful Bluebird, Too Far Gone, Everybody Knows..., Heart of Gold, Homegrown, Strong Winds

Backed by a band filled with mostly his own children, Willie played probably the longest set of the night. The proud papa let his kids steal the spotlight on tunes like "Day to Day" and "Whiskey River" before bidding us goodnight with a full stadium sing-a-long of his signature set closer "On The Road Again."

What a day! 12+ hours, 20 performances and appx. 87 songs later...when's the next one??

Carmen and Camille @ S.I.R. Studios, NYC

2007-09-16T17:14:34-04:00

Those of you still recovering from last week's MTV Video Award’s Britney Bomb need not fear any longer. The future of the world’s existence, and more importantly its potential to produce worthwhile pop princesses, is secure. Enter onto the music scene Carmen and Camille, 22-year old twin sisters from Vancouver who have been singing and playing music together since they were 5-years old. Key phrase there: “playing music.” These girls, sort of channeling Stevie Nicks with their long blonde hair, all black attire and hanging silk scarves, are as much talented instrumentalists as they are singers. Camille serves as vocalists, guitarist and songwriter while sis Carmen adds harmonizing vocals, flute and sometimes tambourine. The twin team has hit the hottest spots throughout Canada, sung their way through Budapest, Australia and the Caribbean, and recently starred as one of the only female fronted, non-metal acts at Locobazooka up in Mass.

Not having time to do a ton of research before seeing the girls live, I had no idea what to expect. However, at least knowing that Carmen and Camille recently made the cut as one of Billboard’s featured artists assuaged any doubts I might have had that I was being sent in to cover an overly flowery teeny-bopper act. This was by far the most unique “show” I’ve seen all summer. It’s not often you get to shmooze over pastries with industry insiders and record label reps while enjoying a private performance in a NYC recording studio…unless of course you’re “working” for Billboard, that is. As an indie act, Carmen and Camille put on an eight-song, 45 minute showcase at S.I.R. studios for about “a dozen key people” (Was I one of those people??). Despite the fact that they were playing for an audience slightly tamer than the one they entertained at last week’s New England Loco Fest (headlined by Heaven and Hell and Alice Cooper, just to name of few…if that gives you an idea), the girls still rocked out and gave us their all. When they came over after their show and asked if it was “weird for us” to see a performance in such an intimate setting, we all responded by saying we felt uncomfortable for them…having to tear it up for a handful of sitting ducks. The super sweet duo proved to already be well-polished, seeming to understand that these non-concert shows come with the territory of trying to get signed…a feat I doubt will be too difficult for them to overcome as they continue to get more buzz.

C&C is a totally refreshing, welcome addition to the world of radio friendly pop/rock music. These girls are legit singers, songwriters and musicians who have yet to cross the line between widely appealing catchy music and overly manufactured bubble gum pop. Major props to the fact that they play instruments and write music themselves, as well as have a full rock band backing them, including drums, keyboard, guitar and bass. Thanking us profusely for coming and taking the time to chat with us after their performance (as did their band mates as well) only added to their charm…and the fact that they are two adorable blondes I’m sure won’t hurt either. Hopefully they’ll maintain their down-to-earth graciousness when they hit it big, which will surely be sooner than later. The 3^rd tune they played for us, “I Will Never” is set to appear on MTV’s The Hills this Monday, 9/17, and their first single “Lose My Voice” has already been videophied on MTV. My (and Carmen’s) favorite of the set was “Fantasy,” a march-like song that probably has the most rock influence in it.

Even treating us to an encore, the girls ended their short set with the ballad "To Believe" that really showed off how beautiful their voices are both individually and as a harmonizing vocal team. I think that if artists sound great live, with out the enhancements of studio re-mixing, it's a true testament to their talents. And how can you not love 2 frontwomen who hug and kiss one another upon finishing up their performance. You go girls!

Marie' Digby's Residency Kickoff at The Hotel Cafe' in Hollywood, CA. September 11, 2007

2007-09-15T03:16:05-04:00

Depending on who you talk to, the drama that was last week for Marie' Digby came at either the best or worst possible time. While most would love to be on the front page of the Wall Street Journal like Digby was last week, the rising star was portrayed in an unfavorable light in the nationwide publication. On her end, Marie had only her MySpace page, live shows, and fans to defend herself from an article that filled the blogosphere (and even took over the comment section of my previous post as of late) this past week. The article made its way onto breakfast tables the week before the YouTube star was about to kickoff a month long residency at the famed SoCal music hot spot, The Hotel Cafe'. Coinciding with the release of Digby's new four-song EP to iTunes, for the first time in a while, there was some question as to whether Digby's positive momentum would continue after the article cast a shadow on her recent success. As I walked up to the venue an hour before the doors opened and saw a line already forming against the wall. It was clear that Digby's fans were still coming out to support her and they would continue to come out in a very big way. Perhaps surprisingly, Marie' was not about to shy away from addressing the events of the past week. But not surprisingly, Marie' continued to impress with her original music and stage presence, and ultimately left everyone excited about what the future holds for the up and coming star.

Much of last week's controversy centered around the fact that Marie' has been signed to Hollywood Records since 2005, when Marie' was yet another relative unknown artist who was signed by a major label, but was still waiting for a chance. However, part of the "story" seems to have gotten twisted in many casual readers' minds. Even though the article never said it, many have come away with the idea that Digby's YouTube videos and MySpace page are both clever marketing ploys by a record label trying to take advantage of the viral nature of online video and social networking. The reality is that while Marie' is signed to a label, her popular YouTube videos and interactive MySpace page, which both essentially gave her the popularity she enjoys today, have always been owned, updated, and managed by her - working as outlets for Marie' to not only gather an audience for herself, but spaces where she could prove herself to a label that manages some of today's biggest teen acts (Good luck, Vanessa Anne Hudgens).

After taking the stage to a huge ovation in front of yet another capacity crowd, Marie' was especially gracious on Tuesday night to all her fans for coming out. Even though she was amongst fans and really didn't have to explain anything that hadn't already been aired out, Marie' took a minute to speak very candidly on the past week. She admitted that the past week was a difficult one on her, but that it was extremely encouraging to see so many new and familiar faces come out for the first night of what will undoubtedly be a sold out residency at Hotel Cafe'.

When Marie' opened up with "Mistaken" and it seemed as though the past week had shaken her a bit. Rhythmically playing on the keyboard, Marie' made eye contact with fans in the crowd and smiled through what had to be one of the more challenging openings that she has performed in a while. From my front row seat, Marie' looked genuinely grateful to see that so many continued to support her, but she was perhaps the most surprised of anyone in attendance as every fan I spoke with was so in awe of her. I get the feeling that Digby's genuine feeling of gratitude is never going to leave her as she continues to rise in the music industry. At the core, Marie' is still an artist who is beginning to really get discovered after years in the industry playing at open mic nights in front of crowds the fraction of the size she enjoys today. After seeing many a superstar act this summer, it's honestly very exciting for me to get to witness the rise of an artist that is not only quickly establishing an audience, but an on-stage identity as well.

Though her Neutrogena commercial-worthy natural good looks (eat your heart out, Hayden Panettiere) and Pantene Pro-V commercial worthy hair (eat your heart out....attractive women with nice hair....) don't hurt the cause, because of the unique way that her audience discovered her online, it's hard not to feel like you are watching a friend perform when seeing Marie' on stage. With her warm demeanor that finds her literally having conversations with her fans both on and off stage, the audience immediately quieted at the outset of every song before erupting into applause after each performance. Not only did everyone want to hear her songs, but everyone wanted to hear her carefree banter as well. While Marie' is quietly becoming a household name in the LA area, it's very refreshing to see her on stage and realize that she's just a regular person at the end of the day (albeit a ridiculously good looking regular person).

In one of the funnier moments on the night, Marie' told the audience that we had to warn her if anything started "falling out," or if she was having any kind of wardrobe malfunction courtesy of the top she was wearing. One of the most vocal fans on the night, a fan by the name of T2 (Marie' smiled and asked, "Is that your real name?" after he announced his name) loudly responded "WE WON'T!!" Digby and the audience shared a good laugh and she handled it well - and she continued to handle friendly Tourettes-like exclamations with grace from fans (or fan) would yell out things like "MAN, YOU'RE HOT!!!", "Damn, you're cute!!!", and "RIHANNA WHO?!?!" between performances. I'm not going to lie, it really gave the show character to see the incredibly humble Digby smile in the face of such bold compliments that are generally reserved for "sexy time" that some people have with their doors locked in the friendly company of a glowing computer screen.

By her second performance, "Stupid for You," Marie' had settled in and seemed to put all the drama behind her. She hit her stride just in time for one of my personal favorites, "Beauty Walking Away." "Beauty..." is a smooth moving ballad that shows off not only Digby's talents as a vocalist, but as a songwriter as well. It is one of those rare songs that you just never get tired of, joining Carrie Underwood's "So Small" and Rascal Flatts' "God Bless the Broken Road" on my version of that rather exclusive list.

Later, Marie' dedicated her second ever live performance of "Traffic," which features Marie' on a reaching chorus accompanied by a rhythmic electric guitar courtesy of her friend Lance, to a first time Marie' concert goer named Chris, who was sitting next to me. Over the course of four minutes that would have made most guys in the audience need to go shopping for new pants, with her eyes locked in and jealousy becoming the emotion of choice for the males in attendance, Marie' sang the song right to him in a little bit of a gender reversal of an Usher concert when he performs "Nice and Slow" for a member of the audience - just without the gyrating, sunglasses, bulging muscles, and occasional dry-humping. Though Usher puts on a good show, Marie' went a bit less aggressive and just sat and sang. For me, it was probably more enjoyable (not that Usher isn't a good looking guy, and yes, I do appreciate a good microphone stand hump every now and again).

Of course, Marie' performed "Umbrella," much to the delight of the crowd. What is interesting is that while most of her fans got to know her for her cover of the summer anthem, her original music is quickly becoming the reason to see her live. While the arrangements of her songs are generally pretty simple with straightforward melodies, its their simplicity that makes them not only good, but a perfect fit with Digby's emotion filled vocals. From her performance of "Voice on the Radio," which she performed with a different arrangement on the first chorus than I was used to hearing (and actually liked more), to the closing out of her show with "Unfold," Marie' is deservedly being recognized for being so much more than "that 'Umbrella' girl."

As I mentioned in my previous write up on Marie', "Unfold" is an extremely personal track with some powerful lyrics that are probably what the writers of "I'm not a Girl, not yet a Woman" were hoping to achieve years ago before Britney stopped being hot and/or cool, all before she decided she wanted to rock awkwardly side to side on stage at award shows (What happened to the hot Brit Brit with the snake?? The "I'm a Slave 4 U" OMFG that snake is hugeeee Brit Brit?? I miss her...). "Unfold" really shows off Marie's control over the lower register of her voice, but it's the emotional live performance of the song that truly sets it apart.

With all the controversy of last week now a distant memory, I'm looking forward to the focus on Marie' getting back to her music. One of the things that makes Marie' unique is that her fans take so much ownership of her success - much like Carrie Underwood's fans take pride in watching her succeed since voting for her on American Idol. Marie' made herself accessible to her fans, via YouTube, email, and MySpace, and as a result, her fans keep coming back, selling out her shows, and spreading her music to their friends because they want to see her succeed.

After seeing her videos on YouTube and seeing her perform two weeks ago, it was actually a very proud moment for me to see Marie' bounce back and pull off a great set in the face of a less than perfect week that will inevitably rear its ugly head for most any rising star in the entertainment industry. Now that the focus can finally get back to Marie' and her music, it is exciting to watch Marie' to shed her identity as the "YouTube Cover Girl" by the strength of her original music. There is indeed life beyond "Umbrella," and it's only a matter of time until she makes Marie' Digby a name that first time listeners won't soon forget.

Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals: Chicago, IL 09.06.07

2007-09-14T01:59:58-04:00

On the rainy night of September 6^th, I had the pleasure of going to see Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals play at the historical Chicago Theatre. It may not be possible to not be in awe regardless of who is performing when you enter into the beautiful Chicago Theatre. However, Harper and the Innocent Criminals let the theatre be only a background to great show they put on that night.

There was quite the evident feel good vibe flowing throughout the auditorium that night. Although Harper is a natural crowd pleaser, his fans seem to truly love and respect his music. Every person in the audience had a smile on their face while listening and watching the concert. There seemed to not be a person in the audience who was not standing up and cheering for the talent which we were all in the presence of. Harper’s vocals along with the instrumental talents of the Innocent Criminals reminded you that great live performers still exist today.

Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals Lifeline was just recently released in late August. Yet, almost everyone was on their feet dancing, smiling and singing along to every song which was played. I am not at all surprised that the album is an instant hit with his fan base. Seeing this group perform together was unbelievable. Harper’s voice and lyrics are able to put the audience in a trance. However, the band seems to turn this musical genius into quite the performing package. The Innocent Criminals move along the rhythmic feel of Lifeline’s lyrics and sound.

I have been a fan of Harper for a long time, and his lyrics are something that has always kept me a fan of his music. A song that seemed remnant of Harper’s Walk Away, and Waiting on and Angel is the title track Lifeline. You are able to hear Harper’s own voice and also focus in on the lyrics that are being sung to you. When Harper sings songs with lyrics that you can so clearly relate to, you feel as if he is singing directly to you. Harper’s voice is set in a category of live performers, in which you can leave a concert saying that, “His voice live, sounds one hundred times better than on the album itself!”

Harper truly proved his vocal talents when he stopped near the end of the concert and sang to the audience without a microphone. This was one the most intense and also amazing solo performances I have seen in a long time. Harper was able to silence a sold out intoxicated crowd by belting out a song without any assistance. When done, the audience knew they were in the presence of a true musician.

Although Harper is of course able to carry a show, The Innocent Criminal’s instrumental groove was what brought the audience to their feet. The combination of blues and reggae perfectly intertwined with Harper’s range of vocals.

Harper returned to sing an encore after the show was over, and like his microphone free solo, the audience again returned to a state of awe. Harper and The Innocent Criminals put on an amazing show. What is great about this particular show, is that no matter what music you are into, this performance has such a range of musical genres that anyone who is just a fan of music will not only get to see a great show put on but also have a great time. All in all, an unforgettable show.