SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE

 by vivrant thang on my favorite things

When the dog bites, when the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I just simply remember my favorite things
and then I don’t feel so bad.

2007 has been a fantastic year for me musically. One of my New Years Resolutions was to attend one concert a month – and that’s actually one that I kept!

I already mentioned some of the artists I’ve been blessed to see over the past year and I’ve shared video from my musical adventures under the Feeding The Music Jones and Let’s Rock categories.

Don’t have time to peruse those lists? As hard as it was, I chose the top five.

5. Xplosion Dancehall night at Reggae Sumfest – Montego Bay, Jamaica

It was my first trip to Jamaica and I still don’t think I’ve recovered from all the second-hand ganga smoke I ingested or from staying up until 6am with those wild and crazy locals. I loved every minute of it.  This particular night featured artists like Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Movado, Lady Saw and Vegas. If you ever make it there, I warn you, it’s not for the faint of heart. They call it “jump-up” night for a reason!

4. Bailey’s Get Together with Jill Scott –  Ram’s Head Tavern – Baltimore, MD

Jill is currently on tour promoting The Real Thing and I’ll be attending the show in Philly. However, I was fortunate enough to get a sneak preview at a private show – for FREE! This was a show I would have gladly payed full ticket price for. She preformed practically every song from Real Thing and gave us some of the old as well, including “Lyzel in E Flat.”  I swear she sang that song better than she ever has. Gave me chills. I hope you catch Jill when she comes to a venue near you.

Here’s some video of her encore that Lady Butta captured. They actually posted it on Jill’s official website!

3. Bilal – World Cafe Live, Philadelphia

You should already know that I stalk this man up and down the East Coast. I’ve seen him four times this year alone. The Philly show was by far the best of the four. He was home. Of course he was going to show out.

2. Hip Hop Honors Tour featuring Big Daddy Kane, MC Lyte, and The Roots f/Skillz  - Rams Head Live, Baltimore

It’s not often that I do a hip-hop show because well, there are very few rappers these days that I would dig into the bosom account and pay money to see. But THIS show was for those of us who remember letting our tapes rock til our tapes popped. Those of us who know what an MC is. I still knew all the lyrics to every song that MC Lyte and Big Daddy Kane performed. I fell back in love with the “Smooth Operator” that night! Not to mention, it was great to witness the respect that Black Thought and Skillz have for the artistry of hip-hop and those that kicked open the doors for them.

Much more video from this HOT show, including performances from my all time favorite female MC – MC Lyte - on my Youtube channel, starting on page 8

1. Prince performing at Club 3121 in Vegas

I literally almost passed out as soon as he came out on that stage. Now I understand why people used to fall out at those Micheal Jackson shows. The club is simply gorgeous and the atmosphere was electric. Being in that intimate setting in that close proximity to His Purple Royalness….nuff said. There is no experience that could eva surpass this one.

Honorable Mentions:
Capital Jazzfest – Brand New Heavies
Chrisette Michele – Black Cat, Washington DC
Eric Roberson – Eden’s Lounge, Baltimore

So there you have it. As you can see from my concert calendar, it’s on in 2008 as well.