So as many of you know I have had a 20 plus year love affair with Madonna. It started from the first time I saw the Like A Virgin video and its been consistent like her career ever since. I have never had the pleasure to see her in concert as I have never been able to score Madonna Tickets but should the chance ever happen I am hoping to catch her one day soon.
The woman has been able to remain on top of an industry full of new faces and styles. No other performer has been able to reinvent themselves as many times as she has and it seems she’s been able to stay on the cutting edge of style and music for decades now. More impressive has been the trend setting she has done and there is no doubt her influence on music and popular culture since the mid 80’s up until today.
If I had the money for Madonna Tickets I would go just to see what kind of crowd she still pulls but I think it would have been better to have caught her at her peak in the 90’s. Her most recent shows have become politicized and although I agree with her position I disagree with using an entertainment venue to spew your views on the world if it’s not a part of the music you sing normally.
Let the music play and go see a Madonna Concert when you get the chance.
I have been attending more live performances and not listening to as much music on my Zune in the past few months. I much prefer live music and listening to a band perform than I do to listen to the same garbage over and over again.
I have tried lots of new music using my Zune pass and its been much fun trying out so many new artists with the playlists features but there is nothing like a live concert if you can get good Concert Tickets. As new as it may be much of the new music out there today sounds like the same junk respun by talentless actors who play musicians on television or something but they can’t really sing. Music today has become more about style and less about substance and it feels very empty to me.
Lil Wayne sounds hard as nails but I have my doubts about how tough a life he lives and how hard he actually is. Whatever the truth is he sells Concert Tickets and CD’s by the truckload and the guy is literally making a Milli, a Milli, a Milli, a Million dollars a day talking crap he does not seem able to back up.
Thankfully you can still find some good deals on better shows so find Concert Tickets for whatever music you like and put down your mp3 player and see a live performance.
Mavado is known across the world for his hard hitting lyrics and Gangsta for Life attitude and his performance was no disappointment to his fans in Montego Bay on Thursday evening for Dancehall night at Reggae Sumfest 2008. Mavado and his mentor Bounty Killer have been touring the country relentless and his stage show is solid and well rehearsed. Mavado had a great performance at SumFest. He puts on a great show and if you ever get the chance to see him perform live in Jamaica its a must do experience.
Ninjaman is a notorious hardcore Jamaican musician with roots in Dancehall but from the harder side of the dance floor. Ninjaman is well known for his gun loving lyrics and nasty on stage performances. Reggae Sumfest 2008 was no different. The Ninja was not so silent and neither were his fans as he dazzled the crowd with his act performance.
Ninjaman is a local favorite and his show was high energy and powerful. It’s always nice when the crowd knows an artists music and that was certainly the case on Thursday night at SumFest. The crowd seemed to know every word to every song as he belted out some fan favorites.
If you ever get thew chance to see ninjaman in concert then I suggest you do so. If not then download some Ninjaman mp3 files from Amazon and play Ninjaman on your Zune
I made it through the first night of Reggae SumFest and I had a great time. I did not make it to the final act of the evening and I missed “The Doctor” and Jamaica’s reigning “King of Dancehall” Beenie Man on stage. I woke up at 5am and watched the sun rise on Thursday morning and was not able to squeeze in a nap during the day so when the sun started to pop up again this morning I thought I was hallucinating at the pretty light show and remembered the hour long drive home ahead of me. I called it quits and drove home early for some short sleep and now I’m up again with little hope for any sleep again before the show tonight. I may end up missing some part of tonights show as I expect I’ll take a nap during the day at some point. My van is parked within easy access and a sleep break is easy with the press pass. I can walk in and out as I wish with the armband I’m wearing and not even the cops say much to me. I did notice like 100 police dogs all over and when I tried to snap a shot of one the guy made me put my camera down. It was a beautiful all black German Shepard with perfect form. I just wanted a pic of the dog but he would not have it. I don’t question Jamaican police I just go with the flow.
I was out gunned for interviews and the little bit of video I did get is probably crap because my camera with built in mic could not compete with all the noise in the room. Many of the people running interviews had much nicer cameras with attached microphones which made the interviews possible. I was stuck alone with my handheld video camera and no tripods allowed because of space constraints and tripping hazards. It was sad really but I had my digital camera and I got some good still photos. I spent much of the night networking and the show turned into a huge opportunity I think with a number of Jamaican artists expressing interest in working together with me on some online music projects. I’ve found so many musicians with a MySpace page and not their own website. I show them how powerful and easy something like Wordpress is and they can manage it from there. Having your own website allows you to generate your own income, builds a better brand with your music and gives you greater creative control. Anyway lets hope I can get a short nap and move on today. If not tonights coverage may be even weaker.
I had my Zune and WiFi on but I never caught a signal anywhere. not very surprised at the fact there are no Zunes in Jamaica but I was hoping for someone from the media or maybe an artist or band member to have something with them. No Zuners at SumFest except MAX and me.
I went to the Reggae Sumfest 2007 last July and I got the idea to ask for a press pass this year and yesterday I got an email requesting a photograph for my pass which has been approved. I did not expect that I would be able to do so because I got a late start and actually made my request after the official accreditation process had been closed. I think I was able to sweet talk a very special young lady in SumFest administration who facilitated my special request and was able to help me out.
I was only planning on going for just one day, Thursday evening is Dancehall night and my good friend Ras Slick wants to go that night. The King of Dancehall Beenie Man headlines with Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and Mavado for what should be an explosive evening of hardcore Jamaican musicians. Now that I have backstage and artist access I suppose I’ll have to go for the 3 main evenings and my plans are now to catch Friday and Saturday nights shows as well. I’m not very prepared but I think it should be a fun experience.
Friday nights line-up features Lil Wayne, Keyshia Coles, John Courtney and Jah Cure who happens to be smoking hot here in Jamaica right now. This guy has a huge fan base here in Jamaica and is set to remain so for quite some time it seems. I’d like to interview him just to ask him some questions about wa gwan here in Jamaica. He seems to be a powerful influence on Jamaican youth and I’d like to hear his views on things in his home country. Jamaican musicians have incredible impact in the development of young Jamaicans and it’s not uncommon to hear 5-7 year old kids singing the latest hardcore hits word for word. I know a few 5 year olds who swear to be “Gangsta for Life” as the “Gully Creep” for me.
Saturday nights show features T-Pain as the main act with Reggae legend Beres Hammond and rising star Tarrus Riley backing up a mixed line-up of international stars. John Holt, Etana and Rootz Underground are also on the bill and should make fora great days music. I’m looking forward to my week. Anyone else in Jamaica for Sumfest with their Zune?
