i have taken on my most favorite hobby from three years ago. concerts!
a short reprise on last evening’s jay-z and mary j. blige concert: i don’t know why i like this whole rap thing that much, but i just do.
first: a great mary j. blige, but damaged a bit by the not really well adjusted sound in madison square garden. i remember my last concert in the garden. i see the people standing in the illuminated exit hallways on each section. their silhouettes against the yellow light from behind. it feels most familiar. doing the shaky-shaky-thing to „familiy affair“ is a bit hard, because i am „sticked“ on the ground. probably spilled and dried-up beer from a whole season… so it’s all an upper body exercise 😉 thankfully my neighbor spills his beer too, so it’s somehow wet again and i can lift my feet.
there comes the man 🙂 jay-z! he is pulling off one hit after the other. we have fireworks, a big band style orchestra, cool visuals on big screens and all over the stage, p. diddy and beyonce showing up. another guy showing up and doing one song with jay-z i can’t identify. and how? he is wearing a big hoodie with sun glasses and a cap. but i guess it’s memphis bleek.
when singing to „99 problems, but the bit** ain’t one“ and all the other songs i am thinking how weird it is to repeat lines full of „my nig*a“ as a „whitey“ as i am. i probably have not the slightest clue what it means to be black in america. otherwise. this is just a show…. or not? jay-z refers to the katrina disaster. bush not helping the black community there. followed by „fu** bush“ and „are you ready for a change?“ – barack’s face all over the screens. a screaming crowd.
by all you can say against jay-z (when you probably not into that whole rap thing, which i haven’t been before my new york time) he has a certain kind of charm. a boyish smile paired with a certain street smart wit.
i guess i found parts of what i left three years ago. it just takes some time.

ps: found that video on youtube. i sat on the other side.