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On The Run Tour Review – 2014

I went to the Beyoncé and Jay-Z concert all by myself and had an AMAZING time!

bj

Back in April 2014 I heard rumors that the power couple was going on a Bonnie and Clyde: “On The Run” themed tour across the country. As soon as I heard about the concert I thought about the following things:

  • Who enjoys The Carters as much as I do?
  • Who can afford to go?
  • Who will I go with?

When the answers to my questions were lacking I thought I won’t even go because I have no one to go with, but I thought again and something said: “GO and live life to the fullest and have no regrets!”

At my age I’m comfortable enough with myself to go to places alone sometimes because it’s less hassle and very interesting to people-watch. lol

So, being the young working woman I am I went ahead and purchased my floor seat.
On Tuesday, July 15th as soon as I got off of work and drove to Atlanta I got on the MARTA Train because it was going to be too much traffic during that time of day and construction going on in Downtown Atlanta.

stage (How close I was to the stage.)

I got into the Georgia Dome with no problems. Then I stood in line thirty minutes because I had to get a souvenir t-shirt! After I finally got my t-shirt and pink wristband for the floor level seats I people-watched! I saw Kandi Burruss and her husband Todd from Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta” and they are so short in person!  Television definitely makes people look larger. I didn’t see any other celebrities, but there were a lot of “wannabee” celebrities in the audience. I even saw an older woman who looked like someone’s great-grandma dressed in her Sunday Best for the concert. It was hilarious!

I was anxiously anticipating Jay and Bey to appear on stage! I’ve been a fan of Beyoncé since Destiny’s Child and have liked Jay-Z’s music since he sampled “Hard Knock Life” from the musical “Annie”.

The ticket stub said the show would start at 8PM, but by the time everyone got in the stadium it was about 8:45PM.  Then right at 8:55PM the lights went off and the screens showed the On The Run movie trailer and everyone in the audience stood up and went crazy. It was like magic when Beyoncé and Jay-Z appeared on stage and that’s when I literally screamed and almost cried.

otr

Y’all don’t understand the chills I had when I saw them on stage and on screen. The concert was THEE BEST EVER and worth every penny.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z most definitely put on a show so good that I want to go again! The audience stood up the whole two hours! I loved Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s chemistry. Despite the rumors about their marriage you could feel their energy radiating from the stage. They put on a good performance . Jay-Z and Beyoncé performed “03 Bonnie and Clyde” and transitioned into other songs.

 

However, my favorite part of the show was when Beyoncé sang a cover of Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” which was “flawless” and when Jay-Z performed “Public Service Announcement”. I don’t want to give everything away, but overall the show was amazing and will appear on HBO this Fall 2014.

jayb

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Insecure Melodies

On the latest episode of the “As-I-Amber” podcast a special guest and I take a break from reality and talk about what we’ve been reading and watching. Click here to find a platform to listen to. Also, available on iTunes/Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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Generation BOOM

Check out the latest episode of my “As-I-Amber” podcast featuring a special guest, my father! This episode is now available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms. Click here or go to anchor.fm/asiamber


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Royal Reflections w/ Da Queen

On this episode Amber and Radio Legend, Ms. Rasheeda Ali, discuss everything from Civil Rights to corona. Click the link below to listen on Spotify. Also go to www.anchor.fm/asiamber to find on Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms.

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#TheChampionshipTour : Kendrick Lamar and TDE artists brought the West Coast to the South!

Pulitzer Prize and Grammy award winning rapper, Kendrick Lamar, and other Top Dawg Entertainment artists kicked off Memorial Day Weekend 2018 with “The Championship Tour” at the outdoor Lakewood Amphitheater in Atlanta, GA.The theme of the night was “We are the Champions” and the stage was like an athletic event with banners stating each artist of Top Dawg Entertainment music label’s accomplishments.

The concert started around 7:45pm and opening performances included Top Dawg Entertainment label mates Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab Soul, Zacari, and Isaiah Rashad. Singer, SZA, was originally on the lineup, but due to being put on vocal rest was not able to perform. Many audience members were looking forward to seeing SZA, yet still enjoyed the concert.

Opening artist, Sir, came out in a baseball jersey with the music labels logo on it. Ab-Soul represented archery coming on stage with a bow and arrow. Jay Rock came on stage with a basketball uniform and even the Top Dawg Entertainment mascot came on stage dancing.

Rapper, Schoolboy Q even came on stage in a golf cart and collard golf shirt and performed. However, standout opening performances were School Boy Q’s “Studio”, “That Part”, and “Man of the Year”.

Around 9:45pm the diverse crowd started getting antsy and excited as the screens changed colors, smoke screens filled the stage, and sounds of rumbling and computer beeping started.

At random Kendrick finally appeared on the stage performing his hit song “DNA” from the Grammy award winning “Damn” album. Kendrick performed multiple songs from his earlier albums such as “Section 80”, “Good Kid M.a.a.d. City”, and “To Pimp a Butterfly”. The Compton, California native even performed “X” from “The Black Panther” superhero movie soundtrack and the audience went crazy.

Kendrick and Jay Rock also performed “Money Trees” and “King’s Dead” and Kendrick and Zacari also performed “Love”. You could feel the crowd’s positive energy permeate throughout the outdoor venue. Kendrick even did an encore performance of “Alright” which was another crowd favorite. Kendrick also performed “Element”, “Loyalty”, ”New Freezer”, Don’t Kill My Vibe”, “King Kunta”, “i”, “Swimming Pools (Drank)” and “m.a.a.d city”.

The last song Kendrick performed was “Humble” and during the song cut the music off and the audience rapped every word A cappella! Kendrick was so in awe he decided to play the song again and all the other artists joined the stage with him and then the show ended.

Overall I enjoyed myself! I really enjoyed the bands live instruments mixed in with the tracks. It was nice to see how music unites people from all ages and walks of life. I also wish I could’ve seen SZA, but I thought it was a pretty good show. At the Lakewood Amphitheatre venue I would recommend driving because at the end of the concert Uber pick up areas were not really organized and hundreds of other people were trying to order rides and the surge price went up and wait times were long. If you ever have a chance to see Kendrick you should most definitely go! Check out the Ticketmaster or Live Nation websites for more ticket information.

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Nostalgia Ultra Overload

Everything “old” is now “new”. Press play to listen to the latest episode of my As-I-Amber podcast. Also, available on iTunes/Apple Podcasts and Spotify. http://www.anchor.fm/asiamber