N*E*R*D at Webster Hall

The main event last night was N*E*R*D.  The place was packed pretty much wall to wall.  They came out and stirred the crowd into a frenzy so quickly that from 8 bars into the first song on, it was all euphoria. 

The set list was just incredible.  Then again, when you're N*E*R*D, you have so much crazy material to choose from that it almost doesn't matter what you perform.  We heard a little something from each album, including the yet unreleased 'Nothing'.  The new album's release date was recently moved to July 6th. 

The energy in the building when these guys were performing was crazy!  If the crowd was called on to jump, they did.  So much so that it shook the entire building.  Literally.  I could feel the floor moving under my feet every time we came down.  At one point, a most pit broke out and people began crowd surfing.  People were entirely lost in the music.

Band front man Pharrell handled most of the load for the evening but band member Shay Haley performed along side him for most of the early songs.  The chemistry was beautiful to watch.  The way they moved and complimented each other on stage was poetic.  They were never just standing and staring at each other.  It was organized chaos and I loved every second of it.

N*E*R*D is definitely one of the best shows I've ever been to.  This was my first time catching them live even though I've been a fan since Kelis' Kaleidescope album.  Now I know to make it a priority to see them whenever they are in town.  Thanks for the memory, N*E*R*D!

Jay Electronica at Webster Hall

First and foremost, Jay gave a really energetic show.  He even brought out Just Blaze when he performed Exhibit A and Exhibit C.  I was all prepared to do this dope writeup about the difference between being for the people and of the people.  I was ready to truly believe in Jay Electronica as an artist and, more importantly, as a man.  That was until the night took a sudden and odd turn south.

So without going into detail about his set, which was awesome, I'll just tell you about the weird part that overshadowed everything that came prior from him.

Jay opened for N.E.R.D.  I'll get into their set in the post following this one.  When N.E.R.D. was nearing the end of their set, Jay was in the crowd walking around, posing for photos with fans, exchanging BBM contact info, etc.  As an added tidbit for you: this was all barefoot.  He gave his shoes away when he was performing.  He also gave away his jacket, watch, hoodie, bead necklace and bracelet and.....socks.

So as I was passing him, I gave him my business card and let him know that I'd be blogging about the night and thanked him for his effort.  He shakes my hand and then asks, "Can I have your hat?"  Wait.  What?  Did a celebrity just ask me for my hat?  Yes.  Uhhhh.....

I shrugged my shoulders and gave him the hat.  I figured since he'd given so much to the fans, I'd give something to him.  Hell, he asked me for it.  He took the hat, put it on and put on his best B-Boy stance for a picture.  That was just after he leaned over to me and said, "I'm going to keep this hat forever."  I'm never one to get starstruck, but I thought to myself, "Holy crap that's cool."  Jay disappeared into the crowd and I went back to enjoying the tail end of N.E.R.D.'s set.

After N.E.R.D.'s encore performances, I made my way outside.  My wife stopped to have a cigarette and we were smiling and beaming from the adrenaline still pumping through our blood.  As we're standing there, I see a group of about 5 people buzzing with excitement.  Before I could key in on what they were talking about, I did a double take.  One of the guys was holding my hat in his hands.

WTF!?

I quickly asked the guy, "Where'd you get that from?  Did you take it from Jay?"  He replies, "No, he threw it off the balcony and I caught it."

WTF!?

The gentleman gave me no hassle at all and gave me my hat back.  I put it back on my head and went on about my evening.

Now I'm deciding which category Jay Electronica best fits into.  Is it lying douche bag or drunk and high douche bag?  Hmmm....decisions decisions.