Friday, June 8, 2007

Jazzy Summer Nights - Reviewed

I went to the first concert of the annual Baltimore Jazzy Summer Nights concert series. I didn't get downtown until 8:30 and to the venue (Hopkins Plaza) at about 8:45. The listed times of the event were 5pm to 10 pm...I was late!!! I was hot yesterday so I think I think it was best to wait for the sun to be, all the way down!. Upon arrival, Chuck Brown was already rocking and he would continue, non-stop, until the end of the show! He covered most of his classics, some new stuff, and a few popular covers. Chuck is timeless and had the crowd going the whole time. I heard one person in the crowd say, 'I have never seen Baltimore people rockin to Go-Go like this.' That statement, to me, is why Chuck Browns has been so successful, his music, which is very regional, is accepted by people as good music and can be enjoyed universally. He blend Hip Hop, Jazz, Blues and R and B into his Go-Go style, creating a unique, yet universal groove. One thing that I always loved about Go-Go concerts is that music does stop!! I love how they just let the groove evolve into the next song! The crowd was a mix of olders and youngers, mostly local, but a few D.C. heads came up to support Chuck. Plenty of beautiful people!! I only had two gripes; 1)the shows popularity is outgrowing the size of the venue, 2) the beer vendors were selling out before the show was over!

When I first started going to the concert series, I was in my early teens and I would go with my family. It would be crowded, but it was move to walk and set up chairs with out being walked on. In later years the concert series was a little more crowded, younger people were catching on to it and it became a hot social event, but it was still bearable. Last night was too much. There was no place to be with out being in a crowd. It was near impossible to get to the vendors stands and super hot. I made my way through once, but ended up just hanging on the side near and entry point, where the crowd was considerably thinner. The event organizers may have to explore a larger venue to accommodate the concerts' growing popularity.

The beer situation was really minor. I was just upset that I forced my way through, shoulder-to-shoulder people and the beer-man is out of beer. This means i have to fight even further into this mess of people to get to another beer stand. Well, I finally got my beer, but I had to fight my way back to a semi-clear spot.

Overall, great people, great music, great performance.... venue, a little small... beer, not enough!!!!
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Overall.. it was hella fun there... but you are right... WHERE'S THE BEER MAN!?