Konvict Music

Second concert of the year and it was great. I have never been a huge fan of either Artist (Rihanna or Akon) but much like the JT concert, I can sure appreciate a good "live" performance.

The concert opened with the Rascalz whom I hadn't heard from in years (Remember the patriotic - "Northern Touch"). It was a short set and we missed a few songs given that the show started at 7:30 and that's when they decided to open the doors. We didn't find out seats till a little after 8:00.

When I first heard of the concert, I was wondering who was going to headline. Both Akon & Rihanna have songs on the Billboard charts although Rihanna has exploded with the latest release of her CD, "Good Girls Gone Bad" and hits like "Umbrella" featuring Jay-Z. After listening to both and seeing the demographic in the crowd (much like Justin Timberlake), the cross appeal of these artists between gender and demographics is much the same. Akon may be seen as edgier "reggae-rap" with songs like "Smack that" and numerous references to being a "Konvict". In my opinion, he doesn't have the voice to be convincing of hardcore ghetto rap. Its more melodious, and that's why he often sings the hooks (chorus) to compilations like "Smack That" featuring Eminem. Still he does have a good flow.


Rihanna's performance was great as she gradually revealed more and more of those "legs" that are all edged insured over a million dollars. Her focus was on singing, although she would join her dancers for some minor hip-shaking or walk-abouts around the stage. Her performance live is really good and I was impressed with her vocals. My brother in-law (who owns the CD and wants to propose) knew all the words while I knew most of her more popular hits. Over all its was quite entertaining and she played to the crowd well. Her renditions of her hits were flavoured with more electric guitar to give it a harder sound which the crowd also seemed to appreciate. I would say that while the girls were screaming, the guys were all in awe of her talent (her musical talent of course).

Akon's DJ (DJ Benny I believe) did a great job of hyping the crowd prior to Akon stepping on stage. This is what I feel was missing from the JT concert as the crowd is constantly entertained by a "live" performance even in the absence of the main event. The DJ "spun" current hits by JT, Beyonce, & T.I. and did the traditional "sound-check" to make sure everyone was loud-enough for Akon.

From my perspective, the crowd was ready for Akon as they seemed to erupt as he casually strolled on stage. I enjoyed his performance more from the perspective my wife (also at the concert) is a huge fan so I am more familiar with his work. Again, much like Rihanna, his performance focused on gradually revealing his naked upper-half throughout the concert while throwing "sweaty" towels into the concert. Perhaps I'm to old to appreciate a good sweaty towel anymore as I found the fact people were scrambling for this more disturbing than anything else. The Canucks Jersey that he dawned towards the end of his performance would have been a bargain though and I can definitely see the passion that the Vancouverites feel for their hockey team.

Towards the end of his performance, Akon walked off stage after being told by his DJ that they had been asked to shut down the performance as "Da Time Was Up". After a breif dialogue about going to jail and taking GM place with him, he randomly appeared in the middle crowd. For the next 30 minutes or so, Akon struggled to make his way from left-to-right as the female fans went literally "nuts". I appreciated the fact that he was able to do this for the fans. So many in his position are hands off when it comes to such interactions and choose to remain on stage. It could also be the fact that he is a male artist and does not mind the touch of a thousand females grabbing his body.

Grading:

I give the performance an A. The venue was great; the concert was small and only occupied a quarter of GM place giving it a real intimate vibe with a good view. The artists performed well live and exceeded my expectations of what I was expecting from either of them. What the show was missing was additional theatrics and a larger stage presence. Both artists are singers, not performers, when compared to JT, which I seem to appreciate more from artists in terms of the ability to dance. Concert wise it was well worth it and I liked the fact that I didn't face a 2 hour drive to get home after.


My 2 thoughts anyways....