H.O.V. rocks, but leaves reasonable doubt

By Nate Adams
Collegian Editor
April 2, 2008

The stage set-up for the Jay-Z/Mary J. Blige concert at the Wachovia Center was an impressive amalgamation of old-style big band and new media. A massive projector shot images on a drive-in-sized screen while two massive televisions hung above a three-tiered stage complete with stairs, elevator, two drum sets and an orchestral pit. It was the kind of grandiose set-up that one would anticipate for an artist of Jay-Z’s popularity and success.

What was unexpected, however, was that Jay-Z would have such a hard time filling the stage.

Indeed, it was Blige who put on the better show at the “Heart of the City” tour, which made its first stop at the sold-out South Philly stadium.

Perhaps I’m not as dialed into the modern pulse as I like to imagine I am, but I was unaware that Mary J. was such a big deal. In my mind, she’s nothing more than a run-of-the-mill soul singer in an era where the genre is nothing more than a continuation of hip-hop.

Apparently, I couldn’t be more wrong. As I walked the halls of the Wachovia Center before the show, taking in all the spectacle and amazement that a suburban white kid can get at a hip-hop show, Blige’s face was everywhere. Vendors were selling glossy 8x10 pictures of her. Photo booths were set up where patrons could have their picture taken in front of an airbrushed mural of Blige. Such hero worship for an artist I thought to be irrelevant was both eye-opening and jarring.

As the lights of the Wachovia Center went down, the giant TV screens began to play a black and white interview featuring Jay and Blige together talking about the tour. At least, that’s what I assume was being discussed. The minute the lights went out, the house erupted into an explosion of nearly crazed crowd noise. Blige and Jay-Z emerged from behind a screen, and the show began with the two performing a song together before H.O.V.A left the stage and Blige started her set.

As I alluded to above, I was not remotely familiar with the majority of Blige’s set, and now that the show is just a memory, I have no desire to pick up any of her albums. That being said, the woman is a born performer. My assumption that she was nothing more than an average singer couldn’t be further from the truth. Her voice, while not as versatile as Patti LaBelle’s or even Mariah Carey’s, possesses that intangible strength that defines soul as a genre.

There were at least two separate moments in her set that gave me chills, but the finest moment came in the middle of the set with her passionate performance of “No More Drama.” I’m not a good enough writer to describe exactly what happened, but Blige delivered the song with courage, confidence and real emotion that was tragic, breathtaking and inspiring at the same time. Simply amazing.

If I had one complaint for Blige, it’s the strong anti-dude stance that ran throughout her performance. I understand that empowerment is a main component of her music, and she just hates trifling dudes, not all dudes. Still, all the man-hating made me a little uncomfortable, especially in my mostly-ladies section.

No less than two minutes after Blige left the stage, the TVs kicked back up again and the stage lit up. The Roc was in the building.

Even from across a stadium, Jay-Z cuts an impressive figure. The man is pure confidence, pure swagger. He possesses a kind of cool self-assurance that comes from being the most successful rap artist of all time (and I’m sure dating Beyoncé is an ego boost, too).

Jay launched into his set, playing cuts from his most recent album American Gangster. The energy in the audience was unbelievable for the first few songs; the people were screaming so loudly that on several occasions, Jay-Z was drowned out by the audience. After running through “Pray” and “Roc Boys (And The Winner Is),” Jay fired into some of his Black Album hits, much to everyone’s delight. There is something very satisfying about hearing “99 Problems” and “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” in a stadium full of people dancing and singing along. It’s a testament to these songs that I didn’t feel the least bit out of place for the first time all night.

However, after that high note, the rest of the show suffered. H.O.V.A. ripped through some more of his hits, but since many of his songs have guest rappers on them, like “Jigga What” and “Can I Get A…,” they were stunted by the lack of personnel.

The show took a downturn when Jay got behind the DJ booth and burned through a number of his popular hits, playing snippets of the songs that sent the audience into a frenzy, before cutting the song off seconds into it. This went on for about five minutes before Jay finally settled on “Big Pimpin’.” Sadly, Jay didn’t even perform the song. Twenty seconds in, the beat dropped out and Jay let the audience finish the song a capella. It might sound nice on paper, but if I wanted to sing Jay-Z songs, I would take a shower.

Jay closed the show with a mediocre version of “Encore,” off The Black Album, before coming out again with Mary J. to perform the duet “Heart of the City.”

When the lights came up and people started to file out of the Wachovia Center. As I watched the crowd dispurse, I couldn’t help but ask myself “Was that it?”

Jay-Z is a public figure known for his larger-than-life bravado and unquestioned swagger. Add to that description his complacency; the main problem with the show was Jay-Z’s willingness to rest on his laurels at the expense of the show.

Plus, he never said “It’s ya boy” during the entire show. I mean, what’s up with that?

adamsn1@lasalle.edu