We still got in.

Being that I am an aspiring music producer, I jumped at an opportunity to see N.E.R.D. perform at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg last night.  It was an RSVP only event sponsored by Walmart and Axe Body Spray.  This was the first event of four for my Wednesday night.  The event was sold out and the RSVP list was closed.  So naturally Jay White and I decided to go anyway.  Long story short, Jay is always on the list, which is why I will be posting a blog entry about him in the near future.  I have to admit, although I purchased their first two albums, and will purchase the fourth, I am a N.E.R.D. rookie.  I didn’t know the lyrics to any songs (real talk).  However, all of that didn’t matter.  When the band was performing a brief tune up before the show kicked off I heard it.  I heard a perfectly round, clear, and distinct low end.  For those who aren’t into music the low end is the bass.  But this was not your average kicker type bass, it was undistorted.  Once I heard this I knew that the system was perfectly tuned.  And it was, perfectly tuned indeed.  Whether it was vocals, drums, or guitar, everything was clear.  I have to admit that I was impressed by the way Pharell controlled his vocals.  By no means is he a virtuoso, but he uses his voice in the best way possible.

Before Pharell came out, the lead guitarist led the crowd in an amazing rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner”, a la Jimi Hendrix, minus the acid.  As soon as Pharell came on stage it was pandemonium.  He started with some new tracks from the soon to be released album “Nothing”.  Then the group went into some old favorites such as “Lap Dance” and “Beautiful”.  As I said earlier, I am an N.E.R.D. rookie, so don’t ask me for a playlist of the songs that were played…lol.  In all seriousness, I moved my body from start to end.  To everyone’s surprise Lupe Fiasco joined the group on stage and periodically emptied bottles of water onto the crowd.  He must have done it at least four times.  The las t time he used two bottles, but the crowd was into it.  The entire crowd was captivated by the group.  I was especially impressed by the dual drummers in the background.  There was a particular part of the show where the drummers got to share a solo and started a very fast paced call and answer with each other.  After the hour long set I felt that my free entry was worth it.  Seriously though, I would have paid $40 or more if I knew this show would be so well put together.  I would definitely recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to see N.E.R.D. should take it!  This was only the first of four different venues we went to on Wednesday night.  Stay tuned for the follow up to the night.  I will let you know about the rest of the night.  One event down, three to go.  Check out the video and second video via the link at the bottom of the article.  I apologize for the quality, we are working on purchasing something other than a Blackberry to take videos.  Until next time.

– Your Man on the Streets

Here is another video from the show: Click.