Episode 670: What Concerts are on your top 10 List?

[00:00:17] Greetings and thanks so much for tuning in to Drea’s Point of View. I am your hostess, Dreya. And in the next 10 minutes or less, I will be offering you my perspective on a topic that I feel passionate about. So please make sure that you are following the show at Dreas Point of View on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads. You can also follow me at Dreapoint on X.

[00:00:38] So, the past few weeks, there's been so much talk about concerts and tours. Who's going to see what tour in what city, what country, how much they pay for their tickets, which I think is tacky. Where they're sitting, who they're going with, if it's their first time going, if they're going with friends, their husband bought it for them, if they're going VIP.

[00:01:04] What guests are expecting, which is the craziest thing to me. I don't go to one place expecting someone else. Someone wrote. I don't go to Paris expecting Italy. Like, I'm not going to McDonald's looking for the Whopper. I go for one person. I expect to see that person. No one else. But I guess we've gotten greedy now. The tickets have gotten so high now that we expect so much for our money. Right?

[00:01:27] I just expect a good show. No sound issues. On time. In a reasonable amount of time. Because most shows don't start on time. And, yeah. So, that's really what I expect. To see that one person. I don't have to go with anyone else. I prefer not to. And, yeah. To have a good time. So, I thought I would list the top 10 concerts that I've attended in my life.

[00:01:56] I can't give you a date when I attended them. And I will say that most of these concerts I went to solo. So, in no particular order, the first concert, which has to be my favorite, though I will say that, is when I went to see Michael Jackson and his brothers at the Garden. It was the first and only time I saw him. First and only time I've been to the Garden. This was 2001, a few days before 9-11.

[00:02:23] I got a chance to see him with Whitney Usher and Chris Tucker. And it was just fabulous. I can't tell you how long the show was. They show it almost every year. You've probably seen it yourself. But it was just an amazing... I was in awe the whole time. It was great. So, you got some of everybody. And I think my ticket was like $100. And I said I would never go over that. But I wound up going over that for other people.

[00:02:53] But I try to keep it around that. My next person I've seen twice in my life, about 20 years apart, actually. And that was Prince. I saw him the first time back in the day. It was shortly... It might have been 84, 85. I remember seeing him with my dad. Because I remember this lady asking me if that was my boyfriend. And, yeah, he couldn't stop smiling after that.

[00:03:23] But it was just an amazing show. You remember Prince when he first came out? Oh, if you saw that movie. It was just... Oh, my goodness. Him playing all the instruments. Prince. And it was just an amazing show. And I saw him a second time. It was after that. He did... I want to say it was like five days he was in L.A. for 20 bucks. And I saw him a second time. And my mom was in town.

[00:03:53] And she was a Prince fan. Surprisingly, she didn't want to go, though. But I went to see him again. And he was different. He was still good. But there was a lot of stuff he didn't do anymore. So, you know, that wasn't fun. Because I liked his early stuff. But, yeah, I got to give it to Prince. Now, the rest are definitely in no particular order. And the third person on my list was Celine Dion.

[00:04:21] When I got a chance to see her in Vegas, I think it was her residency. I don't remember. But her outfits and her voice and just the atmosphere was just amazing. I'll never forget my dad asked me, were there any other Black people here? And he wasn't saying that to be, you know, right to this. But he was just saying that

[00:04:51] because you don't hear too many people liking her. I didn't look to see if there was anyone else there, to be honest. But no one made me feel like I was the only one. And I just would love to see her again. I know she's touring in Paris. But those tickets, I can't do it. I won't do it. I just can't justify paying an arm and a leg for someone I don't know. I'm sorry. I've seen her before. Hopefully, Lord willing, I'll see her again.

[00:05:19] But, yeah, it was definitely Celine years ago back in Vegas. The fourest person on my list is Jill Scott. I've seen her a couple of times. I've seen her at Essence Fest. I saw her more recently in Los Angeles. I did an episode about that. She is just positive vibes only. She's always smiling when she performs. She tells stories.

[00:05:49] She doesn't do a lot of dancing. She has background singers. There's visuals on the screen. And that's what I've noticed over the years, too. Like, back in the day, it was just all about the band and the singer. You may have some background singers. But now, you know, people want their visuals. They have the singers. They have everything that comes along with it. But just her gets you in the zone. And everyone was vibing out. It's very zen.

[00:06:18] Very good atmosphere. And, yes, I would see her again and again. Next on my list is Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. And I'm so glad my last time seeing him was a few months before he passed away. I got a chance to see him a few times, mainly at Essence Fest. And it's just a good time. It's the music that I grew up on. I remember watching his videos.

[00:06:46] And whenever I hear his stuff on the... It's just unity. It's a good time. It makes you want to dance. It just... You listen to some songs, and it just takes you back to a certain time and space and place. Yeah, it was so... It was a blessing to be able to see Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. And everyone made sure they wore white. Just a good time. You know, it's a good family reunion vibes. Forgive the noise in the background. It is thundering outside right now.

[00:07:14] I was like, yeah, what better way or better time to do a episode... Record an episode while I'm in the mood. New edition. I've seen them numerous times, and every time they were great. You don't see too many people, acts who do choreography and who have... I want to say uniforms, but their wardrobe is on point. They're all in sync. They all look amazing.

[00:07:42] It's like they haven't lost a step. They look just like they did when they first came out. Very talented. And they all have their own thing. You know, they broke off into different groups, but they're always a good time. You get a diverse crowd seeing them. They're always gracious and grateful. They've been around for so long and don't show any signs of letting up.

[00:08:11] If you ever get a chance to see them, if they're ever in your city, go check them out. I saw them twice this year and very good shows each time. Of course, my list would be empty if I didn't mention Queen Bee herself, right? Beyonce? I don't know if I consider me being part of a beehive, because I'm not as obsessed as most of her fans are. I couldn't tell you every song that she's put out. I don't have all her things.

[00:08:40] I don't really buy a lot of her merch and everything that comes out, because like I said, I just don't believe in spending an arm and a leg on strangers. But I've seen her twice, and both times she definitely puts on the show. Every time you see her, she puts on the show.

[00:09:02] You know, the halftime performances, the Coachella that she did, and the award shows that she did, straight performance between her, her dancers, you know, her band. And, you know, she brings her daughters along with her, just a great entertainer. She's humble, and she has her visuals in the background. It's a little, when you think about it, and of course her wardrobe,

[00:09:32] as many times as she changes her wardrobe, it can be overstimulating, her performances. But they're definitely worthy of being on my top ten list. The next thing, well, I'm sure you've heard that. The next artist is Sade. I got a chance to see her one time. And, wow, just, now this is a concert that is just her. You know, you have her and the band.

[00:10:02] Well, the band's name is Sade, right? And she kept thanking us throughout. And, of course, there were no visuals. It was just her doing a little two-step. There wasn't any of the bells and whistles that everyone else has. Some people don't need it. It was just a very nice, packed-out stadium. Surprised it wasn't intimate, because she gives intimate vibes. I hope she comes out with another album.

[00:10:30] And then next on my list is R. Kelly. I've seen him a handful of times. Towards the end, though, it got kind of old, because he started doing medleys. And, you know, who wants to see people? Most people do, I think. If they have a lot of songs, they do medleys. But he became less creative as the years progressed.

[00:10:59] But back in the day, his early days, let me tell you, he was very, very raunchy. But solid hits, solid concerts, reasonable prices, love the shows. And I had to think about it. Coming in last, but certainly not least, is Michael McDonald. I got a chance to see him a couple times. But my favorite probably would have been in London.

[00:11:27] It was a smaller venue and diverse crowd. And it was just a good time. You know, it brought back when the music that I grew up with. And, you know, he didn't need all. Like I said, some people need all of that. It's him on the piano. And some people need extras. He didn't need any extras. Just him singing and performing for us. And it was a good time.

[00:12:02] So, yeah, I think that's my cue. It's getting kind of bad outside. But I'd love to know who's on your top 10. If any of my artists are on your top 10 list at thedreyaspointofview.com, where you can also buy some merch and catch up on my previous episodes. Also, make sure you're subscribed to my free weekly newsletter. It comes out on Saturdays, dreaspointofview.substack.com. As always, I thank you for listening. This has been Dre's Point of View. Thank you.