The funny thing about this show was the fact that after all my best efforts, I still almost didn't make it. Well, I thought I didn't, I guess at the end of the day I was actually fine, but it was a real scare.
I was at work (on set) on Saturday at 5am, and really, had I stayed the entire time I definitely would have missed this show with such a sweet line-up, so I made the decision to leave, which I did at noon. This I thought was a good move, because it would give me ample time to make it to a show I thought was in Chelsea Piers (it wasn't) that started at 3pm. I even stopped at a friend's house and hung out for a bit with my extra time. I left the midtown area at 1:30pm, which I also thought was good enough time.
I of course get to the train station to find out the E train isn't running. Of course. I then decided to jump on the 6 train, but I thought after a while that it was taking too long so I jumped out at Bleecker St and tried to get a cab. Yea that wasn't my best move! There were so many people begging for cabs and they were all full. After a while I decide to cross Houston to possibly get a cab from the other side. Luckily, in the gas station, a cab driver was just getting back to his cab so I ran him down and got him to take me to the Seaport.
Even though there was a lot of traffic, we still got down there by 2:20pm, which I thought was great timing all things considered. Now all I had to do was find Pier 36....which isn't at Chelsea Piers, like I mentioned before. Where is it pre tel? Its about a mile east of CP. And since I wasn't about to get another cab (that last one was $11) this meant I had to hoof it.
I was in such a panic, because I wasn't really sure if I was going in the right direction, plus I was hoping the line wasn't cut off for the show. So I started running, in my jeans and Pradas, full out, to get to this place. And finally, ShangriLa! Now if you don't know about this epic show you may wonder why I went to so much trouble to get to this thing. Well, a couple reasons: 1) I left work early so I could go to this show, which means I didn't get paid for the day. This means I HAD to make it to this show come hell or high water, because I passed up a day of work for it. And 2) how often is it that you get to see Roxy Cottontail and Diplo DJ, one after the other, followed by performances by J-Cole, Dres from Black Sheep, Cee-Lo of Goodie Mobb and Gnarls Barkley fame, and Nas? Oh, did I mention there was free food and all the Heineken you can drink, and that the entire event was absolutely free?!
Well, now that I have your attention, let me explain. I got word that Heineken was extending their Inspire concert series for one last hoorah, another run at an "undisclosed location" in NYC. I of course RSVP, and got the info about where the show was on Saturday morning, which was the day of the show.
If you've never been to a Heineken party, I would advise that you should sell your right arm to get on the list whenever they have one, especially after Saturday’s festivities. The Heineken guys turned that huge Pier 36 into a musical amusement park, with photo booths, bars with beers aplenty, and even a recording booth for you to lay down a track, if you were so inclined. The stage was a huge one, with a nice runway and beautiful lighting. The setup itself was so awesome, it was worth the cab ride and the no-work almost immediately upon entry. Once I got my first Pilsner of ice cold Heineken, I knew I'd gotten away
with highway robbery, and no one had even performed yet! Now on to the performers...
The performances had a lot to live up to to say the least. With such a cool space and so much going on, I would have been satisfied had no one showed up! After the early warm DJ got everyone in a good party mood, NYC party legend Roxy Cottontail took over the DJ set, and switched the vibe up to her specialty, techno and club. Her set was fun, as you might guess, and really it was a welcome addition to an otherwise all Hip-Hop line-up.
From there we moved onto another well know club DJ, Diplo. He of course has gotten more fame (and fortune no doubt) since linking up with the guys from Major Lazer, but he's been a very well known DJ for quite sometime. He went through a very eclectic mix of Rap, house and dancehall, much to the delight of the onlooking Heineken lovers in the crowd.
The opening performer came right after Diplo, and it would appear, according to some people I spoke to, that he was the "special guest," J-Cole. This of course matters because the rumor for the night and for the previous few days was that Kanye West was the special guest performer. The presence of the one Amber Rose didn't help things much; needless to say, Mr. West was NOT in the building. New up and coming rapper J-Cole, prodigy of Jay-Z, went through his catalog of hits
and new tracks like a seasoned veteran. Of course a lot of the onlookers were bigger fans of the new artist than me, so they knew a lot of his work. His vibe was great though, and he has a great stage presence. Things are definitely going to go up for this artist, especially being under the wing of a demi-god like Jay-Z.
The next performer up was Dres from Black Sheep. He wasn't onstage for more than 2 songs I believe, which gave him enough time to do Black Sheep's big song, and one of his new songs off his upcoming album. He then made way for an appearance by DJ Kool Herc, the man often branded as the inventor of rap music. He came out to say a few words about the show and how happy he was for everyone to come out. We were also very happy to be there!
After that, Cee-Lo was up next. He definitely was best dressed for the night, coming on stage wearing an all white suit complete with a bowler hat. His backing band were all female, wearing all white as well albeit far less clothing than their frontman. He put together a very energetic set, and was the longest performer for sure for the night. He finished with his ode to golddiggers everywhere, the aptly named "Fuck You", and left to a rousing ovation. I was kind of annoyed he didn't do "Crazy," his hit with Gnarls Barkley, but I guess you can't win them all.
The final act of the night, was none other than the Queens poet of many names, Nasir Jones, aka Nas. He also came complete with a backing band, obviously with the knowledge that everything sounds better with a live band. His set was a bit short for my liking. I want to blame that on the fact that he came on stage late, but that's because the show started later than expected. Having said that though his performance wasn't lacking by any means. He kicked things off with 3 straight tracks from Illmatic, the album widely regarded as his best and one of
rap music's best ever. His megahit "If I Ruled The World" was sang with backup vocals by the crowd, who I think would have made actual backup vocalist Lauryn Hill proud. He went to "Hate Me Now," resurrected hip-hop with "Hip Hop is Dead," and even started a chant of 'Braveheartttt' with "Made ya Look." It was a truly surreal performance for me, getting to see a living legend show off his talents right before my eyes. After it was over, everyone went their separate ways, unbelievably happy no doubt that they were allowed to be a part of one of the sickest events imaginable. I still can't believe I was...
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