LOVE SERMON - Ledisi & Eric Benet in Concert!

Last night, a packed house at the Beacon Theater witnessed a 2+ hour love sermon by LEDISI and ERIC BENET sending many into a euphoric shock and, testifying up and down the isles with epiphanies of epic proportion. 

My day started off with me bouncing off the walls in excitement! You see this would be my first (and certainly not my last) time seeing both artists sharing the stage to do what they do when they do it. I gussied up and started my day. After the 8-hour grind complete with mind numbing number crunching, I grabbed some grub at the Fratelli La Bufala. I noshed on a humungous vita-enriched salad then downed a glass of Ronzani Italian beer (I'm not a beer fanatic but I can rawk with this). After dinner, I quickly headed over to the Beacon. In retrospect, I was so not prepared for what was to transpire in that room.

Me plus a few sights of the Upper West Side

Eric Benet kicked off the night with a blend of his oldies, goodies and new thangs while adding in doses of his revealing charisma - he noted (as if we didn't know) that his two favorite loves are chocolate and women so that was the theme of the night. I loved every minute! He performed so many songs but the ones that stood out were 'Femininity', 'Sometimes I Cry', 'Chocolate Legs', 'Real Love' and 'Pretty Baby'. Now let me say this....those high notes of his are the real deal! Amen to the 10th power! 

The most beautiful surprise was when he sang "Spend My Life with You" and brought Tamia onstage - I almost passed out but the dude next to me beat me to it. Needless to say I won't hesitate to seeing the next Eric Benet headlined show in NYC (or New Jersey). The man is badd!

After the most agonizing intermission EVER, Ledisi's set began with a tribute to Donna Summer complete with silver sequins. Work it Ms Ledisi! She refused to have us sit in our seats. You had to move unless you were in a coma when she's around. Her show was unbelievably electrifying between the wardrobe changes, the vocal gymnastics that she is notorious for, dope backup singers who are her match and, a band that can keep up, show out and work their magic. I'm not surprised that I was awake hours after I got home.

Her show featured countless songs and devotions about the facets of that thing that we crave and hate the most - love. And its not just about the love we give to and receive from others but also the love of self. It was a spiritual love thang that she was preaching about with her voice alone.  Your soul couldn't be still with that type of energy and truth speaking onstage. 

Ledisi sang the heck out of this song at the Beacon 

Besides her opening song tribute to Donna Summer "Shut Up", she performed her classics 'Alright', 'Higher Than This', 'In the Morning', 'Pieces of Me' just to name a few. She took a moment at the end of her set to connect with the audience - pulling a dude onstage to serenade him, talking mess in between and during her songs, and walking through the crowd talking with folks as if she was a relative. 

She is more than amazing!!!


If you have not seen her perform and even if you have, show her that her creative voice is loved and check out her show in your area.


-Chante


SIDENOTE: With that love feeling in my being, absolutely nothing could stir that up into something negative not even the MTA shenanigans - they tried real hard last night. Now that is something powerful!