Concert Review: Drake in Camden, NJ

It's no secret that ever since I started this blog about three years ago, I've made it a habit to write about anything and everything Drake. I've seen him in concert two and a quarter times already, but that didn't mean a thing as I was still every bit as excited to see him this time around because he released Take Care since the last time I saw him perform. If you're wondering what the quarter time in concert was, I was in attendance when he tore his ACL on stage in Camden three years ago when he came out during @liltunchi's show.

Fast forward to 2012 where @drake returned to the same building where he tore his knee up, the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden. Also on the ticket were Waka Flocka, 2 Chainz, French Montana and J Cole. Keepin' it 100, I was only excited to see @JColeNC and Drake since the other rappers on the bill are not my cup of coffee. It's tough enough for me to stomach their verses on MP3, let alone in concert where they're yelling incoherently and competing with the instrumental...#JustSayin

I'm only going to focus on the main act as a result, so apologies to Fayettnam's finest who tore it down in his own right. In the past Drake has consistently set the bar high for his entrance and I was resigned to the fact that there was absolutely no way he was going to top his 9 AM in Dallas intro that he came out to two years ago at TLA. I was right, but that doesn't mean his Lord Knows concert intro was half steppin' in the slightest.

The energy off top was impossible to ignore as the caustic crowd ignited at his first sight. From the start he did a solid job of mixing in cameo verses like on I'm On One with Take Care tracks like Crew Love. What turned out to be one of my favorite part of the concert was his She Will verse/The Zone verse (below)...

Drake - She Will/The Zone verse

Combining those two tracks together was a great call and it played really well live.

From there he did exactly what Weezy did three years ago when he brought out his Young Money crew. This time Drake gave all the openers a one song cameo starting with @2chainz's new single No Lie...

Drake & 2 Chainz - No Lie

Maybe it was just me, but the audience went all Alexander GraHAM Bell when they figured out what track it was. Pretty sure the track was the apex of the concert, which was a big surprise for me at least.

From there he continued with @WakaFlockaBSM's Round of Applause, @meekmill's Amen, and shared a Maybach Music cameo verse with @FrencHMonTanA on Stay Schemin'. They all turned out to be hype crowd pleasers, especially for the folks who came early for the openers.

From that point on it was a mix of fast and slow Take Care tracks starting with Marvin's Room and Take Care before rounding into form with his two hype singles HYFR and The Motto...(below)

Drake - HYFR

Drake - The Motto (YOLO)

What was really strange to me was the people leaving before the show was anywhere close to done. Don't get me wrong, I loved being able to move up to better seats, but it didn't make any damn sense. Especially since he ended with his most well known tracks like Make Me Proud.

In hindsight, could he have picked better closing song that the slightly overplayed Headlines? Yea, I think so, especially since a curtain call wasn't part of the set and he decided to leave two of my favorite tracks,Shot For Me and Over My Dead Body, off the set list. He was sooo close to a really good set, but leaving both tracks off and not ending with Shot For Me was slightly upsetting.

A few key takeaways from my most recent Drake experience:

1. Opening acts make a difference. Not just because they make you feel like you got more for your money, but also because they shape the main act's set list. Yea that's right, I blame you Waka Flocka and French Montana for making Drake more inclined to leave some of my favorite tracks off the playlist...#IgnorantRapBlows
2. This sort of goes along with #1, but seeing Drake in a smaller venue is a better experience. Not taking anything away from his performance because he has clearly become a seasoned vet on stage, but I really wish there would have been a little more So Far Gone or Take Care ballads mixed in.
3. I really wish Susquehanna Bank Center wasn't in Camden, New Jersey. So many great acts go through there and it's really not a welcoming or safe place.

Feel free and check out some of the photography from the concert in the slideshow below...

Bruno Mars Susquehanna Bank Center Concert Review

A couple months back I got the Live Nation nudge saying @brunomars was coming to see me. Being a fan of Bruno and knowing that it would be a rare chance for both me and the lady to enjoy one of our mutual favorites, it was something I couldn't pass up. I've seen four shows now at Susquehanna Bank Center and I still contend, the city that it resides in (Camden, NJ) is the literal armpit of the world. What other place closes pharmacies and Dunkin Donuts on a Saturday night at 5PM, dude? Hmm wonder why...oh yea that's right, they've still got top billing for America's most dangerous city.

City and ridiculous parking fees aside ($25 to park in a lot close to the venue), the venue isn't terrible. As a sidebar, I U-turned from that lot, said kick rocks to the parking attendants and opted for the $1 hour meters about two blocks up. Definitely bring quarters folks, it pays...literally. I'll say too, I definitely prefer the indoor concerts rather than the outdoor, lawn shows because the entire one mile area surrounding the venue becomes one big cluster F word when that many people are allowed in.

As far as the show is concerned, I caught most of @4PLANB's set, which was interesting. I had heard a lot of buzz about him from a few folks who subscribe to the monthly song list and I get why he has a niche. His combination of live band with a some Hip Hop and Contemporary is a testament to his talent as an artist. I'll be looking out for his stuff from now on because he's an intriguing act.

The second opener, @janellemonae is crazy, super, uber talented and unique in every single way. The show she puts on is hard to sleep on, just like the out of this world vocals she's been blessed with. I wouldn't consider myself a fan of her music, the music she makes doesn't appeal to me all that much, but goood lawd she can rock a set. In other words there is good reason why award shows like the Grammys are cool with her performing, despite the fact you probably haven't heard much of her music.

Finally, the main attraction came, fairly shortly after Janelle, which was much appreciated. Nothin' worse than having to wait like an hour between acts, that's why you hire folks to work the set changes. Off top Bruno brought the noise, opening with his track The Other Side. Semi-dope opener, not exactly my favorite track or the most energetic, but it did the job.

To sum it all up, I kept thinking to myself what track do I really want him to play? Sure I knew he'd play the hits like Grenade (below), Just the Way You Are, Nothin' on You/Billionaire(hooks) and The Lazy Song, but there were a lot of fillers too like Liquor Store Blues and Our First Time. Hearing the song Marry You in concert really made me feel like I was surrounded by thousands of teenie boopers, which was a little alarming. It wasn't all bad though, I gained a stronger appreciation for tracks like Count on Me and Runaway Baby, which were executed really well.

Bruno Mars - Grenade (live)

What took an otherwise pretty decent show to a show worth talking about was his encore selection. Nothing shows how in tune an artist is with their fan base than first of all making sure one of your most appreciated songs isn't a single and then furthermore, rewarding the audience by playing it as your encore. If you're not sure which song I'm talking about, you haven't read much of what I've said about Bruno in the past.

Bruno Mars - Talking to the Moon (live)

I can't think of any better way to end a concert if you are Bruno Mars that to close with Talking to the Moon. Serious, serious, SERIOUS dap needs to be given to him for not making that track a single and letting us all appreciate it that much more, rather than feeding it to the ravenous masses who would have chewed it up and spit it out when they move on to the next thing the record companies want them to indulge in. Sure, like most concerts I really wished he would have played a couple tracks like Today My Life Begins, Her World Goes On and Killa on the Run, but that's just me being picky and enjoying good demo tracks that need to (eventually) be put on albums. I'd definitely recommend seeing Bruno live, he's a safe bet all things considered, especially if you want to include the family in on the action. Can anyone say follow up album??