HOVA!
As referenced below, last night the Kleinette and the Kleiner journeyed north to Baltimore - you know, that actual city? with the tall buildings 'n' stuff? - to see Jay-Z perform at the 1st Mariner Arena. The Kleiner, who frankly must confess to having something of a man-crush on Jay, came away very impressed with the performance, as did the Kleinette. Although we came away less impressed with the venue, all-in-all expect what follows to be a pretty positive overall report.
The first thing to know about Jay-Z as a performer is his preternatural command over an audience. The intensity of his charisma really shines through on-stage, and he clearly has a natural gift for between-song banter, stage timing, and soliciting audience participation. Beyond that, though, he has a broader and rarer gift for managing the ebb and flow in pulse and energy of a crowd over the course of an evening that goes further than just a well-structrured set-list, knowing when to flow through three songs at once or when to quip, knowing when the audience is ready to party and when not to. Especially with having a full live band behind him (guitar, bass, two drums, two keyboards, a DJ, and three horns), and with clutch assists from Memphis Bleek and Pharrell Williams of N.E.R.D. (who also opened) he seemed really able to play with moments perfectly.
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