Friday, June 11th, 2010
Erykah Badu:Out of My Mind, Just in Time
I have only heard from other people that I am weird, I have yet to notice it myself. But Erykah Badu definitely is weird. At least that is what i thought until I got a chance to meet with her back stage. Before we get to that, The concert was wonderful. Jonelle Monae opened up the night with her soulful oldies feel music. Not to be outdone by Erykah because Jonelle had her own following, by following I say there were people there dressed in her signature white full sleeved, puffy shouldered collard shite, black slacks, and little dancing shoes. Yes, there was a whole group of them just dancing and singing along to her music. Her music was a little much for me, but there was a point where she stood on top of a stool and sang a love ballad that gave me goosebumps. After a brief intermission Erykah Baduwas introduced to the stage and the soulfulness of her being surrounded the orpheum theatre. Or maybe it was the 24 oz beer that I forced myself to drink and enjoy. Needless to say she didn’t get naked. No window seat for us.
After the show, she held a meet and greet and we met in the basement of the Orpheum. As Erykah ate veggie patties and lettuce off of a platter along side Jonelle Monae. She spoke to her small audience about her album, her life, and her inspiration. It was at this small informal meeting that I realized that unlike a lot of other artist, Erykah was genuinely NOT full of shit. She is weird because she believes in what she says and she stands by her decisions and works through them, She’s real and spoke to us like we were old friends. It was a moving experience, and I’m happy to say I got to be a part of it
pics by: TOMMY