KMEL Summer Jam
August 20, 2011
Oracle Arena
Better than: Watching the baseball game next door.
"Just like a kid who found some candy/Let me feel and find your panties/Take 'em off, take 'em off, take 'em off, take 'em off, please!"
No sooner did R&B crooner Trey Songz start in with the most famous line from his song "Love Faces" when undies started flying through the air, one red pair even smacking him in the face. We found ourselves wondering whether the ladies took them off or just packed a spare pair for the occasion; either way, it was strange. Later, when searching Twitter for "#summerjam," we would come across a delightful tweet: "@TreySongz I'm sorry for hitting you in the face with my panties #summerjam."
Songz was the second-to-last artist to perform at the 25th annual KMEL Summer Jam concert, but it's probably fair to say that the majority of the heavily single and female crowd was there to see him sing, grind air, and make bedroom suggestions. At one point during his set, a girl in front of us started to cry; at another, our neighbor bent over and began using the back of her seat as an imaginary Songz.
We had been given a schedule for the show, which included performances by rappers including Waka Flocka Flame, Lupe Fiasco, Big Sean, local Erk Tha Jerk, and R&B singers Kelly Rowland, and Estelle, and noticed that there was a seven-minute block of time set aside for a surprise guest. We tried to guess who it was, yet we admit we didn't think of who it would turn out to be: Oakland-bred multimedia artist-moonlighting-as-rapper Kreayshawn and her White Girl Mob. Despite all the current controversies surrounding them, and particularly V-Nasty's use of the N-word, the reception for Kreayshawn's viral hit "Gucci Gucci" was beyond polite and even veered into happy, an audible amount of the crowd singing along with some of the punchlines (and soaring at the part that says, "Free V-Nasty!"). The big stage swallowed up the three tiny girls (Kreay, V-Nasty, and the non-DJing "DJ" Lil Debbie). This year's show was nicely balanced between hip-hop and R&B, but as Rowland performed her current slow jam "Motivation" and offered up a medley of hits from her old group Destiny's Child, it seemed like the crowd might have been more into the latter genre. Still, as Atlanta headbanging rapper Waka Flocka Flame peeled off his shirt just like Songz, the wall of scream was deafening as he owned the closing moments onstage. KMEL's on-air jocks introduced the acts with a bit of humor, and that kept the pace lively throughout; we couldn't always tell if what they were saying was real or not. We think that they awarded the "Weave of the Night" to a fictional girl from Richmond, but when Big Von said, "We have an announcement: Keyshia Johnson, your mother is outside. It is time to go home," we desperately wanted to believe it was true. Critic's Notebook Personal bias: Have enjoyed a quickie with Trey Songz. Random detail: "Are you here for the concert?" asked the parking lot attendant. "You are the only normal looking ones I've seen. Everyone is dressed as pimps and hoes!" By the way: See more photos, videos, and interviews from the event over at KMEL.----
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