Top 7 Concerts of 2011 : Shooter’s Choice Awards

At the top of every year, there are tons of countdowns to highlight aspects of the previous year, so I decided to add my 7 cents. Here are my personal favorite concerts of 2011. It’s based on the overall experience – not just the artist and their music. Please don’t look at this list, see a show you attended, and say, “That show wasn’t that great. I disagree”. This is my list – not yours. Lol. Just kidding (kinda).

NOTE: Notice the cool modification I made to my logo.

I attended and/or photographed close to 60 shows in 2011. So, choosing 7 wasn’t the easiest task.

Please visit the seperate posts to read more about the shows, and see the photos.

In general, I like Wale’s live performaces, and this was the first time seeing him on stage in a while
First time seeing “Bait” performed. 1 word – bonkers
He brought out his label-mate Meek Mill and his Board of Administration artist Black Cobain
He had on a pair of Nike MAG
The Board of Administration Varsity jackets are sick
The overall energy was INSANE
Check out Wale : 10 06 2011

The Husband and Wife duo was promoting their forthcoming project, for which I did the album cover shoot
Their love for each other is always present in their music and on stage, and they always have great positive energy – it’s a beautiful thing
Noel Gourdin opened the show and was good
Black Alley followed Noel Gourdin, and they always kill it. No question about it
The crowds energy was crazy
Check out Kindred The Family Soul : 06 26 2011

It was my first time shooting at SOB’s in NYC, and it was good to getaway from DC for the night
The crowd’s energy was high
You can’t put Ledisi on a stage with a mic and expect her not to kill it
The sangria was on point
Check out Ledisi : 06 22 2011

It was my first time shooting Snoop Dogg
Snoop brought out OG Dogg Pound members Daz and Kurupt
Wiz Khalifa’s bong-inspired illuminated mic stand was pretty dope
I arrived at 930 Club just in time, after leaving another show – oh, and after being pulled over by a cop
Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa had crazy energy and their on-stage chemistry is amazing. It was like the big brother and the little brother who share the same craft – showing off what they do
Snoop performed some of my favorites off of his Doggystyle album
Check out Snoop & Wiz Khalifa : 12 07 2011

This was my first time shooting at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC
It was a sold out show, where every dollar earned went to Trey’s charity – Angels With Heart Foundation
They streamed it live, and if you look closely, you can see me in the pit shooting throughout the night – all access
Special guest performer Ne-yo added a nice touch to the show
Not having to catch the MegaBus back to DC was a plus – shoutout to #TeamSongz for the Amtrak upgrade
The choir that backed Trey on “Top of the World” was amazing
Seeing Trey’s Mom walk out onto the stage proudly holding up the Angels With Heart Foundation t-shirt, for which I designed the logo, made my day
Check out Trey Songz : 11 25 2011

Anthony Hamilton’s live performances are always on point – he’s very consistent
“The Hamiltones” (his backup singers) had a lot of energy – “It’s gotta be the shoes!” (Jordan Brand pun)
Anthony hit the aisles to dance with some of his “juicy” fans to “Sistah Big Bones”
Like all of his shows, the “Jesus Moment” was right on time
One of my favorite ladies in R&B, Chrisette Michele, was one of the opening acts
At the post-show meet & greet, I helped coordinate a wedding proposal, with Anthony Hamilton providing the serenade
Check out Anthony Hamilton & Chrisette Michele : 12 08 2011

Ms. Jackson ( if you’re nasty ) hit her first mark wearing some kind of cat suit that I will never forget
With a few outfit changes, the wardrobe for this show was cool
The Michael Jackosn tribute was pretty touching
Janet Jackson performed every last hit song that you could imagine
The lighting and effects were unreal
I saw the show 2 nights in a row – it was that good
Check out Janet Jackson : 03 22 2011

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 1:05 pm. It is filed under Concerts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.