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.