EL APPRAISER: Oye, you down to go see Jay-Z?
A MIAMI REAL ESTATE BLOG: Jay-Z is in town?
EL APPRAISER: Yeah, he’s playing at the American Airlines Arena on Saturday and he’s doing something like a rehearsal show or some sh*t tomorrow at the Fillmore in the beach…
A MIAMI REAL ESTATE BLOG: They sold tickets to a Jay-Z “rehearsal”?
EL APPRAISER: Yeah.
A MIAMI REAL ESTATE BLOG (thinking to himself): Ese negro es un caballo!
A MIAMI REAL ESTATE BLOG: A Jay-Z “rehearsal show” in the intimate setting of a 1951 Art Deco theater? That sounds interesting. I’m down for that.
Long story short…
March 21
“Allow me to reintroduce myself my name is Hov, (Oh) H to the O.V. I used to move snowflake by the O.Z.”
OK, so I temporarily lifted the self-imposed moratorium for attending local hip hop shows and attended the Jay-Z “rehearsal show” (it was more like “Jay-Z for mostly people of Caucasian descent”, but I don’t think it would be politically correct to market it like that) last night at The Fillmore at The Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach.
Off topic: I will never ever call this place The Fillmore. It is and always will be The Jackie Gleason Theater - period. However, much respect to Live Nation for the job they did with the renovations and the sound (which is spectacular - can’t wait to see The Strokes inside this place…again). I know many of the purists worried about the integrity of the theater when Live Nation took over. Being the traditionalist that I am (when it comes to landmarks, at least), I worried a little too. However, the 2,700-seat theater was operating on a $1.5 million per year deficit before Live Nation took over. Live Nation proposed a 15-year lease for the city-owned theater in which they would perform a $3.5 million renovation (which was greatly needed and appreciated) and pay the city a minimum of $1 million per year. You do the math. Besides, the theater lost a lot of its former bread-and-butter acts to the Performing Arts Center in Downtown Miami. It was time for change, no?
By the way, since we’re “off topic” on local landmark names, Dolphins Stadium fka Pro Player Stadium will always be Joe Robbie Stadium. The man built the stadium with private funds for crissakes! Name the entire city of Miami Gardens “Joe Robbie Gardens” or something like that.
Where was I? Oh yeah, Jay-Z.
Wow!
Backed by a full band (that flawlessly riffed into and out of all types of funk, soul, and rock-n-roll classics) featuring guitar, bass, drums, percussion, keyboards, horns and a turntablist (yes live music at a “hip hop” show), Jay-Z effortlessly cruised through a catalog that spans his 11+ year music career. From Reasonable Doubt all the way to last year’s critically-acclaimed American Gangster, Jay-Z gave every member of his audience his/her fair share of what they came to see…and then some.
“Public Service Announcement” for necks to sever? Check.
“I Just Want To Love You” for the chicken heads who swear he’s talking about them? Check.
“Can I Live?” for the old school Reasonable Doubt/Vol. 1 set? Check.
“Jigga What? Jigga Who?” for the thugs (he absolutely killed this one - killed it). Check.
“Big Pimpin” for everybody else? Check (although he didn’t really “sing” this one; after the DJ dropped the intro to the song that even yo’ mama knows the words to, he let the crowd “spit” his verse word for word - a capella).
I gotta confess. I didn’t go in expecting a whole lot, but when the band started playing “……….” (after Grolsch/Grey Goose/Stella Artois/Heineken/some Scottish beer from Zeke’s/Modelo Especial, etc. you don’t expect me to remember what song he started the show with, do you?), the vibe was set. This was gonna be a fun show. And it was.
However, no matter how much fun it was for everyone in attendance, the lesson to be learned was much greater. Love ‘em or hate ‘em (and a lot of people I know fall into the latter), Jay-Z, Jigga, Hova, Hovito, H to the Izzo, Jigga Man, J.A.Y. Hyphen, God M.C. (and whatever other pseudonym/alter egos he goes by these days) and Shawn Carter:
- are pop stars.
- are not a business man - they are a business, man (as he so cleverly stated on Kanye West’s “Diamonds Are Forever” remix).
- are genii (plural form of the word “genius”).
- are marketing masterminds.
- are artists.
- are hustlers.
- have “the hottest chick in the game wearing their chain”.
I could go on forever.
I could’ve even said something like Obama/Carter, but I don’t wanna start some sh*t (chuckle, chortle, chuckle, chuckle).
Adrian Salgado is a Realtor Associate at RED I Realty in Miami, FL and can be reached at 305-491-7179 or SalgadoA@gmail.com
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