NERD and Common

About a month ago, I attended the Common/NERD concert at the Verizon Wireless Theater. I am not too familiar with Common's music, but I respect him and his art. I was a bit more interested in seeing NERD and what kind of performance Pharrell would bring.

I was surprised to see that the day of the show, Live Nation gave me 4 free tickets, along with many other free tickets to random people who pay attention to myspace bulletins. Having bodies in attendance for amazing artists is important to me and the vibe of the show, so as soon as I posted a bulletin on myspace about free tickets, my phone blew up. Within minutes, I had given away my other three tickets.

NERD opened the show. There was a diverse group of people in the audience, as Pharrell pointed out. The energy of the audience was poor in the back, but perhaps that was because of the poor sound quality. The venue only had speakers on in the front. Also, people in the back didn't seem to actually be fans of the group, rather, they seemed to just be watching television. I guess they were there out of curiosity, or perhaps they got a free ticket. However, closer to the front, there was mad energy, especially as NERD started pulling girls on to the stage. Every girl wanted to try to get their moment with Pharrell and it was quite hilarious. Pharrell is the biggest (yet coolest) nerd of all, yet he still gets ladies swooning. There was a live band and two drummers, which added to the energy on stage. Where I was aloof to NERD in the past, I became an immediate fan after the show.

Common came on stage soon after NERD. It was strange how people were wandering the venue, taking a smoke break, or just leaving in general. Common was the headliner, but it seems he is a bit too 'grown up' for most of the people in attendance. Unfortunately, I too, had to leave early, but it was not an option. I would have liked to have stayed for the entire show. It just made me sad to see that half of the people in the audience were aloof and disdainful about the music. Stay your ass at home if you want to be a lethargic body.

Am I too hardcore?

Straight up.