Let’s take it back to when my obsession for music and concerts all started. Well, with music I became fascinated by it at the age of 3. The first song I would tell my parents to play over and over was Hypnotize by Notorious B.I.G. It was like seeing a McDonald’s for me. Once I would see one, I would get excited and the minute my mom or dad would drive by it, I would get upset. I was the same way with Hypnotize. I would only sing the chorus and murmur the lyrics but I was jammin in my car seat on road trips. Anyways, my first concert ever was in April of 2004. The concert had a huge lineup that included Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliot. Crazy right. In this day and age, a ticket to see that would almost be equivalent to going a music festival. At the time, it was at the peak of their careers. Beyonce just came out with her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, Alicia Keys with The Diary of Alicia Keys and Missy Elliot with her discography starting from This is Not a Test! and before.
(photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
I apologize that I do not have any photos, I am just basing everything off of my memory haha! It was at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, which is now called the Honda Center and it was a great time. Missy Elliot opened and I remember her running all the way to back of the arena with her dancers around her and she was in the section next to me. It was awesome! Alicia Keys was second and she was on the piano singing “If I Ain’t Got You” sounding just like the record. Beyonce was the last act to play and she put on a great show as a sol artist. I remember she had a big flashing sign that came down for her last song Crazy in Love to close the show. From what I can recollect, the show was a great time and a great first concert. It’s funny, a couple of years ago the Honda Center tweeted a question asking “What was your first concert here?” I replied back with this concert and out of nowhere THE Missy Elliot Favorited my tweet. It’s a memory that I will always cherish. This was the start of my journey for the love of live music