VIP Seat: Beyonce: I Am...Yours

It's pouring rain and it's been cloudy all day. This usually means I'll post up with my 50-song "Rainy Day" playlist and call it a sweatpants day, and of course, loads of TV.

Went to E! instead of True Life: I'm a Bisexual only because Beyonce Revealed was on. Those who know me best know that I adore Sasha Fierce more than words can express (she replaced my longtime love with JLo, don't ask). As I watched the behind the scenes of "Bills, Bills, Bills" I remembered "I Am...Yours," an exclusive, Storytellers-style concert in Las Vegas.

The concert begins with an acoustic set featuring a slowed-tempo knockout of "Sweet Dreams" and "Halo," among others. She dives into her B-sides as if they were her all-time hits, wailing and jumping through vocal gymnastics as easily as blinking. The acoustic "Irreplaceable" is more of a sing along, which is cool if you're in the audience, but I'm not about to scream "to the left, to the left," when I'm the only loser doing it.

Act two involves a more lively, uptempo story telling journey through the life of Beyonce. She sings some Destiny's Child classics with a remix of "No,No,No" and clips of "Say My Name" and "Independent Woman." There's even an interlude tap dance routine(?).

The finale is predictably "Single Ladies," but since the entire performance is catapulted by an all-female band, the pop hit embraces more of the big band and less of the MacBook.

If you're a big Beyonce fan or even a little one, you must watch or hear the performance. It's a near flawless, fabulous exhibition of her talent, and I'm not just saying that because I LOVE HER IN ALL CAPS!! Ahem, yeah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilKFZJ6V97I - Halo (acoustic)

Song of the Day

**12/3/09

Jamie T - 368

--------------Don't worry if at first you hear "368" and think it's a little goofy. The tick-tack percussion and the smarmy and eloquent flow of Jamie Alexander Treays sounds slightly kooky and playful, though still maintaning a solid slow-punk backup. Jamie T and The Pacemakers may have cancelled their U.K. sellout tour, but that didn't stop the release of T's 2009 album, Kings & Queens, which hit #2 on the charts. Jamie T and The Pacemakers sounds different from your conventional jolly-good punkers from across the pond. There's less focus on rah-rah choruses and catchy guitar licks and more emphasis on intricate rap lyrics and being messy in a good way.

If you're trolling Youtube for more Jamie T, I would skip the cover of Beyonce's "If I Were A Boy," but definitely hear "Sticks and Stones" and "Sheila."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG2ES2py-m8

Song of the Day

**7/24/09

Jay Z feat. Beyonce - Bonnie and Clyde

---------------Bonnie and Clyde robbed banks, but Jay Z and Beyonce steal the spotlight of the R&B and Hip Hop music industries with consistenly electrifying duets. Produced by Kanye West, "Bonnie and Clyde" cruises along Jay Z's life of sin with his halo, Beyonce. The lyrics devotedly praise love, respect, and sanity with each other in a crazy world. Get "Bonnie and Clyde" from Jay Z's seventh studio album, The Blueprint: The Gift and the Curse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn6tq6IS3jg

Song of the Day

**1/12/09

Beyonce - Diva

----------------If there was ever any question as to why Beyonce Knowles took on her fly alter-ego, Sasha Fierce, "Diva" delivers the answer. Webster's definition for "diva" can be seen at the beginning of her music video, but Ms. Fierce has her own definition. "Diva"is defined as "a female version of a hustler," and there's no doubt: the bass heavy, incredibly intimidating beat behind her ryhmes about the benjamins, the boys, and the bitches. With a true swagger like a champion, Beyonce's "Diva" reminds the newer faces of R&B pop who's been in the game so long, she's reffing it. Get "Diva" from her 2008 album, I Am... Sasha Fierce.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuDE9vRZvg0