Chrisette Michele and Angie Stone at the Nokia Theater

NOKIA & CHRISETTE & ANGIE….OH MY!!!!!!
By Isreba Aiken

A few months ago, my wife Peaches and I, had the pleasure of attending the Nokia Theater, located at 1515 Broadway off of 44th street in NYC. It officially opened the latter quarter of 2005, and was designed by the award-winning architect David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group, and operated by AEG LIVE. This venue is suited for a diverse array of entertainment. There’s even a Nokia Lounge equipped with chargers for cell phones. Now THAT’S an area every venue should have. We were very excited about our evening, and were prepared to dress rather casual, since the weather afforded more comfortable clothing. However, after a mischievous span of warm fronts, the weather took a 360 degree turn, slapping us dead in our backs with a bone chilling, wind whipping, lipstick frozen evening. Nevertheless we primped, hopped a car service, kindly offered Miss frigid weather to kiss our frozen asses, as the car pulled up to the theater, and we delightfully proceeded inside to the show.

This was our first time seeing a concert at the Nokia Theater. The Apollo, The Beacon Theater, Westbury, Radio City, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center are our normal spots. To be truthfully honest… at first glance, the inside of the theater didn’t impress us. It seemed like a school auditorium, but as the crowds grew larger, we felt the intimacy, the warmth, and the mature premise of it all.

The waiters came around taking our orders for drinks, before as well as throughout the concert. And waiting for your drinks.....the turnaround time was fierce. That in of itself was a definite plus. When it came time for intermission, there was no need to disperse. Having been serviced during, minimized crowd control as a result. People were pleasant, everyone spoke, mingled with one another, and I am not contributing that to the holiday. I believe that credit belongs to The Nokia Theater itself. The staff was very professional, mild mannered, smile infused, and courteous. Thus…if you haven’t made it to the Nokia Theater, as of yet…As Angie Stone would say, “What You Waitin’ For”.

98.7 kiss FM sponsored the event, and Sultry Shaila was the host. The accompaniment played, putting the audience in a righteous mood. And all of a sudden, a Long Island nurtured, talented twenty three (23) year old typhoon spirit sprang on to the scene and began to blow…our…minds with all her might. CHRISETTE MICHELE PEOPLE! She’s a notorious first CD accomplished singer phenomenon, and believe me folks…she’s here to stay!!!

We knew she was accompanying Angie Stone, so we listened to one of her sides on Rhapsody before the gig. We liked it, so we were kind of a little ready. But we never expected anything like what we witnessed that night. It….was…incredible. She was incredible. She jump started the theater with “Let’s Rock”, and jet propelled the rhythmic palpitations of the hearts of her fans with “Be Ok”. This Long Island force was amazing to behold.

She infused our bodies with uncontrollable Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Jazz improvisation, Rap, and tenderly kissed our cheeks with an alluring Piano recital. Her vocal range left me speechless. Certain melodies were reminiscent to various styles of artists. It was “Sybil” observing vocal metamorphism as she performed every song. I was mesmerized. Her graceful, statuesque, body sheltered the vocal arrangements of; Corinne Bailey Rae, Ella Fitzgerald, Tina Turner, John Legend, MC Lyte, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, and Blu Cantrell. I guarantee once you purchase her CD, you will agree that her talent is infused and embodied with a multi-range multi-genre combined within her eclectic psyche, and blessed with the musical endowments of those who came before her.

Ladies and Gentlemen…I give you…“Chrisette Michele”.

Ms Chrisette was a wonderful Surprise. And after she left the stage you would have thought we were ready to call it a night. “HELL NAW!!! We came to see Angie Stone REMEMBER?? Naturally we were ready to be dazzled by the incomparable Ms. Angie Stone. Not our first time seeing Ms Stone mind you…A true sho’ nuff Diva of fabuloso magnitude. We love her so much, Baby and I purchased 2nd row seats, and went to see her in the Broadway play, “Chicago”, just because she was in it. It turned out to be a fantastic play, I might add. We even saw the movie. But that’s another review. Stop it! You’re making me digress.

Intermission was quick- fast- and in a hurry, approximately nineteen (19) minutes. The house lights were dimmed; two female backup singers crossed the stage, and halted at their mics which were positioned at the far left of the stage. The accompaniment interrupted life’s quiet by spontaneously combusting into the arrangement for, “Baby” as Angie drifted onto the stage while enticing us with the lyrics. It was more than a performance. It was Black history baby.

The crowd went wild. The air became heavy with nostalgia. You could smell the burgers on the grill in the summertime heat. Your cousins playing bid whist on the square table in the corner under the tree while drinking beer and talking a lot of mess. Little kids dodging in and out of the sprinklers, as beads of water droplets, glisten in their hair, as they run to you for a drink of your iced cold soda.

All the while Angie lovingly carried us back, escorted us into the present, and rebound us into the future. Angie honed into each and every one of us simultaneously, as she does at every concert, consistently channeling our pulse to the reverberations of not ol’ school, but Soul…our soul. She sang “Brotha”, instructing all the men to rise, and left no stone unturned. Even the white guys in the audience, she leaned over and told the ones in the first row, “And tonight you’re my Brotha too…stand up”.

There was a couple in front of us who were singing the song, but you could tell they were a little apprehensive about rising. So I leaned up, placed my hand on their shoulder, and told them, “You heard the woman…get up hun, you’re black tonight”. They laughed, and got up, thanking us for the support.

After that song she wanted to party. She started off with, “I Wanna Thank Ya”, and ended with, “Wish I Didn’t Miss You”. She even abandoned her lyrics, and united we shouted the lyrics of, “Backstabbers”, wafting an air of Soul school through our bones the likes that can only be felt by those who survived it. Everyone danced in the isles, and moved closer to the stage. We were in unison…a people, brought together by Angie Stone. There were three sets of claps orchestrated by Ms Stone herself, the room began to chant, “GO ANGIE! GO ANGIE! It was a house party to end all house parties. Everyone danced their way out of the theater. People were saying goodnight to everyone they passed as if they were family. It was peace…there was peace.

I Nominate Angie Stone as an Ambassador for the U.N. She brought together more races harmoniously in one evening, in less time than any one person I know. And she irrefutably accomplishes this by the love and realism in her performance and enrapture by the lyrics of her
songs. Angie Stone Carries us away…Every Time…