| No Confetti for New Year’s? By Sashya Waterman The World Champion Los Angeles Lakers MVP Center, SHAQUILLE O’NEAL, hosted a New Year’s Eve concert at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The year-old venue holds around 20,000 people but only 5000 bought a ticket for a cost between $100 and $400. This low turn out represents one of the paradigms of Los Angeles, it’s star power and it’s indifference even though the billing boasted the top acts in hip-hop and R&B: IDEAL, NEXT, DESTINY’S CHILD, MYSTIKAL and JON B. The show started an hour late and the first two sets barely lasted 20 minutes and simply teased the audience and left us wanting more. We wanted more because we love those groups. Ideal put on an energetic show and sang their hits, "Whatever" and "Get Gone". Then, NEXT came out and got all of the "Wifey’s" heated up with a sexy rendition of their hit, "Too Close". The hot lead singer, RL, even went in to the audience and showed his fans some real love. This concert had so much potential it’s a shame. It was the place to be but there was no confetti.  There was this year’s MVP, KOBE BRYANT, with his fiancee, Vanessa sitting in the front row supporting his teammate. The newest LA Laker ISAIAH RIDER sat stage right, 5th row and the countdown to the New Year 2001 began…3,2,1. That’s it, no balloons, no streamers, nothing, continue on DESTINY’S CHILD, do your thing. I’m sure those Independent Women felt the same sense of disappointment as the entire audience. After an incredible year of Billboard Awards, Soul Train Awards, number one singles, and platinum album, their New Year’s Eve was somewhat of a dud. They tried though, those youngsters sang the roof off the empty joint. They sang all their hits from, "No, No, No" to "Independent Women." They kept working it with wardrobe changes: purple leather rhinestones and long, flowing, pastel, skirts.
After the countdown our humble host, Shaq, did not return. Destiny’s Child completed their set and some representative of King Media told the audience to go spend more money at the after party to see the concert’s no show, MYSTIKAL. So, that’s where the other 15,000 people were. By this time, it was around 1am and the place almost cleared out except for Kobe, his fiancee and 500 others still hungry for more, so we waited for JON B. Next year, I want some food, a champagne toast and don’t dare forget the confetti! |
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