Thursday, November 17 - .We usually don’t find ourselves caught up in the arduous task of trying to find a parking space in midtown Manhattan on a Tuesday night, but here we were being extra attentive of the parking signs by reading each one four or five times. Mr. or Mrs. Police would not care if we happened to misunderstand the ambiguous and confusing rules posted on some of these signs. They would be quite content however, with dispensing a ticket for any infraction of parking regulations. C’est la vie in The City. By 8:30pm we finally found a spot. Unfortunately for us it was about seven long blocks from our destination. It was either hike the distance or risk a $165 fine. We made our feet meet the concrete, thank you very much

We headed to B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City located on 42nd Street in Times Square. Here at the ‘Crossroads of The World’ the street lights and glowing signs seem brighter than any place else on the globe. This is the heart of the city which never sleeps, where tourists and natives alike are always to be found scurrying from one hot spot to another, navigating through an illuminated cavern of endless entertainment.

It is the first of the month (November) so it is a bit funny that we are going to see Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, who actually have a song about that day, and the role it plays in many poor people’s lives when relief (public assistance) from their poverty-ridden existence may be the only semblance of consistency in their unfortunate socio-economic circumstance. Especially in the mid-1990s, the Cleveland-born hip-hop ensemble contributed immensely to the hip-hop culture, blending church chorus-like vocal melodies and rapping over soul-stirring rhythms. They also brought a tongue-flipping mode of vocal delivery (now popularized by such artists as E-40 and Twista) to the mainstream. If you are unfamiliar with this style and the regional slang, you may find the staccato rapidity of the lyrical flow is a bit more challenging, yet fun to listen. I’ll be the first to admit that I was one of those who could have used some translation now and then during their show. But when I listened carefully enough I found out that these brothers really had some things to say.

The concert took place in the downstairs of B.B. King’s, where it looks like most of the establishment’s live performances take place. Social drinkers would appreciate an immense 60 foot bar located here which had a most incredible selection of liquors I have ever encountered. To the right and to the left of the bar were lounges designed for enjoying a performance in a more relaxing manner, without having to be limited within the confines of a crowd . Directly across from the bar was the dance floor at the foot of a stage. The bar area was elevated about 2 feet above the dance-floor which allowed for an ample view of the stage, even while sitting down. The stage was about 45 to 50 feet long and 15 feet wide, quite enough room for most performers. We definitely have to say BB King’s has got it going on in terms of its appealing interior arrangement and appearance.

The audience for this show had been quite diverse in terms of age range (20s to 50s) as well as racial and ethnic background. It is always pleasant to see a collage of young and older folks bridging the generation gap. It was even more inspiring to see people of differing shades, styles, and shapes who represented a fair portion of the astounding spectrum of human variety, and also acting as a part of the human family to enjoy a good time together. It was truly a multicultural affair of about 250 to 300 friendly patrons who turned out to enjoy the show.

It was about 9:15pm when Bone Thugs-N-Harmony took the stage and from the outset they carried themselves like seasoned veterans, immediately knowing just how to get the crowd involved in the show. Hands were being waved, plus whistles and whoops were issued from all directions. The energy in the place was amazing. I truly have to admit that I did not anticipate the amount of familiarity and love that the general public still has for Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, but I would soon find out just how enamored with the group people are. I even ran into a young British lady who grew up listening to this group and make it a duty to come out from her more recent home of New Jersey to catch them live in concert.

When the melody for “Crossroads” began stream into the audience they erupted into applause; the energy of excitement began to run rampant.. I had a recollection of the song’s profound impact on the music industry at the height of its popularity, which ran for about three years in the early to mid-1990s. The era encompassed the deaths Eric “Eazy-E” Wright, BoneThugs’ producer at the time, Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace aka the Notorious B.I.G. It was a period of time when escalating drug wars and gang violence were claiming many lives in African-American and Latino communities across the U.S. with renewed fervor, and subsequently may have popularized the Bone Thugs’ style of gospel-type harmony woven into themes of mournful tribute for victims of poverty. Their lyrics also address the inherent abundance of misfortune which seems to nest in that condition. I found it to be one of the more moving songs from the group’s catalogue.

The song was as spiritually stirring now as it was back in the ‘90s. The crowd was taken down memory lane, but not necessarily in a nostalgic sense; the music itself seemed to carry a ‘90s personality into BB King’s, like a cousin returning home from an abrupt disappearance and a prolonged absence. The majority of the patrons sung along (at least tried to) and I even making a stuttered attempt at doing the same. The lyrics were like acrobats the way the jumped, flew and rolled into my attention!

The next major hit they touched was “First of the Month”, and it received a great response like that of immense relief from the crowd. Bone-Thugs and Harmony continued to perform in front of the adoring audience for little more than an hour, doing songs from their East 1999 Eternal and Creepin’ On A Come Up albums. Songs like “Thuggish-ruggish Bone”, “For the Love Of Money” (dedicated to the late Eazy-E) “Why Do I Stay High” and “Thug Luv” had the crowd attentive and involved. I saw many couples smooching during “Thug Luv”. It was just so appropriate too! And before leaving the stage Bone Thugs and Harmony made it clear that the had no “luv” for law enforcement by initiating a familiar yet fiery chant of “F**k the police ! F**k the police!”. Not exactly how I would verbalize my views concerning the men and women of uniform, but I think BoneThugs’ sentiment grasped my feelings quite adequately when I recall beatings, false arrests and shootings of innocent Black and Latino men (R.I.P. Timothy Stansbury of Brooklyn), the same kind of atrocities the group had alluded to in their music.

We left B.B. Kings with a greater appreciation for its hospitality and the reputation that they enjoy as one of the finest and safest social hot-spots in the nation. We also left feeling a bit more connected to Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony because of their experiences which they related to us and the rest of their audience , and also by feeling the energy and conviction of their lyrical content which the crew managed to deliver with flamboyant intricacy. The patrons were also very friendly this evening and their participation was remarkable, making our experience much more enjoyable. Those who attended the show deserve praise for their conduct and support at BB King’s. We would also like to thank all the staff of BB Kings for their help and professionalism. We would like to extend a special thanks to Rena for affording nowadayzdancehall.com the opportunity to cover such an inspiriting performance. We look forward to seeing all y’all again real soon !