Although I
was only 6 years old when Joe released his debut single in 1993, I have been a
fan and listener of his music since Don’t Wanna Be a Player (1996) and I
had pocket money to buy CD’s of my own. Joe is one of the artists who got me
hooked on R&B and surrounding genres. He is a legend in his own right and it was
a pleasure, for me and my plus one, watching him at the Brixton Academy
last night (10th December 2006). There were some mediocre support acts which got the evening started but also some great new talent including L-Marie, who performed a live acoustic set, and Algebra who has been co-signed by Joe himself. The warm up tunes were provided by Choice FM’s very own Dave VJ who kept the crowd bumping through the many technical difficulties at the start of the evening including skipping CD’s. Undeniably, the highlight support act of the evening was Nathan who entered the stage dancing to the energetic beat of Justin Timberlake’s My Love which was followed by a smooth acapella of Round and Round. The girls screamed like crazy when he performed his hit, Come into My Room, and he managed to get the whole venue to participate in the Willie Bounce.
The screams were deafening when Joe entered the stage. There was no doubt he was looking hot and on point. He began with Stutter accompanied by dancers and then performed the classics, Good Girls and Lets Stay Home Tonight. Highlights included What If a Woman and More & More which got all of the lovers in the house swaying in time. He ended the show with the ultimate R&B classic of the decade, I Wanna Know. This concert showed that Joe is a pro and he still knows what he’s doing after his 13 years of giving his gift of music to the world.
www.joescrib.com
By Rashmi Shastri - Dec 2006