Well, we may not have "done it on stage at the Ludacris concert” as the lyrics to Fantasy might suggest, but maybe that's only because it wasn't completely "sold out."
My wishful thinking also extended to the special privileges I was granted as a member of the press. I was told I would have backstage access at the show and time to interview Luda's "almost famous" style intern, Jason Newman, on the Axe Clix tour bus. I did get those things, but I didn't get to meet Ludacris himself, which of course, was never promised but still hoped for.
Newman is a free-lance writer who scored his job by chance. He was a Ludacris fan before joining the crew, so the offer to be Luda’s right-hand man was easy to accept. He was very relaxed and easy to talk to, so the brief interview on the tour bus went smoothly and was a lot of fun.
I wanted Newman to tell me everything about the man that sings about my hometown. What's he eat for breakfast' What's he like off stage' Does he have any pre-show rituals' I came away from the experience with the impression that Ludacris is a very down-to-earth guy who is not really as crazy and scandalous as he comes off in his music. Or, if he is really that wild, he has a completely different side to him that goes unnoticed in his music.
Newman mentioned that Ludacris doesn’t really have any rituals before heading onstage. He actually just relaxes before going to perform because the performance itself requires so much energy. Luda and the crew do, however, party in between shows, which Newman cites as one of the perks of his job. Apparently, it really is Patron, Hennessey, N-64, and girls that take up some of Luda’s free time, but not to the excess suggested in his songs. It sounds like the guys just know how to have a good time and balance work with play.
In addition to tour bus access, my backstage privileges allowed me to be mere feet away from the stage and see Luda from every angle. However, I decided I'd rather be dancing in the crowd than standing around stiffly with a bunch of white folks with press passes. So, I managed to push through the crowds to find a good spot in the center aisle and proceeded to experience one of the best concerts I've ever been to. It was fun to hear the music live, feel the intensity and move with everyone else.
There were students from all the surrounding Tennessee schools and people were yelling and cheering, dancing, singing along, and even standing on chairs. It was just so nice to see everyone so enthusiastic and into the concert. It was more spirit than I see at a lot of our football games. Memorial was packed. I also hear from some upperclassmen that this one of the better rap acts on the Vanderbilt campus the past four years. I definitely thought it was a good showing by Ludacris since he played pretty much every single one of his big hits, in addition to a few he said would identify a “real Ludacris fan”. I knew each and every song he played, so I loved the concert. Everyone knows that concerts are always better when you know the words (or in this case, some or most in each song).
Needless to say, the long wait for Ludacris’s entrance was well worth it. Common and Shareefa were also entertaining, but it seemed as though many in the audience were unfamiliar with their music, including me. I’m sure we’ll hear about Common’s sexual stage performance with a female audience sometime soon in The Hustler.
Welcome to Atlanta, y'all.
