The Element of Being Cheated

For one hundred fifty big ones, anyone would expect nothing but the best from the multi-million dollar, multiple grammy winning, uber talented Miss Alicia Keys. At her March 19th concert at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, she presented the crappiest stage performance I’ve ever witnessed.

I had heard that her concert at Madison Square Garden, which took place the night before was spectacular. It included appearances by Beyonce and Jay-Z. I didn't think that they would show up at the Prudential Center, but I didn't think that Alicia would put less than one hundred percent into her New Jersey concert. Boy, was I wrong.

First of all, I arrived at the concert an hour late, so I was already annoyed. I blame my best friend for not allowing enough travel time to drive from Brooklyn to New Jersey on a Friday. I also blame my other friend for making my best friend leave from an already congested Canal Street to pick her up in front of her job. I hate being late for anything, especially a concert that I paid one hundred fifty dollars for a ticket. It took a total of an hour and twenty minutes to get from the Brooklyn Bridge to the entrance of the Holland Tunnel. I showed up just in time to see the last eight minutes of Robin Thicke. He and Melanie Fiona opened for Alicia Keys. I didn’t get to see Melanie Fiona. At least I showed up in time for the headliner. I was sure that I was in for a treat from Miss Keys, or so I thought.

Alicia was anything but impressive. Don’t get me wrong. She did sing her popular songs. She sang my favorites like “Diary” and “Unthinkable (I’m Ready).” I wasn’t engaged. I really could have saved my money. I thought maybe I had been spoiled by the hardest working woman in show business, Beyonce, but that wasn’t it. I had also been to Ne-Yo’s, John Legend’s, and Maxwell’s concerts and they all grabbed me. They all don’t do a booty-pop like Beyonce, yet they all still had my attention. I felt a connection. Alicia bored the daylights out of me. I did like when she played her key-shaped electric keyboard, but that wasn’t enough. Her concert just didn’t have that WOW factor.

I wasn’t moved by the outfit she chose to wear on stage. It was as tacky as hell and should have been placed on the worst dressed list. She wore an army green military inspired tuxedo jacket with silver sequin skinny pants. Alicia? Really? I get dressed in the dark, and I still come up with better outfits than that one. I don’t know why celebs think that they can get away with ridiculous outfits. What was her stylist thinking?

So what do you get when you put together a long drive to an over-priced concert that featured a boring performance from Alicia Keys that you showed up late to? The Element of Being Cheated. I never felt so robbed. My friends cheated me out of seeing a concert from beginning to end by leaving late and getting caught up in traffic. Alicia Keys gave the most lackluster performance in my life. I really think that she gave New York her best and gave New Jersey her worst. So I was left to go back home to Brooklyn, feeling annoyed as well as cheated out of what should have been a great concert and one hundred fifty dollars. I am never going to another concert ever again.