Year of the Gentleman

I didn't realize how much of a Ne-yo fan I was until I regressed into a 14 year old girl screaming and shouting while jumping and dancing with every sound that came out of his mouth. I was surprised to realize that I knew all of his songs although I've always been lousy at naming titles.

It's only my second time to watch at SM Mall of Asia concert grounds, the first time being The One concert of Martin Nievera and Gary V. and I could swear they transferred their location! We were parked on the other end of MOA and had to literally run towards the concert grounds because we were already late. Nonetheless, it was all worth it. Ne-yo did not disappoint. The sound system is so much better than before and the sound was clear and crisp. I can't believe how smooth and solid Ne-yo's voice is! Even while he gyrates and moves from one end of the stage to another, his voice does not falter. There is barely a hint of breathlessness from all the dancing and singing he does. He satisfied his audience with most of his hits that sent the audience screaming and dancing and jumping up and down. It was a very active crowd except maybe for those seated in the VIP and/or Platinum section whom Ne-yo did not hesitate to take notice of as he was thanking his crew and the audience. He pointed out to those VIPs and said that even though they were seated the entire night he still loved them which made the audience laugh. There was also this instance when Ne-yo threw his towelette towards the audience and it was a guy who caught it and triumphantly waved it in the air much to the crowd's amusement.

I don't want to talk about his music because as I've already said, I am a fan and I probably won't know when to stop. I love r n b as a genre and Ne-yo is r n b. I love the way he moves you with his songs and how his songs get stuck on your head. You may be a hard core rocker or emo kid but for sure at one point, if you're in the same generation as I do, you have sang or had LSS or danced to a Ne-yo song or production.

Ne-yo as a singer is not all that remarkable. I mean he sure has talent and there was this instance in the concert when I was so totally engrossed with crooning that I stopped thinking and the next thing I knew I had caught my breath when he belted out in his high falsetto voice. I literally got lost in the song. I'm also very much impressed with how seductive he sang some of his songs. . I say he's not such an original in terms of how he sings because you have your Robin Thickes and Eric Benets and Maxwells who can reach the same high notes he does and move people the way he does. Ne-yo as a dancer is a good show but it's not revolutionary. He's no Michael Jackson but he's damn fine. He knows his song and that allows him to sway with the slow tempo and grind when it picks up its pace. Ne-yo as a producer is amazing because of his dedication and creativity. He gave us a medley of all the hits he has composed or produced or written sang by other artists just to remind everyone how far his music has branched out already. It is also only my second time to have another artist sing in someone's concert. I think this is a very effective way to make Ne-yo's talent, Jadyn Marie known and to allow her to crossover to his fans. She sings pop songs but she's greatly talented with a powerful voice and an alluring face. She's upbeat and her voice sounds solid as well. Her songs have a simple melody and lyrics that you can easily memorize. I will watch out for her.

Jadyn Marie

Ne-yo as an overall artist is outstanding!!! He has excellent rapport with his audience, gets them hyped up and singing to his song and impresses with his smooth moves and silky voice. He's also extremely sexy and his show was quite seductive. I loved it! His performances were sensual but still tasteful. I liked what he did with Fade Into the Background where one of his dancers was wearing a white tutu as a bride and everybody else in "tux" like costumes as entourage. I can't believe I watched a live performance and I was a bit suspicious that it was recorded but my friend confirmed to me that it really was live. He also gave an encore which is always pleasant for us audiences. I hope Ne-yo continues to create more music and to perform and I hope I get to watch him again.