*Now that Juneteenth is a national holiday, multiple celebrations take place from coast to coast. Hollywood was not to be outdone, as the LA Phil hosted T-Pain as headliner to the Hollywood Bowl’s second Juneteenth observation. The evening also welcomed Ledesi, D Smoke, Tina Campbell, Jordin Sparks, LaRussell, DC6 Singers, Flyana Boss, Iniko, David Banner, Elena Pinderhughes, Lloyd and the Color of Noize Orchestra directed by Derrick Hodge.
Tina Campbell (of Mary Mary) opened the evening with “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The audience was not officially invited to stand for the song that is considered the Black National Anthem, but thankfully a majority of the audience understood the reverence of the song and stood in homage anyway. Tina returned later in the show and took the crowd to church with her latest single “Pray for Me.”
Comedian Affion Crockett hosted the evening that celebrated freedom, creativity and the artistic tradition. EURweb was elated to be in the atmosphere where a national observation of this holiday was long overdue.
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Every artist was spectacular, but there were some performances that elevated the crowd to another level. Lalah Hathaway delivered “Someday We’ll All Be Free” with shocking similarity to the recording by her late father Donny Hathaway. It was as if Heaven breathed his every cadence and tone into his daughter who stood regal with angelic grace in perfect vocal form.
Tevin Campbell made a surprise appearance with the sing along song of the century, “Can We Talk.” Then in a teal shimmery suit, Durand Bernarr pranced across the stage. Yes, he pranced, and he oozed confidence while executing Olympic worthy vocal gymnastics singing El Debarge’s “I Like It” and Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U.” When he finished the crowd was in the palm of his hand.
However, the headliner T-Pain owned the night! He started with a reverent first act, in which he performed “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Act 2 was a pure party with raw Hip Hop, edgy lyrics, contemporary R&B and a myriad of T-Pain hits. The crowd was in a frenzy on a musical high.
Historically Juneteenth commemorates the full ratification of the Emancipation Proclamation, when slaves in Texas were finally notified on June 19, 1865, two years after the initial ratification.
The Hollywood Bowl understood the assignment and the Juneteenth Celebration will most likely be another historically relevant annual event promoting love, unity, and the performing arts.
This event and others are presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association aka LA Phil. For a full lineup of all future events go to: www.HollywoodBowl.com.
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