Nurse's Lounge: Wouldn't miss THIS for the world! HBO We Are One Concert

Even if you have been hiding under a rock, (why do people even say that?) you must have heard that the United States of America collectively flipped the bird to their racist past by electing their first ever African American President, Mr. Barack Obama.  

When the election results rolled in on November 4th, I started making plans for this week.  Guess where I am, soca people?  You better believe, I've been chilling out in the centre of the action in America's nation capital - Washington D.C.  God is real good, and if he spares this humble life till Tuesday, I'm going to see Barack get sworn in!

By the time you've read this, CNN will have given you a better visual rundown of the events than I can at this moment.  So here are a few of my highlights.  

Today I attended the HBO "We Are One" pre-inauguration concert at the Lincoln Memorial.  I was maybe halfway between there and the Washington Monument, standing shoulder to shoulder with 750,000 other pilgrims all united in our hope for a better day.  We saw performances from e'er-body!  Bonjovi, Tom Hanks, Shakira, Will I Am, Beyonce, Usher, Stevie Wonder, Samuel L. Jackson, Garth Brooks, etc, etc.  However, the real excitment came when president elect Barack Obama took the stage to say a few words.   Is it weird to say that the man is COOL!?!?  He even walks like a bad mofo.  Crazy!  

The entries for this trip will be back-dated, so you can read them in succession.  Please just bear with me.  There haven't been too many pauses in the action.  I'm recovering from a couple of hours shut-eye after the wild soca-filled night that ensued.  Stay-tuned!

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Nurse's Lounge: Diddy's Pre-Inauguration Gala

I used to love H.E.R..  Any Hip Hop heads in the house?  When I was growing up, rap music 

was like a special friend.  I watched the videos, learned the lyrics and read the magazines.  I saw the odd concert here and there, and even found myself rubbing shoulders with some of the up-and-comers in the Toronto scene.  That was then.  Now, the Hip Hop animal has evolved into a beast of burden. ..for me anyway.  The commercialism surrounding the craft saps so much of the creativity and diversity and that leads me to tonight.

I got to Washington D.C. today.  I’m here for the Obama inauguration on Tuesday, but I have a few days to kill.  I want to experience as much as possible.  The Capitol Region is booming with events.  Before I left Toronto, a few American friends suggested that I get tickets for at least one dress up event.  My travel partners and I weren’t keen on forking out more than $300 a piece on some of the inauguration balls that caught our attentions, so instead, we opted for Diddy. 

The “Gala” event was held at LOVE, one of Washington’s largest and most celebrated night clubs.  It’s a beautiful venue, so I pulled out a hot little backless Benedicto number, that I scored from the designer Juliana Corona when I hosted the runway show for her Spring ’08 line in Yorkville. I love a good excuse to get all decked out.  This my lovelies, was not a good excuse.

The crowd was beautiful.  I love seeing my people dressed to the nines and hitting the town.  We entered the club. Checked coats, and ascended the stairs and hit the dancefloor.  The party was hosted by the Orginal Bad Boy, Sean “P Diddy”  Combs.  He graced the VIP with friends, pass holders and Stevie Wonder.  When I saw Stevie, I was hopeful for a change of pace, maybe some Soul and R&B for more authentic Gala vibe.  Instead we were in for a ceaseless playlist of late nineties to modern day hip hop hosted by Angie Ange and The Cuban Cigar Smoker from DC’s 93.9 FM. 

Stevie Wonder addressing the crowd

Let me get right to it.  The party was ok-ish.  The music wasn’t my style.  I needed some relief from the monotony of it all.  There were a couple of reggae sets that felt like Christmas to me, even though the DJ didn’t have a clue how to mix OUR stuff. 

My four inch heels had an even worse time than I did.  There were so many folks there.  My poor purple pumps were tried and tested every time I got shoved, pushed, or even stepped on.  Then, when my toes were about tell off my 4 inch stilettos, I chose  to go the non-violent route by finding the closest wall lean on and take a break.  Just as I found the perfect spot, a couple of guys got into a fist fight right next to me.  Next thing I know, a bottle breaks, I fall to the floor and above me are two  200 pound black men.   My shoes – “Where the heck are my shoes?”

Somewhere in the mix, a pair of beautiful raspberry pumps were suffocating and crying for mercy.  Thankfully, after coming to my defence my big brother hurled a swift right hook to the thug who pile-drove me, dove in for the shoes...and we bolted.  Diddy, Stevie, beautiful people, smell ya later!

 

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