I’d like to believe that I’m one of the reasons Chrisette Michele performed at Yoshi’s the weekend of April 15; many months ago, I signed up to receive upcoming event e-mails from Yoshi’s, and they asked if there was an artist I would like to see perform.
I wrote Chrisette Michele.
And the rest, as they always say, is history.
Having seen Chrisette in New Orleans at the Essence Music Festival in July, I hesitated before buying tickets to her last show in Oakland. These days, I have a loose rule when it comes to buying concert tickets – if I’ve already seen the artist perform, I think twice before attending their concert again.
Obviously, I broke my own rule, which is why I say it’s loose.
While she was off stage, Chrisette’s set began with the song Be OK. She appeared before the sold-out crowd sans shoes and wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans with silver bangles adorning both arms. Her voice sounded a bit hoarse, but I chalked that up to the fact that she performed five shows in the span of three days.
She flowed right into I’m a Star from her third release, Let Freedom Reign, and followed with What You Do and Epiphany, both from her second album Epiphany.
In between songs, she entertained the audience with stories on her song writing process, the real meaning of If I Have My Way (it’s not about sex, but abstinence) and pleasing her pastor, Donnie McClurkin, by writing non-offensive songs.
She paid homage to Erykah Badu (singing Badu's hit On & On) who Chrisette said heavily influenced her style. She also said Badu showed her it was okay to do the music that made her feel most comfortable.
Chrisette called Goodbye Game and Blame It, “angry songs that are hard to sing,” and said one of her favorite penned songs was Best of Me.
She ended the night with an observation about Michael Jackson: When she used to watch Jackson perform and he would tell the audience he loved them, Chrisette wondered how that was possible because he didn’t know every single person.
She said she realizes he truly did because she could feel the vibe and love in the room.
I only have one complaint – her hair. This night, she was wearing braids, but Chrisette cut all her hair off in 2010 and looked absolutely beautiful. Apparently she thought the move was “crazy” because she said that she appreciated people sticking with her even through her "crazy moments" – like cutting off her hair.
I honestly don’t think Chrisette was crazy for going natural and hope she reconsiders going back in the future.
Upcoming show I'm attending: Soul Survivors, featuring Eric Roberson and Vivian Green, Yoshi's, May 25 & 26. Ticket: $22 & $28.
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| Chrisette performs at the Essence Music Festival in July 2010. |
