MeShell & Left Eye

Last night I went to see my grrrl Meshell at Madison Square Park. Where da hell is that, right? It's the tiny park on 23rd between Madison and 5th. For this performance Ms. NdegeOcello assembled a musicially fly crew of musucians she's calling Grand Mission. Dude on the drums (listed on the website as Adam Deitch) was so crazy ill. His style was like Ahmir "?uestlove" from The Roots (his coif was blowed out too except on some Creme Of Nature tip), but dipped deeply in some Tony Williams sauce. Mike Severson who was on guitar was definitely channeling Santana. Even though I only caught the last 30 minutes of her set which ended promptly at 8pm (only 1 hour long), I was digging the funky dub vibes. And Meshell's vocals were, as always, very soothing, sultry, even when she probably didn't mean them to be. I didn 't recognize any of the music I heard, but that's neither here nor there especially since I'm drinking wack juice for not having copped her most recent joint. Well all that matters is that she ripped it and the cool part was how after she said her thank you's, homegrrrl just walked off the stage and out of the park on to Madison Ave. talking to some cat like she was taking her usual afterwork stroll thru the park. Never mind the hundred or so cats that were applauding and yelling her name just a few feet away. Very funny. Very New York!

After Meshell's jam I hopped on the #2 train and headed uptown to the Vibe Urban World Movie premiere. Even though I got there at 8:35, I was still able to catch the last hour of the Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes doc they were premiering. Wow, it was really insightful in terms of getting the back story to so much of the "drama" that seems to represent, or at its very least, taint the memories we have of Left Eye. This is a doc that she filmed while on retreat in the Honduras and where she gets mad open especially about her love/hate relationship with Andre Rison. Lisa also gives us her side of the story behind her rather detached involvement with the promotion of the Fan Mail cd. Last Days of Left Eye had some eerily deep moments. Moments that my comrade keenly noted, mirrored Tupac's doc in that they-- Pac & Left Eye, both seemed to sense, no KNEW, that they were going to die young and tragic! I really wish Left Eye had more time on her side because you can tell that she was about to lay some ish on the line. Maybe about T-Boz and Chili, who knows but something was eating at her spirit and she was ready to release it to the Universe. But alas when I saw her get into that red pick-up truck, I knew I was looking at the final moments of her life. I was sitting on the edge of my seat because I didn't know what I would see in these last minutes but I knew it was more than I ever thought I would see in terms of viewing a person's final moments of life. (Aaliyah's video that was shot hours before her plane crashed freaked me out, especially that scene where she's swimming underwater, but it looks as though she's floating upward to heaven!) Not to give anything anyway I will say this... I was left with many more questions afterwards than before I saw the film. I won't say I was disappointed because I wasn't. It was a good film and I hope all of you watch it when it airs on VH-1, but like anything sweet and seemingly so ripe, I just wished that the other producer would have squeezed a lil' more outta one of our most unique and talented individuals. At the end of the film Left Eye says in voiceover that with death there is transformation and a new star is born. Now nothing against Beyonce or Alicia Keys, but unfortunately in both Left Eye's and in Aaliyah's case I am still awaiting that blindingly bright new star.