Is just that….a helluva experience. If she is performing anywhere near you I highly recommend that you go see her. You won’t regret it. The first thing I HAVE to point out is that the only speck of color in the theater besides me, were the people on the stage. I was amazed at that fact! I left home early because I KNEW I would either get lost or have trouble finding parking…..I did both. But what I didn’t expect was to be the only Black person there. Come on…QUEEN LATIFAH comes to Small Town, Oregon and my people aren’t there…..damn.

But I did come to realize that Small Town, Oregonians are SERIOUS about getting their party on. There was lots of shouting and dancing. There was singing along and clapping. They were cheers and basically a lot of partying going on. It was great.

First off, she looked fabulously casual. Slacks and a jazzy as hell top…and her hair!!!! I WANT THAT HAIR CUT! I loved her look. She performed a few songs from her first jazz cd and several from her newest cd, including the title track Trav’lin Light. There was jazz, there was blues, there was funk, there was soul, there was Brazilian rhythms……it was a plethora of musically infused fun. She started the night off with I’m Gonna Live Til I Die and I loved it. She followed up with Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars, Trav’lin Light, Georgia Rose, and Poetry Man (just to name a few). The audience ate up every bit of interaction she gave off…..she even brought her father on stage to show him off. Like I said….it was one big party. Her band and background singers are all AWESOME!

Then she sang MY SONG! I Know Where I’ve Been. When I tell y’all that I was in the back of the theater on my feet almost crying…..whew. It took all I had not to throw my hand in the air and holler SANG IT SISTA!!!!!!!! But I maintained my composure because remember…..I WAS THE ONLY BLACK PERSON THERE! The funny part was that she looked dead in my direction and said “I see ya sista!” I had to wipe a tear away. You know how much that song means to me right? Just wow!

And as the night ended, the crowd demanded she come back on stage one more time. When I say demanded….let me set the scene for you….THE BAND WAS GONE AND THE LIGHTS WERE ON! They wouldn’t sit down. We clapped and cheered and yelled for more. And when she came out what did the crowd ask for? The all white, Small Town crowd???? A RAP!

Looking around for hidden cameras or Ashton Kutcher cause somebody is play playin with me.

No sireebob….no jokes. The Queen breaks out with her legendary hit UNITY and the crowd is going wild (including me). We’re all up on our feet dancing and singing along like it’s an old school hip hop party out on the street.

Go get Trav’lin Light!

Go see Queen Latifah if she comes to your area!

Wear your dancing shoes because the drums and the bass throw down!

And don’t sleep on the white folks in Small Town, Oregon…..cause they gets down!