It's been forever since I enter an entry on my blog. It has been a busy summer. I had the chance to
see Maze with Frankie Beverly,George Benson and Boney James,Robin Thicke and Chrissette Michele.
I topped the summer concerts off with the Queen of Hip Hop, Mary J. Blige last week at the Mann Music Center. This was a great show because it featured D'Angelo and Melanie Fiona as the opening
acts.
The shows featuring Benson and Thicke were held at the Robin Hood Dell East. George Benson relied
on Old school classics and Jazz during his performance.Robin Thicke and Michele were more contemporary with powerful vocals.
Maze perform at the Mann with several other Old School artists. The other performers were the O Jays,Patti Labelle and Babyface. Patti did not have her usual energized performance but the other
three acts were entertaining.
Mary J. Blige killed it. She is right there with Beyonce with energy and sustaining the crowd. Beyonce
edge Mary by giving a longer performance when I saw her at Revel. I would go see both of them again.
The Business Review of the summer is not as promising as I expected. Revel is an Awesome place, but alone can't be expected to revitalize Atlantic City. The Revel model can work but will required more time and planning. Atlantic City must do more collaborative events to grow the market.
Valley Forge Casino Resort is not faring as well as anticipated. They are a tough sell and so small that
they must create the vision of exclusivity to be successful. They have change marketing teams twice
since opening.
The Made in America concept caps the Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia. Jay Z has pooled an array of stars to bring international attention to Philly. Bruce Springsteen is also in town at a separate venue.
This is generating publicity for the region and filling the area hotels. I expect this to become an
annual event.
G2E is coming in October. I don't think I'm attending. My sights are set on the IGNA. I'm not sure when it is, but I'll post when I receive information.
