Last night was the much anticipated Alex Isley. Now I got this ticket many months ago and to be honest I just wanted to stay home last night but since I didn’t know when I’d get the chance again and I purchased a pre-sale ticket I forced myself out of the house. The show was originally supposed to be at the Songbyrd Cafe but it was moved to the Howard Theatre due to a higher demand in tickets (good for her). I however don’t see the Howard as an intimate venue and it’s not my favorite so I felt a way at first. The show was slated to begin at 8pm and of course I didn’t leave the house until a little after that. She was slated to have an opening act and nothing personal but I only wanted to hear Alex tonight. It had been a busy day and my body was exhausted and I was tired.

     Parking around the Howard was a nightmare and it didn’t help that there was apparently a show at the 9:30 Club as well. I drove around at least 20 mins before finding a spot. I arrived pretty much right after 9pm and the couple before me asked when Alex was due to come out and staff told him 9pm that we had all arrived right on time. He wasn’t kidding either because as I stepped into the venue and got situated on the floor the lights grew dark and Alex appeared on stage. Mind you, I’m on the back of the floor and I’m short; there were two tall guys right in front of me so for a good portion of the show I saw nothing.

     When I first began going to shows after having my blog seeing was very important and I’ve come to find as of lately I really don’t care if I see or not, I’m just happy being in the building and experiencing it all live. I will say though, I do like to get at least one good photo for recap purposes as a way to remember. Once I get about 4 good photos I’m good for the rest of the night. I might do a video clip or two of my favorite songs but sometimes I’m so in the moment I forget to. She started off with one of my favorites off her latest album Marigold “Such A Thing” and then she went into songs on past albums. She said it had been 10 years since her last album or tour so she wanted to perform some older songs as well.

     I liked a few of the songs she sang and it was definitely a vibe. You could tell a lot of people attending had been following her longer than I had because they knew these songs while I didn’t. Alex took no breaks and sang right through each and every song. She has great live vocals with range and harmony. She continued with songs off her latest album Marigold and it reminded me of the many moments in which I listened to the album all the way through with whatever I was doing and how I really tapped into every song and soaked it in (I can’t believe I thought about not going). I realized as she sang some samples that her voice also reminds me of H.E.R. another one of my favorite artists that I could see time after time like Marsha (Ambrosius). Female artiats in R&B/NeoSoul are killing it in the best way possible and I hope it continues.

     As the crowd started to fizzle as the night went on I was able to move closer and guess what…see! It was in that moment that I got my best photos and video and could actually see (from far away Alex looked like Rhyon Nicole Brown). The remaining crowd jammed to the last few songs and we showed our appreciation with constant applause at the end of the show. Alex said this was her first time performing in DC and I hope she comes back!

Try not to miss out on experiences because the memories from it can last a lifetime. I just booked my next show and it’s India Shawn for next month (I hope I can make it because I may be out of town).