Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 April 2004 — Page 3

. FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2004

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

PAGE A3

Ladies First Tour rocks Conseco lamia, Missy, Alicia and Beyonce prove women can do whaf men do - even better

Beyonce performed hits such as "Me, Myself and I," "Dangerously In Love," and sung a rendition of Destiny’s Child songs. She ended the concert with the mega hit "Crazy In Love." (Photo/E. Wheeler)

By ERICKA P. THOMPSON Staff Writer There are many women in the entertainment industry' that can rock a show, but I don’t think that too many can do it better than Tamia, Missy Elliott, Alicia Keys and Beyonce. 1 Over 8,000 screaming fans packed Conseco Fieldhouse on Tuesday night for a show they ’will not soon forget. It’s been a while since a successful all ladies tour made it to Indianapolis and for those who - decided not to blow their budget and attend the show may wish they had because it might be a long time before Conseco rocks without testosterone in the building. Tamia kicked off the Ladies First Tour looking dazzling in a short, pink dress singing hits such as “Officially Missing You” and “Into You.” She didn’t have a stage setup except for a few background singers and dancers but the 20 minutes she was on stage she owned it. Elliott by far had the best stage setup as she tried her best to bring her remarkable and creative vid-

eos to the stage. As her dancers dangled from a make shift wall, Elliott entered from under the stage inside a tall box and proceeded to give the crowd every ounce of energy she had. As she went back in time and sang her first single “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” and “Hot Boys” off her second album, she also sang recent hits like “Pass that Dutch,” “I’m Really Hot” and “Work It.” Elliott had the crowd’s full participation when she made her way around the fieldhouse and shook hands and hugged fans. AfterTamiadazzled and Elliott “worked it,” Keys literally tore the roof off as she belted songs from her debut album, “Songs in A Minor” and her latest “Diary of Alicia Keys.” Keys is a natural performer and proved that all she needs is her piano and vocal cords to put the crowd into a musical trance. As she performed hits such as “Fallen,” “You Don’t Know My Name,” “ I f I Ai n’t Got You” and “A Woman’s Worth” the passion in her voice could have been felt from Indianapolis to Italy. Keys showed that she could get her groove on too as she danced

alongside her dancers when she wasn’t showing up Mozart on the baby grand. As the curtains closed on Keys, the audience patiently waited to see the lady that took over the world in 2003. The anticipation grew as the lights dimmed and Beyonce made her entrance sitting on a white coach with a carriage top as four men elevated the coach while she tossed rose petals into the crowd. Beyonce began her set by singing recent hits “Baby Boy” and “Nasty Girl,” and made the men in the audience dreams come true as she danced around the stage doing the moves that made her body famous. Destiny Child fans were not disappointed as Beyonce sang renditions of the group’s hits like “Independent Women,” “Survivor” and “Say My Name.” After six costume changes and several different stage setups Beyonce left the stage perched on a trapeze bar to a standing ovation. Every lady rocked the show and,. they proved that women could do what men do, even better. ■■

SHOSHANA ► Continued from Page 1 to go near a firing range. What minute. I regret getting caught." ‘ sm - Sometimes it is just good kind of a soldier am I if I can’t fire she said with a laugh. have that person to look up my weapon?” Although she insists otherwise, to. Asauthor Benjamin Disraeli Despite all of this, she is still Johnson’s strength and readiness ,),u ’ t> sa *d. "Nurture your mind glad shejoined the Army.” I don’t to teach other people about her with great thoughts; to believe regret joining the militan for one experiences hints at her own hero- * n the heroic makes heroes.

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HIP HOP ► Continued from Page 1 Russell Simmons, hip-hop mogul and founder of Def Jam Records and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) plan to sue both the Miami Police Department and NYPD for their admitting surveillance of rap stars. “A very dangerous precedent hies been set,” said Dr. Benjamin Chavis, CEO of HSAN told the Miami Herald. “It needs to be exposed, and we’re going to take legal action against these police departments for violating the constitutional rights of hip-hop artists.” The Miami Police Department revealed that they learned their tactics from the NYPD. According to the Miami Herald, they started taking pictures of rappers as soon as they enter the city, to keep the city safe. “We have to keep an eye on these rivalries. The last thing we need in this city is violence,” said assistant Miami Beach Police Chief Charles Press. Press stated that the city is

BLACK ► Continued from Page 1 them to put this together for me, but I have a wonderful set of family and friends anyway.” “It was a great occasion that was definitely worthwhile because this is something weshould do for those who are very special to our community as Councilman Black has been,”said Gibson. “I was very happv.to be a part of it.” “We were all very happy to see him enjoy this gathering," BlackDavis added. “It was nice to be able to have a tribute dedicated to a living legend. Far too often great people are honored after they’re gone.” Black, 82, a Democrat from the former 6 ,h district, served on the City-County Council from 1.9.92 to 2003. At the time of his first campaign in 1991 he was international representative of the Civil Rights Department for

only keeping an eye on the rappers just in case rap rivalries bring violence. He also stated that his unit has a six-inch thick report that was put together by the NYPD that detail rappers’ past felonious crime and existing “rap wars.” NYPD denies giving such a report to the Miami department, but admits to consulting with them about violence in hip-hop. Dozens of artists are tracked in the report, including Black Rob, Sean “P.Diddy” Combs, Jay-Z, Nas and Busta Rhymes. Miami Police Sgt. Rafael Tapanes said the NYPD gave the report to local law enforcement duringathree-day“hip-hop training session” last May. Officers from other major cities like Los Angles and Atlanta also attended the event. “We’ve been getting harassed since we came into this,” Dame Dash, CEO of Rocafella Records told BET.com. He says that the police are most likely fearful of the influences of hip-hop artists and the hip-hop

United Auto Workers. He won the Democrat primary against popular police officer Willie Larkins, then went on to defeat his Republican opponent by a wide margin. Black gained victory by promising to fight for better schools, decent health care and improved relations between police and citizens. He was re-elected in 1993 and 1999Although he was always pursuing various social causes, Black generated his greatest amount of controversy much later in the term. In the summer of 2002 he passed a successful “living wage” ordinance that raised wages and maintained decent benefits for city/county employees and those working for companies who have contracts with the city. last fall he proposed a resolution that called fortheentirecoun-

culture and want to extinguish it in any way possible. “We’re that influential and that’s why they try to discredit us, because these people’s kids are like, T’m (messing) with Jay-Z’ so that’s what is so powerful about it.” The idea that Miami needed to send police to figure out the hiphop culture is amusing, Papa Keith, a DJ on 103.5 Tha Beat told the Miami Herald. “If they’re saying they’re trying to learn about hip-hop, then hire more brothers and put them in the ranks and let them help you in that respect,” he said. “Why do you need to send a bunch of cops to New York?” Of the Miami Beach’s 97 officers in supervisory positions, only one is Black. OfMiami’s 226 ranking officers, only 26 are Black. There’s been no shortage of rock stars and other musicians scrutinized by police,” said Anthony DeCurtis, contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine. “But there has never been anything like this.”

cil to urge Indiana’s representatives in Congress to oppose Special Resolution 487, which many agree would have protected gun manufacturers from citizens affected by gun violence. But Black, who also participated in the legendary 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., emphasized that although he is no longer on the council, he will still stay involved in civic affairs. “I’m on two city boards, so my time is going to be well occupied," Black said. In January the City-County Council passed a resolution officially honoring him and other retiring members of the assembly. El wood Black Park (formerly Fairview Park), 4241 Fairview Terrace near 42" <l and Clarendon Place, will be officially renamed for him in June.

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