Food, drinks, Leland, Betty Who, and Normani
In celebration for WorldPride, HBO threw a massive concert and party last week in celebration. The event was titled HBO’s Human By Orientation WorldPride Concert and was hosted at The Brooklyn Mirage. The event was actually a sweepstakes competition where people had to submit their worldpride pictures to HBO for a chance to win a ticket to this event. And this event was well worth tossing your hat into the ring. The event started off with a DJ set from DJ Timo Weiland and guests had some time to enjoy the array of snacks ranging from pizza to burgers to milkshakes as well as partake in complimentary cocktails. And what’s a summer party without a few boozy frozen drinks?
As the event carried one, DJ Timo Weiland went off the stage and singer and songwriter Leland took the stage to open up the concert. He performed a number of his songs along with some covers. And what would a pride concert be without a cover of Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Run Away With Me.’ Leland had a fun stage presence and electrified the crowd with his energy.
Up next was Betty Who, an artist who has taken off lately, and who the LGBTQ community has a fondness for. She specializes in a sound that seamlessly mixes upbeat pop music with the coolness of synth production. She performed some of her classic numbers such as ‘Taste’ and ‘Mama Say.’ Throughout her entire performance, she lit up the stage by flawlessly singing and dancing with the help of two talented backup dancers. With every dance break, she hit every beat and had fun doing it. She brought a fun energy that lifted the spirits of the entire crowd and really got this dance party/concert going.
And lastly came the headliner Normani. Normani has been on everyone’s mind. She has been on tour as the opener for Ariana Grande and even without an album out, she has been featured on the Billboard Hot 100 more times than you can imagine. As soon as she took the stage the crowd went wild. Everyone knew that they were in for killer choreography and flawless vocals. She opened up with ‘Checklist’ one of the two songs that she has with Calvin Harris. She performed this song perfectly and incorporated some intense choreography into it. The next song she performed was ‘Waves’ which she absolutely killed. Not only is this song a hit, but the way she performed the choreography was amazing. Her and her backup dancers were all in sync, especially when they did a group body wave to the floor. One thing to mention about the dancers and her band is that the entire crew is made up of black women, from the dancers to the guitarist. She then performed a medley of Rihanna songs but as a ballad. These songs included ‘Diamonds,’ ‘Where Have You Been,’ ‘We Found Love,’ and ‘Run This Town.’ Her vocals fit these songs well and with these being performed as ballads, she rose to the occasion with showing off her vocal prowess. She went from the hard hitting notes from her chest and transitioned into sweet and smooth notes almost seamlessly. After this Rihanna medley she performed a mashup of her Fifth Harmony songs which were ‘Work From Home,’ ‘Worth It,’ and ‘Bo$$.’ This was where she really showed off her dance ability. What other artist do you know who can sing these songs and go into a dance/twerk break immediately after? Not many besides some of the greatest artists out there, Beyoncé obviously coming to mind first. She ended her set with two of her highest charting songs being ‘Dancing With a Stranger,’ and of course, ‘Love Lies.’ Her entire set was pure perfection, giving the audience the right amount of vocal ability paired with a crazy amount of choreography.
Overall, this event was one for the books. With a killer lineup, delicious food, and tasty cocktails, there is no way for someone not to have fun. HBO did a really good job of throwing a pride party and we hope to see more events like this coming up soon.
