Double Up Tour at the Forum in Los Angeles!

By Kalyna Astrinos

J.Holiday, R.Kelly and Keisha Cole made a stop at the Forum in Los Angeles on Friday the 14, 2007 to grace the packed venue with their soulful tracks and BEAUTIFUL voices! The show kicked off promptly at 7:30pm and I promise you, the show kept on getter better and better....I honeslty didn't want it to end! The artists sang a number of their hit songs and kept the audience entertained throughout the entire night!

Although his set was short, J.Holiday DEFINETELY started the night off on the right foot. He had the ladies swooning during his performace of "Bed" and kept them screaming for more. Keisha Cole followed and truly capivated the audience with her voice singing songs like "Just Like You" and "I Remember." To say I was in awe with her voice is an understatement because I was speechless! Her voice was AMAZING! After Keisha Cole performed I didn't think it could get any better, but once R.Kelly stepped on stage it was all over! R. Kelly's 15 years of performing, making music, and entertaining truly shined through his humor, gratitude and presence. 

 Kelly started off his show with a punch and at the same time put a whole new meaning to the word BLING! He showed up in a decked out rhinestone hoodie that sparkled on every screen as he was being hustled through the crowd and finally to the stage which was cleverly transformed into a boxing ring. By his side were his super fit dancers, DJ's and the hundreds of females screaming for him throughout the night!

Even though his performaces were definetly for the mature adult, he had the crowd laughing the entire time with his mix of humor and charm. This quality was what made the show that much better since it highlighted his character and added a personal touch to each song. He even had a slide show at one of the breaks that thanked each of his heroes which included names like Ali, Tupac, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, AND himself! That's right, he included a picture of himself at age 8 and placed it along side the rest!

The night ended with Kelly and his entourage coming out on stage decked out from head to toe in super flashy versions of Charlie Chaplin-style suits. During his final song "Happy People," he invited a handful of lovely ladies to the stage and also called artist Tyrese out of the audience to join him in the festivities! The unity, love, laughter, connection and pure enjoyment of Kellys' performance cannot be denied and truly surpassed any expectation I had..... It was awesome!!!!!!!