Beyonce might have had Central Park on lock dancing to hit songs from her latest album, “4,” which dropped a few days before her performance on “Good Morning America,” but the rumbles of the crowd, T-Pain’s robotic vocals, Ne-Yo‘s soulful harmony and Michael Jackson-inspired moves and Pitbull’s fiery lyrics and Latin swagger erupted in the “Today” show’s Rockefeller Plaza studios on Friday morning.
The trio performed Friday morning as part of the “Today” Toyota’s Concert Series. “I stood around since 6 p.m. yesterday,” said 20-year-old Kristina Darosa. “I love Pitbull, I know all his songs by heart, so I had to come out and support.”
“I love Beyonce, but Ne-Yo’s the man-it was hard to choose which concert to attend,” said 19-year-old Dennis Moore. “Why couldn’t they perform all in one place?”
Friday morning in Manhattan was like a dance club at 2 a.m. The two biggest talk shows in the city and in America were taken over by music’s hottest performers playing their hit songs and kicking off the television programs’ annual free summer concert series.
“I’m so happy for these concerts,” said 22-year-old Alyssa Green. “If it wasn’t for these free concerts, I wouldn’t be able to see my favorite artists live. Tickets are too expensive these days. The long wait was truly worth it, in my opinion.”
The “Today” concert opened with the song “Give Me Everything” by Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo. The vocals of Ne-Yo and the swagger of Pitbull, with the women dancing on high-rise platforms, instantly got the crowd going and you could feel the energy of the crowd and the stage at the same.
A surprise duet performance by Marc Anthony and Pitbull, “Rain,” was a big shocker. The crowd went wild for Anthony, who has been staying low-key since his marriage to superstar diva Jennifer Lopez and the birth of their twins. “It was good to see Marc Anthony again on stage-hopefully he does more performances. We need more Latin representation in the music industry,” said 21-year-old Marissa Gonzalez.
The next song brought T-Pain out with Pitbull to perform “Hey Baby,” which brought fire to the stage. I don’t know what it is about T-Pain, but he has a way with the crowd. To close out the performance, Pitbull did a solo performance, singing the fan favorite “I Know You Want Me,” which got the crowd going more than any other song performed during the mini concert.
After the performances, the men sat with “Today” anchors to talk about working together on Pitbull’s album, “Planet Pit,” and what it means for them and future collaborations in music. Friday’s concert had so much exhilaration it proves that free concerts are indeed the best ones out there. There’s no other like them.
Missed these performers live? There are many more coming up on the Today Show:
- July 8: Country singer Blake Shelton perform on the “Today Show.”
- July 15: Chris Brown performs music from his “Fame” album
- July 20: Michael Bolton
- July 22: Cee-Lo Green
Visit www.todayshow.com/entertainment and click on the “Concert Series” link on the left side of the screen to see the full schedule of performances.
Tune in to the “Today” show to find out how to win fan passes to meet your favorite stars. The “Today” show starts at 7 a.m. so make sure you’re there at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (W. 50th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues) at least two hours earlier to guarantee a spot to see your favorite artist up close.