Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience' Track Reviews: 'Mirrors'

The 9th track on The 20/20 Experience is also the album's second single, and it is much more radio-friendly than Suit & Tie.  Like many other tunes on the album, this one is long, coming in at a total time of eight minutes, six seconds.  Of course, the song is pared down for the single release, which is fine because the last couple of minutes of it is kind of a waste.

Mirrors is a nice love song, with a nice melody and a nice hook.  Billboard culls the tune a more "whole"  Timberlake than the brokenhearted one on his earlier song, Cry Me a River.  Indeed, just check out these lyrics:

Aren't you somethin' to admire?
Cause your shine is somethin' like a mirror
And I can't help but notice
You reflect in this heart of mine
If you ever feel alone and
The glare makes me hard to find
Just know that I'm always
Parallel on the other side

Sweet, huh?  Yes, this one is going to do well I think.  Check out Mirrors for yourself, and check out my reviews of the first 8 tracks on The 20/20 Experience:

Pusher Love Girl

Suit & Tie

Don't Hold the Wall

Strawberry Bubblegum

Tunnel Vision

Spaceship Coupe

That Girl

Let the Groove Get In

AZ Lyrics

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Song of the Day - Wake Up - Dawn Tallman

Happy Easter everyone!  You know, I am not a very religious person. but nevertheless I will be celebrating it with family and friends.  I wanted to put a song here today that was religious in nature, and I thought of a few, like Hail Holy Queen, from Sister Act, Sing Hallelujah by Dr. Alban, or One of Us by Joan Osborne.  Instead I came up with this one, a club/dance song that's relatively obscure, but very appropriate for today's theme.

The song is called Wake Up and it's very spiritual AND very danceable.  Love it!  The video is a little hokey (okay, just like my own lip sync videos), but it was the only one I found with the original song on it.  Check it out...

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Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience' Track Reviews: 'Let the Groove Get In'

thatgrapejuice

Are ya comfortable, right there, right there

Let the groove get in, feel it right there

'Groove' is the key word in this song, as that is its main appeal. Let the Groove Get In is a fast and funky track that'll have em' moving on the dance floor, with the above lyrics repeated over and over again to a nice, rhythmic beat, and Timbaland's backing vocals only add depth.  Love it!  Check it out right here. 

Also check out my reviews of the first seven cuts on The 20/20 Experience:

Pusher Love Girl

Suit & Tie

Don't Hold the Wall

Strawberry Bubblegum

Tunnel Vision

Spaceship Coupe

That Girl

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Song of the Day - Spring Love - Stevie B.

It is Easter weekend and spring is definitely in the air!  Feels so good!  Here's a perfect song for the season:


Stevie B - Spring Love Version (MSM) by marceloMSM






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Flashback Friday Song of the Day - I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

Happy Friday! It looks like spring is finally getting going here on Long Island with plenty of sunshine and warmer temperatures, and it feels so good!  Going to a party tonight and so here's hoping for tonight being a good night!


Black Eyed Peas - I Got A Feeling (HQ) by Henrietta-Aime-Fumer_Tv





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Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience' Track Reviews: 'That Girl'

popdust

Ooh yeah, I absolutely love this song!  This one sounds like one of those great R&B tunes from the 80's, with a smooth, smooth groove and a nice hook.  Oh, and the song starts out with a little skintro by Timba...kinda cool!  I can just hear this one now playing in the background at a nice summer beach party.  Check out a live performance of That Girl.

Also check out my reviews of the first six cuts on The 20/20 Experience:

Pusher Love Girl

Suit & Tie

Don't Hold the Wall

Strawberry Bubblegum

Tunnel Vision

Spaceship Coupe





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Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience' Track Reviews: 'Spaceship Coupe'

skreened

Spaceship Coupe, the sixth track on The 20/20 Experience, is a nice smooth ballad.  Justin's vocals on this one are silky and the arrangement is relaxing, even though the interstellar theme is a bit off.  There's even a little hint of funk in music track, which is a nice touch.  Check out Spaceship Coupe.

Also check out my reviews of the first five cuts on The 20/20 Experience:

Pusher Love Girl

Suit & Tie

Don't Hold the Wall

Strawberry Bubblegum

Tunnel Vision





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Song of the Day - Same Love - Macklemore & Lewis, featuring Mary Lambert

rosssimmonds

Well we're back to our normal Song of the Day posts and here's one that's very appropriate for this week's showdown in the Supreme Court.  It's a new one, well to me anyway, from Seattle-based upstart rapper Macklemore, who seems to have a lot more to him than just one hit.  The song charted at #89 on the Hot 100 last July, but I totally missed it.  Check out this special song and the lyrics below...

MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - SAME LOVE feat- MARY LAMBERT (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube from Nikki danielle on Vimeo.

Same Love

When I was in the third grade I thought that I was gay
'Cause I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight
I told my mom tears rushing down my face
She's like "Ben you've loved girls since before pre-k tripping, "
Yeah, I guess she had a point, didn't she?
Bunch of stereotypes all in my head.
I remember doing the math like, "Yeah, I'm good at little league"
A preconceived idea of what it all meant
For those that liked the same sex
Had the characteristics
The right wing conservatives think it's a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made rewiring of a predisposition
Playing God, aw nah here we go
America the brave still fears what we don't know
And God loves all his children, is somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago
I don't know

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
I can't change
Even if I try
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm

If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments lately?
"Man, that's gay" gets dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we're saying
A culture founded from oppression
Yet we don't have acceptance for 'em
Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board
A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it
Gay is synonymous with the lesser
It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins
It's human rights for everybody, there is no difference!
Live on and be yourself
When I was at church they taught me something else
If you preach hate at the service those words aren't anointed
That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned
When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless
Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen
I might not be the same, but that's not important
No freedom till we're equal, damn right I support it

(I don't know)

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm

We press play, don't press pause
Progress, march on
With the veil over our eyes
We turn our back on the cause
Till the day that my uncles can be united by law
When kids are walking 'round the hallway plagued by pain in their heart
A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are
And a certificate on paper isn't gonna solve it all
But it's a damn good place to start
No law is gonna change us
We have to change us
Whatever God you believe in
We come from the same one
Strip away the fear
Underneath it's all the same love
About time that we raised up

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
I can't change
Even if I try
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
Love is patient
Love is kind
Love is patient
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
Love is kind

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Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience' Track Reviews: 'Tunnel Vision'

Don't know why but girl
I'm feeling close to you, maybe this ocean view
I'm so emotional, and all these stars been dancing on my head
Too long, too long, too long
I wrote a song for you, I wanna sing to you
But every time I'm close to you, the words wanna come out, but I forget
It's so strong, it's so strong, it's so strong

AZLyrics

rapgenius

Now this one's more like it: smooth, quick beats, nice vocals, and a lil bit of hip-hop thrown in!  Tunnel Vision is definitely more my speed, and Timbaland's contributions to this one and the background "I know you lied's" give this one a quality not seen on the first few tracks.  One of my favorites!  Check it out on YouTube.

Also check out my reviews of the first four cuts on The 20/20 Experience:

Pusher Love Girl

Suit & Tie

Don't Hold the Wall

Strawberry Bubblegum






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Writing Wednesday: Music, Restaurant Week, Gay Marriage, and New Coasters

It's Wednesday, and it's been a long time since I've written one of these babies, huh?  I've been writing quite a bit lately and I just figured now would be a good time to share some of the things I've been putting out there on Yahoo and Examiner.  So check it out...

Music

My favorite topic to write about, of course, is music, and I've done several music pieces for both sites:



Gaga's Eccentric Timing as 'Born This Way Ball' Draws to a Close

I penned this one a week before she was supposed to come to New York for the show and just a day or two before she cancelled the remainder of the tour due to her injury.  Nevertheless, I did have something to say about Ms. Gaga's timing.

P!nk's Top Twenty Songs: Revised and Expanded

Of course I had to do a new P!nk piece with all this new P!nk hysteria of mine.  Besides, she's got a new album since I penned the first one of her top ten.

What Are You Listening To? Winter 2013

After having trouble with my summer and fall installments of this series on Yahoo, I returned this winter with a not-so-great lineup of current music...except P!nk, of course!

P!nk Rocks MSG with 'The Truth About Love'

In the past, this type of piece would have gone on Yahoo, but since it is timely, I had to post it to my Examiner page.  This one is my official review of the concert.  Be on the lookout for another Yahoo piece on P!nk's show coming soon!  Also be sure to check out Basking in a P!nk Afterglow right here on John's World.

Jones Beach Theater - Check out the lineup for the Jones Beach Summer Concert Series 2013.  Always exciting to see who's coming!



Restaurant Week

Restaurant Week is always a good deal, and it's a great time to get out there and try some nice fine food at an affordable price.  There are two Restaurant Week's coming up on Long Island: Hamptons Restaurant Week and Long Island Spring Restaurant Week.  Check em' out!



If you're a denizen of the Internet, then you've probably seen this out there.  The red and pink symbol is for marriage equality and it's all over the place this week.  That's because the Supreme Court is hearing cases for the first time concerning California's Prop 8 and DOMA.  A Facebook friend of mine, my pal Dita's sister, asked me my opinion on the topic and it got me thinking on the topic...again!  Check out Same Sex Marriage: An Argument in Semantics.



New Roller Coasters

Finally, every new winter I pen articles on new coasters coming out for the upcoming season and this year I penned three of them.  When I started researching the topic, it appeared there would be a lot more new ones than Ii had originally thought.  Though there aren't many, and none are coming to any of my local parks, there are some things to get excited about.  Check these pieces out:

New Roller Coasters at Six Flags Theme Parks in 2013

More New Roller Coasters Coming in 2013

New Roller Coasters Coming to Theme Parks Around the World in 2013

Anyway, I hope you've found something useful here for your reading pleasure.  I'm not sure if this will become a regular thing again or not, but who knows?  And perhaps I'll have a few personal tidbits coming up in the near future for those of you who enjoy that kind of stuff.  As always, thanks for checking me out!


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Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience' Track Reviews: 'Strawberry Bubblegum'

popdust

Okay, here's where The 20/20 Experience starts to get a little sleepy for me.  To get a nicer view of this song, check out what Billboard Magazine has to say about it:

The intensity of "Don't Hold The Wall" evaporates, and a cloud of electronic blips, string stabs and snappy percussion tears at the seams of a (relatively) simple R&B tune. Timberlake has rarely sounded more at peace as he does when he intones, "She's just like nothing that I've ever seen before/And please, don't change nothing, because your flavor's so original." The sashaying outro is pleasant, but the main track is sumptuous enough on its own.  

Way too nice for me!  I'm sorry, but Justin does not have deep enough a catalog for me to give him a pass for changing up his style so much.  I've already taken this, and a couple of other songs, off my 'current' playlist on my iPod.  They make me sleepy....Disappointed!  Check out Justin performing the song on Jimmy Fallon if you like, and let me know whether you agree with me.

Also check out my reviews of the first three cuts on The 20/20 Experience:

Pusher Love Girl

Suit & Tie

Don't Hold the Wall





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P!nk Week Song of the Day Finale - True Love

It's a beautiful spring Wednesday and a great day for a great finale of P!nk Week (and a half, lol).  Yeah, I've been going a little P!nk crazy these last few days, but for good reason.  To me, P!nk is the hottest, most talented musician in the world today, and I don't say that too lightly.  Not only do her words move me, but her voice and her music bring me joy like no other.

libramusicchart

P!nk's rise to the top happened slowly, but surely.  With every record she's done, she's gotten better and better, and with this last one, more people have taken notice than ever before.  Her live shows, which I've seen two of this week, are among the very best I've ever seen, and well...I'm P!nk addicted!

So for the last day of P!nk Week, I'm posting my favorite song off of The Truth About Love.  I dunno, but I loved True Love the very first time I heard it!  It's such a happy song, and it also features Lily Rose Cooper, AKA Lily Allen, guesting.  Many of my followers already know that I did a video a few months ago for this song, a video that I'm pretty proud of because I know it brought smiles to a lot of faces.  Quite a few people in my life tell me that when they hear this song, or even just any P!nk song, they think of me, which is cool.

plushblush

My only disappointment in P!nk's show was that she didn't perform the song, but at least it was included on a special concert-ending outtake video clip.  I am going to post my video once again below in case you've never seen it.  It's got the studio version of the song in it, but I am also posting P!nk singing it, with Lily, from her VH1 Storytellers special.  That was an awesome show, too, and it was the catalyst for my pal Rich coming to join me on Friday night at MSG, so if you happen to see it on somewhere, sometime, be sure to catch it!  In the meantime, enjoy one or both versions of True Love and have an awesome day!

P!nk - True Love Ft. Lily Allen [Live VH1 Storytellers] from Felipe Ignacio on Vimeo. 

And here's yours truly...

Me lip-syncing to P!nk's "True Love" from John Myers on Vimeo.

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Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience' Track Reviews: 'Don't Hold the Wall'

whotalking

The next track on The 20/20 Experience is a long, complex one, with soothing tribal beats, smooth singing, and background vocals by Timbaland.  The track gets a little funkier and even sexier about halfway through and it definitely grows on you with a few listens.  This one would work well as a late-night groove in a club.  Check out a shortened version of the more than seven-minute song on YouTube.

Also check out my reviews of the first two cuts on The 20/20 Experience:

Pusher Love Girl

Suit & Tie

And you can pick up The 20/20 Experience here:




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Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience' Track Reviews: 'Suit & Tie'

The second track on J.T.'s album is also its first single, and I've already reviewed it in a Music News Bytes from January.  Here's what I said about the song back then:

Okay, now that I've had about two weeks to digest Justin Timberlake's newest song, I've concluded that I'm still not crazy about it.  Compared to 'SexyBack' from his last album, 'FutureSexLoveSound,' this one's a real sleeper.  Oh, it's not a bad song, but hardly a jump-out-loud, must-have song that one might expect from such a huge comeback.  The track is a little too slow for my taste, and like the new Destiny's Child record, it is very R&B.  I've still got confidence, though, that the new record's gonna be slammin! 

I think we're seeing an overall theme to this one, right?  Not FututreSexyLoveSound by any means, but a new Robin Thicke-ish R&B sound...not bad, but a little disappointing for anyone who loved the singer on his earlier stuff.  It's not all that bleak, though.  Just stay tuned...


Justin Timberlake Ft. Jay-Z - Suit & Tie from Timbaland Passion on Vimeo.





Check out my review of the first track on The 20/20 Experience:

Pusher Love Girl

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P!nk Week Song of the Day - Sober (Live - The Truth About Love Tour)

neontommy

I saw P!nk again last night and luckily for me I found one of my favorite numbers from the show on video to share with you.  Once again, P!nk was outstanding, and from what I could see and hear all around me, she wowed not just me, but everybody in the house with a highly entertaining show.  The set, the choreography, the comedic interludes, the visuals, the singing, and just about everything else were stellar and if you walked into the Coliseum last night not really a fan, you surely came out one!  Now I'm not just saying this because I'm a big fan, but P!nk truly is one of the top if not THE best all around performer in music today!

Check out this clip of P!nk performing her hit Sober.  It typifies the types of numbers she did, visually stunning and beautifully sung, and check out my review of The Truth About Love on Examiner.

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Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience' Track Reviews: Pusher Love Girl

Okay, it's been almost a week since The 20/20 Experience was released, and it's time to start breaking it all down.  The record is a bona fide hit already, almost reaching the 1 million mark in albums sold over the past seven days.  Is that because it's that good, or is it because of the impact FutureSexLoveSound had six years ago and the time that's elapsed since?  There's no doubt that this was one highly anticipated CD, and from my early estimation, the record is good, but it's not that good...not good enough to have done so well so far on its own merit.



I've already mentioned here that the album is more R&B than anything else, and unless you like that sort of Robin Thicke style music, then you might not like it at all.  For what it is though, it is pretty good R&B for the most part, with only one song reminiscent of the last record and a couple of what I like to call "throwaway" tracks.  Most of the tunes on The 20/20 Experience are curiously long...too long for my taste, and for sure must be chopped down for radio play.  The shortest track is the 4th track, That Girl, coming in at 4:58, so that tells you a little of how this one's gonna play out.

We begin our track by track reviews with the first cut, an R&B tune called Pusher Love Girl.  Now this one's got a really nice, soulful groove, and sets the tone for things to come. There's no doubt from this tune that Justin surely has a talent for this type of music and already it's one of my favorite tracks.  Check him out performing the song on Jimmy Fallon:


JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE " Pusher Love Girl " Live At... by UnderProject





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P!nk Week Song of the Day - U n Ur Hand

Oh yeah, P!nk Week continues....


MTV Australia

Today is Monday, March 25th, and I have a second date with Ms. P!nk this evening, this time at Nassau Coliseum.  Practically everyone I know will be in the house, so it should be a different kind of fun this time.  So how could I not extend my homage to her very best.  This one's one of my all time favorite P!nk tunes...nothing but fun, fun, fun!!!!!  Enjoy!

 
Pink - U + Ur Hand by Stella78






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P!nk Week Song of the Day - Cuz I Can

Ra ra ra 
We're gonna rock and roll 
Ra Ra 
Alright I drink more than you 
I party harder than you do 
And my car's faster than yours too

 
ere's a live version of a little known P!nk song from her 2006 album I'm Not Dead. The song is brash, in-your-face, and oh so fun!



Ice cream, ice cream
We all want some ice cream







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Basking in a P!nk Afterglow

That was awesome!

That's a quote from my pal Rich immediately after P!nk's sold-out concert at MSG in New York City last night.  He's never really been much of a P!nk fan, but after seeing her Storytellers special at my house a few weeks ago his interest in her was definitely piqued, so when I asked him if he wanted to go see her last night, he agreed to go with me...and I think he's glad he did!

Now I'm not going to review the show here.  I already did that on Examiner, and I suggest you check out P!nk rocks MSG with 'The Truth About Love' to hear all about it.  All I'm going to say here is that P!nkk did nothing but cement my admiration for her as an all around singer, songwriter and performer.  The show was highly entertaining, her vocals were just like they are in her recordings, and the visual supplements to the tunes were stunningly beautiful and fun.  Just check out the opening (this vid is from her show at Staples Arena in LA.):

Though there were may highlights in the show, the true WOW factor came right at the end during her first encore.  The song was So What, and the singer took to the air as she performed it, getting upp close and personal with virtually everyone in the Garden.  At one point, she literally flew about ten feet above myhead and I swear she looked right at me, sending me awe-stricken shivers throughout my body, lol.  I managed to videotape the entire song, and you can check out where she flew overhead right around the 2:50 mark.  So cool!

P!nk So What - MSG 032213 from John Myers on Vimeo.

Anyway, I'm going to see her again on Monday at Nassau Coliseum with my friend and fellow P!nkster Sean, which I know is going to be more loads of fun.  In the meantime, check out some of the better pictures from last night's performance:

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P!nk Week Song of the Day - So What

I guess I just lost my husband 
I don't know where he went
So I'm gonna drink my money
I'm not gonna pay his rent


german.fansshare


The lead single to 2008's Funhouse is a fun, rocking tune that went all the way to #1, and it happened to be one of my favorite performances from last night's show at MSG.  Yes, folks, I saw Ms. P!nk last night and I am simply basking in the afterglow of an amazing concert, one of the best I've ever seen!  Stay tuned...and in the meantime, enjoy!


Pink So What Official Video Full Lyrics by mandy4mac3







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P!nk Week Song of the Day - Trouble

freecodesource

Since Friday is usually reserved for flashback videos, here's a throwback to ten years ago, when this song became the lead single to our heroine's third studio album, Try This.  The song was kind of a bridge from the older, R&B flavored P!nk to what she would become, and that is a more rock-flavored pop goddess.  I somehow missed the song until I saw her perform it during the Funhouse tour, and I loved it at first listen.  The song didn't do so well on the Billboard charts, peaking only at #68, but it did garner her a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 2004.   Enjoy Trouble...


Pink - Trouble by gangsta13






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P!nk Week Song of the Day - Walk of Shame (Live)

One step, two steps
Counting tiles on the floor
Three steps, four steps 
I guess that means that I'm a whore

Here's one of my favorites from The Truth About Love.  It's one of those fun, rocking and humorous songs P!nk does that talks about something we can all relate to: that infamous Walk of Shame...

We're walking, we're walking

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New Tour Dates for The Truth About Love Tour

novafm

Oh yeah, the countdown is on, and I'm getting pretty excited!  Ms. P!nk will be spending her weekend in my neighborhood, and I'm hoping to see her twice.  I've already got tickets to Monday night's show at the Nassau Coliseum, and I'm going to try and score a couple for Friday night's soiree at MSG.  Nevertheless, it looks like it won't be the last chance I'll have to see this very exciting tour.  This was posted on her website yesterday:

Due to overwhelming demand, P!nk will extend her highly acclaimed and sold out The Truth About Love Tour, presented by Covergirl, to a total of 59 shows.

That includes two new New York area shows, one at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on December 8 and one at Prudential Center in Newark on December 11th.  For a full list of added shows, whose pre-sale begins on Monday, March 25 at 10AM (Amex cardholders) and other pre-sale dates follow.  For more info, check out P!nks Page, or the tour Facebook page for updates and more..

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P!nk Week Song of the Day - Raise Your Glass

So if you're too school for cool
And you're treated like a fool
You could choose to let it go
We could always, we could always
Party on our own


deviant-art

Ah, this one brings me back to a good memory within some not so good memories....P!nk's Raise Your Glass was the first single from her Greatest Hits...So Far! record a couple of years ago and is such a great, great song, cheering the best there is about life.  Happy Hump Day!


Clip de PINK "Raise your Glass" from ThaiSkyLamps on Vimeo.






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A Softer Side of P!nk at a Philadelphia Concert

seofh

Aw you see, P!nk rocks!  In a comment made this morning by a writer friend of mine, I learned that on Sunday night, during a concert in Philadelphia, our heroine stopped her show because she noticed a little girl was crying in the audience.  "Is everything okay out there?  Is this little girl alright?"

It turns out that the girl had been crying because people around her had been fighting.  The singer then walked over towards the edge of the stage and offered the girl a stuffed frog and a Rice Krispies treat, telling her that she looked beautiful and thanking her for coming down to the show.  Watch for yourself:

 

I want to say a big thank you to Michelle for pointing out this story to me and to Yahoo Music writer Wendy Geller for sharing it on the Web.

Oh, and by the way, don't be alarmed by the change in colors on this blog.  They've just turned a lil pink for P!nk week!

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