Amanda Hunt, NBC5 Street TeamSeptember 13th was my twenty—- birthday (you didn’t think I was tellin’… did you). This year, I decided to make it a long weekend celebration, starting with the Thursday night Heineken Red Star Soul Concert. This event had a strong lady line up: the beautiful Deemi and sexy Teedra Moses opened followed by an extremely confident Chrisette Michelle. I was impressed with Teedra’s
stage presence and clarity of voice yet the ultimate gift was seeing Erykah Badu reunite with the mic. Her return has been in much anticipation, seeing how hundreds were turned away due to full Crobar capacity. And even though no one was quite ready for her style of hair or eye wear, she carried herself with such charisma and swagger, you could not look away. Not to mention her range is still mad crazy, she sounded awesome.
Friday night Virgos ran the spot at The Republic. My girlfriend, Ellyse and
I got dolled up and danced the night away in VIP. Everyone came through including Chicago Bears Lance Briggs (he is just as fine in person). What more could a birthday girl ask for? Only the best big sister in the world could answer that….
Not only did big sister- Deborah Brown- hook me up with Badu entrance, she then showed me how to get down, formal style at the Green Tie Ball. This gala was so grand, you almost forgot it was a Chicago Gateway Green charity event. “And there was dancing and gambling and food for you to eat, and just when the beat stopped, somebody turned around and hollered ‘play the funky music’…..” Okay, I got a bit carried away.
Sunday was a trip to Old Town where I
tasted the best Falafel sandwich at Old Jerusalem, fell for the most chic winter coat at Uri Boutique, and was charmed by wine master, Krunch at Galleria Liqueurs. Krunch introduced me to an extraordinary alternate to Riesling- Gruner Veltiner. It’s light, crisp and holds a hint of apple. Perfect for Pinky’s lady’s only summer end soiree in my honor. Lots of wine, delicious food and no men made for no drama.
Monday evening, in the continued spirit of peace and harmony, my gal Manuela and I enjoyed a performance by Indian violinist, composer, and conductor- L. Subramaniam at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion . This Grammy-nominee has appeared on more than 150 recordings and Hollywood film scores and was the perfect ending to a perfectly well-rounded celebration. Honestly, birthdays are the only time it is socially acceptable to celebrate your own existence….. make it count!
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