Stevie Wonder Concert

There are very few words that could describe Stevie Wonder. For over 47 years, Stevie Wonder has amazed audiences in a fashion unfathomable to the average human being. He has written 54 Top 40 songs in the US as well as being the recipient of 25 Grammy's and a Lifetime Achievement Award. However, Wonder's accolades don't stop there. Stevland Hardaway Judkins (Stevie Wonder) impact far outreaches music. Throughout the duration of his 47 year career, Wonder was an influential political activist. He was also a prominent figure in the Civil Rights Movement. Some of his work included an effort to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a national holiday (1980).

Last night I had the pleasure to see Stevie Wonder perform live at the Verizon Center in Washington DC. The show was hosted by the Pollin family, the long-time owner's of the Wizards organization. As many of you know, Abe Pollin, past away not too long ago, and his family wished to give back to the community. With that thought in mind, the Pollins put together a FREE private concert in which they would celebrate the "working people" who made the Wizards Organization what it is today. They sent out tickets to teachers, the fire and police department, as well as social work agencies in the city.

The arena was packed as Stevie Wonder sang multiple renditions of his most famous songs. By the end of the night Stevie Wonder sang over 2.5 hours of GREATNESS. There were no intermission, no breaks, just 2.5 hours of utter amazement. There wasn't a face in the crowd that wasn't smiling, and if there was someone without a smile, it was only because they were singing the words to their favorite song.

With over 30 Top 10 songs, its no WONDER he could sing 2.5hours of hits! Sometimes we take artist like Stevie Wonder for granted instead of seeing him for what he is... A LEGEND, AN ICON, and quite possibly the most INFLUENTIAL MAN left standing.

One of the worst days in my life was when I heard the news of MJ's passing, and the fact that I never had an opportunity to meet him, or see him live only made that moment worse. However, yesterday was one of the best moments in my life! But even more memorable was the 7 year old boy that was allowed to run around and dance near the front of the stage, well past the restricted zone. The security guards didn't tell his parents to keep him behind the line, they just let him dance, and have fun! I think that was the vision the Pollin's had in mind when they created this event (in less that 3 weeks). That child's life will never be the same... and neither will mine. Thanks Pollin's and most of all, thank you Stevie Wonder. Thank you for allowing me to see what GREATNESS looks like. I'll never forget that day.

Musically yours,

Brandon Best