(scroll down to take a look at my other autographed N.E.R.D. portrait)
N.E.R.D.
Do not use or take any images without my permission.
9/2003 -- Sprite Liquid Mix Tour at the Tweeter Center in Camden, NJ
The Sprite Liquid Mix tour....I missed the 2002 tour and my friends said it was a kick ass time and all the acts rocked! Especially N.E.R.D. So I definitely wanted to go this year, and when I heard that N.E.R.D. was one of the headliners, I knew I HAD to go! I wasn't going to miss the tour this year.
The day of the concert arrived, and I was debating whether or not to bring this portrait with me. I had drawn it around the time that the Clones album came out and was kind of inspired by the video for "Frontin" where they showed someone taking pictures with a digital camera and then a close-up of the pics as shown in the camera....like when a person is reviewing what pictures they took on their digital cam. I thought the scenes looked pretty cool, and when I heard the new N.E.R.D. song, an image popped into my head, and I decided to draw it. The result....the portrait up above.
Anyway, the day of the concert, I wasn't sure whether or not to bring the portrait only because I didn't know whether or not my friends and I would get to meet N.E.R.D. again....and since the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour was a day-long event, I was afraid the picture would get ruined. At the last minute, I figured "Why not"....stuck the drawing in a plastic bag and brought it with me.
We got to the concert, and there was so much to do! Artists were on the main stage AND the second stage. They had a breaking crew, Playstation games, radio stations....just a ton of stuff to do. Of course, the best part were the acts. Before the main acts came on, my friends and I were treated to performances by Mad Skillz and Talib Kweli, both of whom tore up the stage! Those boys can really rhyme!
After they both came on, my friends and I started walking around when we heard that N.E.R.D. was going to do an autograph session. We were excited until we heard the catch....we had to buy the Clones CD in order to get a wristband to meet them. We then became un-excited since we didn't have the $20 needed to buy the album. Then we became excited again when we hashed out a game plan....use my portrait to get their attention and hopefully meet them....and hopefully not get kicked out by security :)
8PM--We stationed ourselves at the metal gate that separated the crowd from the signing table. When people saw N.E.R.D. approaching the table, the crowd became a mob with people trying to rush to the front, flashing photos, and girls screaming "I love you Pharrell!!" Craziness!
After wading their way through clumps of adoring fans, N.E.R.D. (Pharrell and Shae...Chad wasn't there) and Fam-LAY (Startrak's newest artist) finally made it to the signing table. Since I was only 3 feet away from the guys, I yelled out "Shae!" And showed him my pic. Shae looked my way, stared at the drawing for a bit and gave me a big smile. Then Pharrell happened to look in my direction, and I yelled his name too. I flashed my portrait again, and when Pharrell saw the portrait, a big grin spread across his face....he looked up, smiled and then pointed at me....kinda like he was giving me a "What's up"
At that moment I was
pretty happy that they got to see my drawing. Then Pharrell, Fam-L
AY
and Shae started signing autographs. After a while, Shae looked my way and
gestured for me to give him the drawing, which I did. Then he signed
it! Shae then passed the drawing to Fam-LAY, who also signed it.
Finally Pharrell got a hold of it...and when he did, he propped it up on the
table, and with a big smile on his face, he took a good look at it and then
signed it too. I was in awe and so happy that they all liked my picture.
Eventually, I got my
drawing back and read what they wrote and Pharrell's note actually made me
blush because I thought what he wrote was ultra-sweet and flattering. When
N.E.R.D. finished 
signing
autographs, Shae came over to us and said "Long time no see!" He
then gave us all big hugs and left to get ready for the performance. A few
minutes later, after Pharrell was done talking with a Philly DJ, Pharrell came
over to us too and gave us all big hugs and a kiss on the cheek (except for my
guy friend...he got that pound/handshake thing that guys do). I was pretty
much in shock after that because I really didn't think they would remember us
after all this time...and they did!
Later that night,
N.E.R.D. rocked the Tweeter Center! Their performance was on fire....it seemed
like they had the entire crowd jumping and thrashing along with them. It
was an awesome show!
At the end of the night, I went home with a bag full of free stuff, an achy body....and a big smile on my face because not only did I attend a cool day-long concert for a decent price (tickets were $10 apiece), but I got to meet Pharrell and Shae again and actually got to show them my latest portrait...and they signed it! Best of all, I still can't believe they remembered us. How cool is that?
Click here to see my other autographed N.E.R.D. portrait