Thursday, August 25, 2011

Fans, musicians, celebrities, media outlets, and people everywhere are remembering the late Aaliyah Haughton today. The beautiful R&B singer and actress died ten years ago today in a plane crash, at the age of 22. Known simply as Aaliyah and bursting into the spotlight before we knew of a fellow one-name superstar, Beyoncé, she was responsible for several hits from the mid-1990s up until her untimely demise in 2001. You wouldn't believe that she only lived long enough to release three albums: Age Ain't Nothing But A Number (1994), One In A Million (1996), and the self-titled Aaliyah (2001).


She also released a few hit songs on movie soundtracks (back when movies put out soundtracks), including "Are You That Somebody?" on the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack in 1998. That was the summer I'd just graduated high school. I remember going to a house party and dancing to the song with a girl I had a crush on. She was actually dressed like Aaliyah at the party--baggy jeans, cutoff shirt showing her midriff (the singer changed her style as she got older, but in her teens she dressed like a tomboy). I thought about that girl for the rest of the summer!

Aaliyah had so many influences we still see today in music and fashion. I, like many people, continue to enjoy her songs and music videos--other faves of mine are "At Your Best (You Are Love)" and "Try Again".

I regret not having ever seen her in concert. I did some digging (and by that I mean Googling) to try to find the last time Aaliyah performed in concert in Charlotte. I came across a 1997 press release for the Budweiser Superfest concert tour from that year (coincidentally, the latest installment stopped in Charlotte last night with Jill Scott and Anthony Hamilton). The headliners were Mary J. Blige, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and Dru Hill, with Ginuwine and Aaliyah as the opening acts. On September 1, 1997 they came to the Charlotte Coliseum (for people who moved to Charlotte after 2007, the coliseum used to be on Tyvola Road and was torn down, even though the building was less than 20 years old, because the city built a new arena in Uptown for the Charlotte Bobcats in 2005). When Aaliyah performed in Charlotte, I was just starting my senior year in high school, growing up two hours away in Rembert, SC. I would have loved to have seen her then. And now.

Do you remember that concert tour from 1997? Did you see it in Charlotte? If so, post in the comments section below.

A backstage pass from the 1997 tour. [Source]

If you want to relive some memories of Aaliyah, check out MTV.com's "Aaliyah: Celebrating Her Legacy, 10 Years Later" and Billboard.com's "Aaliyah's Top 10 Billboard Hits." Those links include photos and videos. Also, the Aailyah: One in a Million special airs at 8 p.m. tonight on BET.

1 comment :

  1. OMG,I'd almost forgotten that I'd seen Aaliyah in concert. I went to this concert with my cousin at the old coliseum. It was on a school night and my mom let me go on one condition: I had to get my ass up for school the next day. lol! Thanks for posting this. Brings back good memories. :)

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