Alicia Keys was the perfect headliner for the first Urban Aids event held in Toronto on November 29.

Keys was able to draw a crowd, raise money and awareness for the Aids epidemic, and put on one hell of a show.

Keys took part in a press conference the morning of the concert, and apologized for being excited while discussing a serious subject.

“I come here with so much excitement because it just excites me to be part of things that are going to evoke change and are really going to have an effect on people directly,” she said.

During her hour-long set later that night, she brought the crowd to its feet, performing her hits like “Fallin’” and “A Woman’s Worth” from her first album, and “Karma” and “If I Ain’t Got You” from her sophomore smash, “Diary of Alicia Keys.”

Although the point of the night was to awareness of the HIV and Aids epidemic and to raise money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation, The Teresa Group, and one of Keys’ charities, Keep a Child Alive, the three hours of entertainment was a superb addition.

In addition to Keys, some of Canada’s finest musicians performed during the event at Ricoh Coliseum.

Rising R&B star Melanie Durrant started the night, performing her first single “Where I’m Going” and part of Kardinal’s “Bang Bang.”

Swollen Members returned to Toronto after a two-year absence, head banging while jumping around the stage. For their last song, “Breathe,” they were joined by Nelly Furtado.

Furtado also performed an acoustic version of “Powerless,” accompanied by a guitarist and Toronto R&B singer Jully Black. In the middle of Furtado’s song, a fire alarm went off and returned throughout the night until an announcement to stop smoking in the washrooms was read by Argonauts coach Pinball Clemons.

k-os showed exactly why many think he is the next Canadian to breakout in the U.S. Backed up by a full band, the Whitby, Ontario native performed some old and new material. Before performing the first verse of his most successful mainstream hit, “Crabbuckit,” he sang a few bars of “Hit the Road Jack,” not only showing how similar the two beats are, but exemplifying his musical influences.

Before Keys’ set, 16-year-old Keshia Chante delighted the crowd with her gentle singing voice, showing glimpses reminiscent of Keys when she first burst onto the scene.

But the message was not lost. Stephen Lewis, the U.N. Secretary General’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa, attended both the press conference and concert to make sure of it.

And kudos to the audience for their respect. Eagerly anticipating the appearance of Keys, they still remained silent when Lewis spoke, listening, perhaps contemplating further actions to prevent the spread of Aids.

The event was organized by Towa Beer, the head of Transl8r Marketing, who promised a second Urban Aids event next year.






Related Stories: