Concert Review: Amanda Blank and Spank Rock at Rock & Roll Hotel

Amanda Blank and Spank Rock

Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC

April 24, 2010

It’s 12 am on a rainy Saturday night in D.C. and I’m watching two of my favorite MCs in the music business perform about 5 inches from my face. I’ve bonded with the girl standing next to me over the fact that we both know every lyric to every song (and even got to show our skills by singing into the mic). I’m convinced this night can’t get any better then all of a sudden I’m being pulled on stage by none other than Spank “[insert explicit]” Rock! This is the part where I think I’m going to wake up and my awesome night will be over except, that doesn’t happen. Apparently it’s not a dream and I’m actually dancing on stage with two of the biggest bad-asses ever.

I’ll back up a bit and start from the beginning: I arrive at the Rock and Roll Hotel at the beginning of Ninjasonik’s performance. An intense dance party is already underway and I push my way to the front of the crowd to join the fun. I must admit that this isn’t my first time seeing Ninjasonik and I pretty much know what to expect (although there are a few surprises, one being me getting serenaded on stage). About forty-five minutes of ass-shaking later, Amanda Blank is ready to take center stage as the show’s headliner. She steps onto the stage in a cape and super sexy leopard print leotard. Total BAMF. The crowd goes berserk and she’s loving the hype. Amanda Blank’s performance is vulgar, raunchy and absolutely amazing. (more after the jump- and pictures!)

Amanda Blank performed a large number of songs from her 2009 official debut album, I Love You including her two singles “Shame On Me” and “Might Like You Better” (more fully: “might like you better if we slept together”). About half-way through her set she was joined on stage by Naeem Juwan of Spank Rock fame. This is where Juwan handed the mic over so I could sing the lyrics to “Loose” in the mic along with the girl to my left. It’s around this point that I concluded this to be the best show I’ve ever been to. Maybe I’m a little biased because I’ve seen Ninjasonik, Amanda Blank, and Spank Rock perform together three times in the past 9 months but obviously there’s something that keeps me hooked. The show ends with half the crowd on stage as Amanda Blank’s DJ spins out house music, switching from a [semi-] focusedconcert to pretty much a dance club. For Amanda Blank her performance is an art, from the cape and leotard to the dance moves she struts on stage. This performance combined with her high energy keeps the crowd pumped and makes for a super awesome, totally intense dance party.

-- Dominique Barron

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