I had the pleasure of being front row center for an intimate Lionel Richie concert at San Francisco’s Mint this past week. The event itself was sponsored by MySpace as part of the Web 2.0 Summit, an annual event held each year in the city.
The Mint is a historical and decadent building not far from San Francisco’s Chronicle, also housed in an old brick structure along Mission Street. Says Supervising Architect Alfred B. Mullett of The Mint’s structure: “No pains have been spared to make it, when complete, not only the finest and best constructed building on the Pacific coast, but the best arranged mint in the world.”
The ambience makes any networking event “classy,” and to add to it, MySpace had an open bar, delicately dressed cupcakes and Lionel Richie’s voice and band echoing through every crack even if you were not crowded in the small room dedicated to the concert.
At 60, this man hasn’t lost his magic, his charm or his sex appeal. Nearly every woman I know can somehow associate a romantic moment to a Lionel Richie song. It was oddly amusing to find women in their early twenties, thirties and forties singing along (most knew all the words) to every pop hit, swaying back and forth with hands raised in the air hoping that he’d come along and shake or kiss it. He did a lot of the former and given that the stage was only a mere six to eight inches taller than the viewing floor, being front row center meant watching Richie from a foot away.
It doesn’t get much closer than this.
And they didn’t even mind us hamming it up on his keyboard after the event.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
