50 Cent, Up Close and Personal In Houston

On Saturday, June 12, 50 Cent brought "The Invitation" tour to the Arena Theater in Houston, Texas.

The Arena theater is not a big venue. It has a circular stage in the middle with all the seats going around it and no seat is more than 60 feet from the stage. I was very surprised to see that maybe only half of the seats were sold. However, this was the second show I have been to this week where the turnout was low ( see Goo Goo Dolls at Austin Music Hall review). Maybe it's the economy. i

Around 10 p.m.,  50 Cent (aka Curtis James Jackson III ) walked onto the stage with Tony Yayo. The crowd rose to their feet and loudly cheered and clapped. As this is a round theater, there were several aisles leading up to the stage, each aisle quickly filled up with people as they wanted to get closer to the stage and possibly touch the rap star as he walked around at the edge of the stage. There was a real club feeling to the show because the audience could get so close up.

50 Cent looked like  had gained back a substantial amount of weight since his dramatic weight loss for the movie "Things Fall Apart" in which he plays a cancer-ridden football player (http://www.thisis50.com/profiles/blogs/50-cents-shocking-slimdown). This hip-hop star, rapper, actor, millionaire and corporate spokesperson sure brings a special vibe to his shows. I am not a particular fan of rap, but this was one hell of a concert.

Photos by Manuel Nauta
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