L.A. Pride Parade | L.A. PrideFestival | Festival 6/9/18 | Festival 6/10/18
LOS ANGELES, CA-
“… It’s hard to believe- and truth be told made me feel a little old when I made the realization- but CeCe Peniston’s “Finally” is over 25 years old. Wow. That song was seriously played at every high school dance that I went to. And don’t get me started on “Keep On Walkin’ or “We Got A Love Thang”… those tracks were straight up bangers that I put on every urban mix-tape I made for myself or friends. So, when I heard that CeCe Peniston would be performing at LA! Pride, I circled her name because I had to see and hear the queen of house music do her thing for me live.
Now, I did have some hesitations because her performance was scheduled for Boulevard Stage, and that stage typically runs late … and that was the case for CeCe’s performance as well. And for the 15 minutes fans waited past the stated start time, the anticipation became more and more palpable.
When CeCe took the stage, she was adored in a glittery, silver jumpsuit. She regally strut on stage as she looked over the audience before she asked us all if we were ready to get down with her. I was ready, and as soon as the beat drop for her first song, I was already dancing my way around the photo pit. But, CeCe wasn’t feeling the same.
She instructed her DJ to stop the performance, and she readdressed the audience, questioning whether or not they were really ready to get down. Perhaps it was the wafts of weed in the air that had the crowd slow to roll, but it was clear they weren’t going to waste a chance to dance to one of the best dance-soul records of all time.
CeCe restarted her performance, this time with the audience more in tune with the vibe she was trying instill from the get-go, and she went on to knock out a 30+ minute set with all of those songs that I fondly remembered. She sounded as fresh and youthful as she did back when those tracks first hit my ears in 1992. “Finally”, “We Got A Love” and “Keep On Walking” were all performed, and they each still stand the test of time.
Personally, I thought that CeCe should have performed on the main stage. Her hits are not only dance anthems, but LGBTQ anthems as well. Perhaps LA! Pride picked up on their erroneous scheduling as they had CeCe join the main stage hosts for a brief moment to riff a little bit of “Finally” accapella. I’m just glad I got to see CeCe do it proper earlier in the day …”
Follow CeCe Peniston on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
L.A. Pride Parade | L.A. PrideFestival | Festival 6/9/18 | Festival 6/10/18
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