Mary J Blige is Live at Reno Events Center September 9th  8/14/06

Mary J Blige: The Breakthrough Experience is Live at the Reno Events Center September 9, 2006

The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J Blige, will showcase her powerful voice, raw emotion and commanding presence at the Reno Events Center on Saturday, September 9. Sponsored by Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino, Harrah’s Reno and the Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Mary J Blige: The Breakthrough Experience stops in Reno for one night only during a 30 city nation-wide tour.

(PRWEB) August 14, 2006 -- The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J Blige, will showcase her powerful voice, raw emotion and commanding presence at the Reno Events Center on Saturday, September 9. Sponsored by Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino, Harrah’s Reno and the Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Mary J Blige: The Breakthrough Experience stops in Reno for one night only during a 30 city nation-wide tour.

When the debut album from Mary J Blige, What's the 411?, hit the street in 1992, critics and fans alike were floored by its powerful combination of modern R&B with an edgy rap sound that glanced off of the pain and grit of her Yonkers, NY, childhood. Called alternately the new Chaka Khan or Aretha Franklin, Blige had little in common stylistically with either of those artists, but like them helped adorn soul music with new textures and flavors that inspired a whole generation of musicians. With her blonde hair, self-preserving slouch, and combat boots, Blige was street-tough and beautiful all at once, and the record company execs who profited off of her early releases did little to dispel the bad-girl image that she earned as she stumbled through the dizzying first days of her career.

As she exorcised her personal demons and softened her style, she remained a hero to thousands of girls growing up in the same kinds of rough places she came from. Blige reinvented her career again and again by shedding the bad habits and bad influences that kept her down; by the time her fourth album, Mary, was released in 1999, she had matured into an expressive singer able to put the full power of her voice behind her music, while still reflecting a strong urban style. With her fifth album, No More Drama, it wasn't just Blige's style that shone through the structures set up for her by songwriters and producers; it was her own vision -- spiritual, emotional, personal and full of wisdom. The album reflected an artist who was comfortable with who she was and how far she had come. The Mary J. Blige on No More Drama seemed miles away from the flashy kid on What's the 411?, yet it was still possible to see the path through her music that produced an older, wiser, b ut still expressive artist. In 2003 she was reunited with Sean “Puffy” Combs, who produced the majority of that year's Love and Life album.

In December 2005 Blige released The Breakthrough, which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 album Chart. The Breakthrough has currently sold over 2.2 million copies, fueled by the hit single, “Be Without You.” The sixth Mary J Blige recording to reach No. 1 on the R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart, “Be Without You” shares that honor with “You Remind Me,” “Real Love,” “I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need To Get By,” “Not Gonna Cry,” and “Family Affair.” At the 2006 BET Awards on June 27, Blige took the award for Best Female R&B and tied for Video of the Year with Kanye West for “Be Without You.”

Beyond commercial success, the press is unanimous in their praise of the artistry of “The Breakthrough.” Vanity Fair raves, “…she’s still the Queen…” USA Today claims, “Another Blige ‘Breakthrough’ …Blige still touches souls...” People Magazine calls the CD “...one of her most impassioned performances, proving a little drama can go a long way.” NY Daily News says Mary, “…wins by finely delivering songs that show how complicated simple joy can be.” The Boston Globe hails the CD as “…a start-to-finish triumph.”

Tickets are available here.