Jazz in The Gardens This month I decided to check out Miami’s 9th Annual Jazz in the Gardens. I don’t have much interest in soul music, and I’m somewhat impartial to R & B. The line up for the festival was not particularly intriguing, but for $60 I figured I’d give it a try. The gardens in the naming convention is by no means meant to delineate the actual landscape of the venue. After racking my brain for a bit, it occurred to me that the name was in fact only relevant because it takes place in Miami Gardens. Set in Lots 4 and 5 of the Sunlife Stadium, the venue more than adequately housed its 60,000+ attendees. Folks in the general admission section are encouraged to come with their lawn chairs and any other preferred amenities in hand. Newcomers, we arrived at around 530 pm only to find our pickings for seating arrangements were rather slim. We sat too far back to see the performers live but close enough to see the mediocrity on a Jumbotron. It was my understanding that food and/or drink were not permitted, but thanks to the weakest display of security, my friends managed to smuggle two large bottles of Armaretto and Peach flavored Ciroc, cranberry and pineapple juice chasers, and a fair number of cups. 
It’s an eclectic crowd with every cultural and age span. If you want to see grown women regress to their teenage years, take them to see Trey Songz in concert. The reception he got was just short of women throwing their underwear on stage. Artists like Mint Condition and Kelly Rowland performed as best as they could, given their scope. Floating on his motion picture accolades, Jamie Foxx’s introduction comprised of clippings from his acting career. While his voice was true to form, he lacked presence. On the upside, the performance made for great background music as we made our way to our cars. Between the acts, the resident DJ kept the crowd pumping, playing the best of the oldies and present day. He and his hype man brought spectators to their feet on several occasions. The show stoppers at the event were the seafood (specifically the conch) and the awesome people watching. General admission is filled with the most fun-living and entertaining people you could come across. The mood is very “backyard barbecue” and you’ll be sure to have a few great laughs with newly found friends. Reeds Catering and Concessions stole the entire culinary show. Hundreds of people waited over an hour (myself included) for homemade conch salad in a sweet handmade pineapple bowl. Had the lines not been so long, I definitely would have gone back for seconds. Beware though, the bowl gives the impression that the conch is filled from the bottom up. This is not the case. The pineapples are strategically cut, and are only about an inch and a half deep. Jazz in the gardens is definitely worth attending. There are many shops and vendors to kill time, tons of worthy food stands and a great environment for quality time with loved ones. Unfortunately, the music isn’t the best thing about the event, but I suspect that’ll only improve with time.