Everyone was dressed to impress and the outfits definitely paid homage to Philadelphia icons - BOYZ II MEN who took the stage at The Met Philly on Saturday, February 17, 2024 to serenade and party with fans who traveled from near and far to see them that night. The 15 song set-list had a little something for everyone and fans old and new. And if it’s your first time seeing the Motown Philly legends on stage, you were in for a treat as they danced, harmonized, told stories, got nostalgic and showered fans front row with single red roses. What did not surprise me was that they learned to play the bass and guitar and went on to new ventures. And that their children are just as talented as they are. Everyone cheered and applauded and sang along and as for me – I embraced the nostalgia and just took it all in. Appreciating that these men are still out here making music and creating lasting memories for fans for years to come. 

Wanya Morris takes center stage for a solo during It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye - Meg Duong 

Back to ‘94

Nowadays, it is hard to imagine where you had to sit by a radio with a cassette tape in the deck ready to record a song off of the radio. I listened to the local radio stations (B101 and Q102 respectively) that I had grown accustomed to the radio cycle. I was familiar with what songs would come on and would get giddy when I was right by the radio when the DJ announced “On Bended Knee” that I would aggressively hit the record button. (Which I would often get that jammed due to my excitement.) The 1994 album of II was an essential part of my daily life and what lead me to want to join a choir and later pick a camera up. I enjoyed all aspects of the stage and when they did a duet with Mariah Carey for One Sweet Day. My two worlds collided. Those songs and many others would be essential tracks to the soundtrack of my life. “A Song for Mama” would play in the background of a YouTube video I made to show off to my parents. Proud of my video editing skills. It was the early 2000’s. 

Fast forward to 2024 and I am standing amongst a sold out crowd hearing some of my favorite songs live for the first time. It was a moment I would cherish and one that I couldn’t wait to share with you all. Whoever said that music and the arts was not an essential part of society have never been touched by an artist like Boyz II Men. They cross generational era’s and gave us all common ground on something as amazing as their 30+ year catalog. 

We are only TWELVE days into the new year and Yellowcard has come in swinging with their first GMA Performance (alongside Cassadee Pope and Christine Lightner) - performing “The Places We’ll Go” off their latest release “Childhood Eyes” and the hit single “Ocean Avenue”. After being gone for six years, the music industry exploded for them in a huge way with a ton of festival spots (including When We Were Young and SlamDunk Festival in England). They sold out shows across the country on their summer tour with Story of the Year, Mayday Parade and This Wild Life. Their EP Childhood Eyes became a staple in our home amidst a rocky 2023. Their songs a balm to the soul. Even to the point of singing Life of a Salesman to the point of tears and a lost voice. It was like medicine to me. So of course I was ecstatic, amongst the fans too, to hear of all the good news coming out of Yellowcard HQ. This Good Morning America performance brought back a familiar face in Cassadee Pope and an OG to the studio recordings with Christine Lightner. Many know of her from a lot of behind the scenes talks and conversations surrounding past albums like “Paper Walls” and “Lift a Sail”. And the gifts didn’t stop at that GMA performance. 

While talking to host Michael Strahan, they announced a reimagined version of their single “Ocean Avenue” (the video seen below) in collaboration with HAMMOCK. The mega talented duo based in Nashville, TN came through with this gorgeous rendition. The thing that made my jaw drop was how beautiful the stop motion animation was and how it told the story of a love lost and the emotional impact of what that could do to someone’s psyche. What I had massively enjoyed was how beautiful they depicted the healing process and that a once gray and bleak outlook on life can be colorful again. Given enough time. It can be wonderfully magical. That hit me the hardest and of course I let out a sigh of relief. What I was beyond thrilled about during the interview with Michael was the announcement of a new record “A Hopeful Sign” with NINE TRACKS reimagined - some of them are deep cuts, some are fan favorites but all are epic in their own right. Equal Vision Records is selling bundles of exclusive, limited-edition presses, that will be delivered around February 7, 2024. There are three variant colorways: (1) Fuchsia/Pumpkin/Linen Mix (limited to 250), Clear Base W/ Cerise & Yellow Splatter (limited to 250), and Clear W/ Pacific Blue Splatter (limited to 500). You can get them here. 

Track List:

LP1 • Side A
01. Empty Street • 5:58
02. Southern Air • 4:50
03. Ocean Ave • 5:08
04. Telescope • 4:47
05. You and Me and One Spotlight • 4:52

LP1 • Side B
06. Waiting Game • 5:50
07. Only One • 4:59
08. A Place We Set Afire • 5:59
09. Transmission Home • 6:00

I am so excited for them to be back in the Philadelphia area, this time over at Freedom Mortgage Pavillion (formerly BB&T). We’ll be parked in the lawn where we can dance and sing and have a good time enjoying the company of so many others. We are so excited for all of Yellowcard’s 2024 adventures and can’t wait to see them on the road. Yellowcard will be here on July 12th. You can get tickets here.  

I could describe every word of every experience I have had in 2023 in great detail. But I won’t. In fact, the last six months have been the most mentally exhausting, emotionally draining and creatively stunted I have felt in a very long time. And instead of focusing on what made me feel all of those deep-rooted emotions. I am going to extend gratitude for who I am and what I have done this past year. I began 2023 on a bit of a break in December, because I found that the holidays put me in a burnt out of state of mind. I couldn’t focus on anything. So I decided to take the holiday season off again this year. Coincidentally, I had gone on a break even before December and it was around Thanksgiving that I gave myself the hardest self-talk yet. Take a break. I was grieving a lot of things and needed to extend myself some grace and adjust to this new reality. I have done a lot of hard things in the past but this one was the hardest. So as I was sitting around the house during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. I decided to journal all of the things I am grateful for. The main theme was that I was given a talent that I had inherited from my Dad; who in his lifetime – made sure his children knew how important the arts were. I picked up a camera because he made it so much fun. That desire to just document every single detail of my life was tucked away there and I knew that desire translated to live music photography. I just had to have the courage to stop and breathe and light that fire once more. It took me months to figure that detail out and I am sure glad I let myself feel those things thoroughly. 

I was going to write an elaborate and detailed note giving 2023 the farewell but I will simply write this: 
To all of the Artists, Managers, PR Teams, Fans, Venue Staff, fellow Photographers in/around Philadelphia and beyond, 

I want to thank you for extending an opportunity to work with you all the past year and allowed me and my team to work on so many cool things. And despite the many things that have made this year emotionally difficult. It was still one for the books. Thank you to the artists for sharing your music with us all. Thank you to the Managers and PR Teams for being so kind and open to reading my emails, week after week. To the fans and venue staff, thank you for making some of my personal days easier, with your vibrant energy and your kindness. To all of the fellow photographers, in and around Philadelphia and beyond. Thank you for being incredibly rad, accepting of this AAPI creative and just overall being some of the most talented folks out there. I wish you all the best in you future endeavors in 2024. 

I could write more but words could not describe the amount of gratitude for the love and support and inspiration this past year. 

With great love, 

Myngan D. 

I had updated this website before taking the rest of the holidays off to spend with my loved ones. Now you can see an updated ”Best of 2023” gallery - linked here and below are some of my favorite shots of the year as well. 

I have also been spending the last six months working on the business side of kismet as well as making some changes to the way things have been operating. Don’t fret, these are all good changes but I can assure you that more content will be published aside from the music photography and reviews/news. In fact, there’s a whole new side of this brand that will be fully launched in 2024 that will make everything we do come full circle. I hope you stick around for that because you’ll be seeing my face and hearing me talk a lot more this year.