Black Star Review:
Well, I don’t know if you can call this a review. I guess it’s my overview and general ramblings of what I can remember about this “momentus” occasion. Here goes…
This was one of the most anticipated Hip Hop concerts that I can remember in very a long time. It was one of those occasions in which you’d want to say, “I was there”…before the event transpired that is. Actually, that is a little unfair to be honest, this was for me, a great Hip Hop occasion, if not a night without major flaws.
Act I:
Rakim kicked off proceedings to an increasingly full HMV Apollo. His laid back style gathered momentum throughout his relatively short set, with his more than able DJ acting as hype man. It was enough to satisfy his fans (myself included), although it did feel more like an advert or taster for his upcoming solo London show.
Act II:
After a short transition in which DJ’s Pogo and Business entertained the now totally full Apollo (with solid Hip Hop of an appropriate quality I hasten to add), De La Soul took to the stage. I won’t dwell on the details of this performance as it can be described in very few words… THEY ABSOLUTELY TORE THE ROOF OFF!!! Their charisma, skill, experience and general freshness were all fully on show. Enough said.
Act III:
The main event was now upon us and Black Star’s Mos Def & Talib Kweli, had a real task on their hands to satisfy a crowd that was bursting with anticipation after being cranked up to full by the superlative De La Soul.. What was to follow was a disjointed and severely misjudged performance from the Black Star maestros. The decreasing energy level of the audience was palpable, as was the lack of on stage chemistry between Mos and Talib, although the major misjudgement appeared to be in their selection of songs to perform – let’s be honest, the crowd were there primarily to hear the Black Star Album performed live, not a selection of their individual tracks and three, yes only three tracks from the seminal LP. Again I am not going to go into great detail about the performance (I’ll be here all day), however I must mention my bafflement at the need for and subsequent non-use of two DJ’s on the stage. I can only guess that there were some technical difficulties with the decks (I hope).
Conclusion:
First off, I want to say that I really enjoyed this occasion. It was great to be around a positive Hip Hop event with such energy, support and anticipation, even if expectations were not quite met. The problem, as I see it, is that Black Star were never going to outperform the twenty two year seasoned veterans De La Soul and as headliners they needed to hit the ground running and set themselves apart. I really believe that Black Star should have performed with a live band, for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Black Star Album is perfectly suited and tailor made for a live set up, that’s reason enough. In addition, a live set up would have set them apart from the other performers and would have taken some of the performance pressure off Mos Def and Talib Kweli, with the band sharing visual and sonic responsibility. Anyhow, I could go on, but I won’t, suffice to say there were many disappointed and dissenting voices being raised on the steps outside the venue. The hope is that some of those strong opinions filter back to the artists and this can only make for better future performances... surely?
Reviewed by Mr Two Fingers.
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