Show Review: Lupe Fiasco and Asher Roth

This year's Temple homecoming concert featured Lupe Fiasco, Asher Roth, and Dosage (the opening act I missed because of a friend's birthday mishap involving Distrito). Unlike my previous Temple concert experience, there were no djs working the crowd in between acts, just a bunch of opening shoutouts from MCPB personnel.

Asher Roth took the stage fairly promptly, in contrast to the last time I saw him. Perhaps his punctuality was connected to his seeming lack of marijuana or alcohol, again in contrast to my previous experience. His performance, though slightly less enthusiastic, was otherwise unaffected by this alteration. Approximately a third of his crowd interaction was still dedicated to the promotion of marijuana and alcohol consumption, the remainder reserved for criticizing the evils of commercialism and demonstrating his love for and knowledge of Philadelphia (shouting out Harry Kalas, Jim Johnson, historical sites, and repeatedly claiming Philadelphians as the best people in the world). Despite obvious effort, it seemed much of the crowd were either dismissing him as the one-hit wonder behind the party anthem "I Love College" or drunkenly waiting for that song to justify their attendance. Bright spots included interludes from various other popular songs supposedly being played from his boombox, DJ Wreckineyez' impressive turntabulism performance using Weezer's "Say It Ain't So" leading up to the aforementioned single (the original mixtape version with the Weezer sample that he couldn't clear for the album), the addition of a live drummer to his crew, and Temple girls packing the stage to scream and dance along to dancefloor anthem "She Don't Wanna Man".



Unfortunately the glowing white ball of fun on the stage had no sooner left than the crowd's "Lupe! Lupe!" chant preempted his planned encore... which was then done anyway. Roth's excellent "A Milli" and "Roth Boys" were overshadowed by both the crowd's overwhelming desire for the next act to arrive and familiarity with the original songs using those instrumentals. The ensuing interlude between performances serves as an excellent segue in a brief mention of the venue and atmosphere more generally. This concert was held in Temple's Liacouras Center, a cavernous space the college students only filled up to the first level in most places. Security was fairly tight, but that didn't prevent many concertgoers from smoking assorted varieties of ganja, an activity discouraged only by shining flashlights at offending parties. One couple chose an activity evidently much more discouraged, and provided my friends and I with the amusement of watching security interrupt a repeat sexual encounter on the upper level, unceremoniously escorting the two lovebirds out.






















When the lights came down and a DJ, guitarist, and drummer played the intro to "The Cool", the screaming fans finally got what they wanted-Lupe Fiasco. With guitar and drum solos, fans singing along, peeling off layers of clothing, coming down into the crowd, and his manic stage presence, Lupe was put on what could have almost been described as a rock show, right down to the Jimi Hendrix-sampling "Fire" (free mp3). Any attendees unsure of how hip-hop this was were immediately pacified when he began asking his DJ for various beats, freestyling and performing his "Everybody Nose" N.E.R.D. remix and Kanye collabo "Touch the Sky". Despite substantial contributions from and shoutouts to the instrumentalists and backup vocalist he brought onstage with him, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that this was Lupe's show. Mesmerizing flows from albums new and old, mixtapes, and off the cuff over a variety of beats kept the crowd's attention from start to finish. At one point he almost lost control when he went off on his new album title (L.A.S.E.R.S. which stands for love always shines everytime, remember to smile) in a way my friend Evan Scott described as "a universalistic sermon" that another reviewer complained about here. This diatribe went on just long enough to be memorable, then he got into several snippets from the new album-just enough to interest the audience without providing any bootleg-worthy moments. Clear crowd favorites included skating anthem "Kick Push", "Paris, Tokyo" (dedicated "to all my beautiful, respectable ladies"), and singalong hit "Superstar". Check out some videos taken from far enough back not to blow out the camera mic here to get an impression of what I'm talking about. It was honestly the best live hip-hop show I've ever seen, featuring one of the more versatile artists in the game right now.
Apologies for the terrible sound quality, this is meant to get the vibe of the actual show right in front of a sub. If you want to listen to the music, check out the mp3 link above or buy his album.

Show Review: Sanctus Real, Addison Road, Jason Gray

Friday night I headed down to my friends' alma mater for a Sanctus Real show with my sister. Apparently Red Lion Evangelical Free Church (the parent organization of my friends' school) hosts the occasional concert, sponsored by Reach FM, the local Christian radio station.

I honestly haven't listened to Sanctus Real in quite some time and wasn't entirely sure what to expect from a show in a church/school gym. Singer/songwriter Jason Gray took the stage, armed with an acoustic guitar and intelligently spiritual lyrics set to catchy tunes. Overcoming a significant stutter, his between-song banter was alternatingly funny and profound. Despite some issues with forgetting lyrics, I was impressed by his ability as he used pedals to loop a beat played on his guitar body and a basic riff before adding lead guitar and vocals.




















Next up was female-fronted worship act Addison Road, whose "rockier" numbers failed to get the crowd moving. Their more recognizable worship tunes elicited a much more enthusiastic reaction from the audience, creating a more explicitly spiritual atmosphere. My favorite portion of the performance was a ballad featuring the bass player on a neon green harmonica.

After a short break that served as a promotion for World Vision child sponsorship, reminding me of what makes Christian concerts so positive, the headliners arrived. Sanctus Real has been playing shows since 1996, and that 13 years of experience is obvious. Their evident professionalism was consistent throughout a lengthy set of material new and old, with a little worship tag blended on to the ends of one or two songs. Impressive improvisational solos from each instrumentalist brought musicianship to the forefront, eclipsing fan interaction that bordered on a gimmick. Pulling a fan onstage to introduce the frontman, using an audience member's camera to take a video during the performance, asking a kid who was getting cell phone updates how the Phillies' game was going, and even beginning the encore by walking through the crowd from the rear, frontman Matt Hammitt made sure their fans felt loved. From acoustic numbers, banjos and orchestra bells to singalongs and a pulsating light show, Sanctus Real had it all. Far exceeding my expectations, they put on one of the better rock shows I've seen in a long time while simultaneously communicating their message and avoiding offending an audience primarily composed of parents with young children. As far as explicitly Christian rock goes, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better live act.

Show Review: Janelle Monae

Messiah's Homecoming Dance this year featured a little something new: a live performance by Outkast protege Janelle Monae. After a hits-packed opening DJ set from my friends Steve Harpine (SAB concert executive and member of Pompeii & the Ashes) and Justin Colavita (Frantic Colatitude) that devolved into a dual laptop crossfade mix when Miss Monae wasn't ready to perform at her scheduled time, she took the stage clad in a tuxedo, backed by a full band.

Her performance was at once fascinating and disconcerting, juxtaposing early rock-and-roll sounds with abstract futuristic lyrics and blowing the audience away with consistently impressive vocal stylings. Her songs ran the gamut from lengthy ballad (performed standing on a stool with just one soloing guitarist as accompaniment), to funk, to a driving closer that could have found a home in any Warped Tour mosh pit. Her hysterical theatrics ranged from painting while singing onstage and throwing the finished product into the audience where it spattered expensive apparel with paint, to stage diving directly on my face and crowd surfing during the final song. In the immortal words of King Arthur: "What an eccentric performance!"
[click photo for more]
The remainder of the night was ably handled by my friend Nate Norman's set of deep house and trance jams, closing a dance many Messiah students are not likely to forget.

For more about Janelle Monae, please check out the SAB blog here.

Show Review: Kaci Battaglia

[click photo for more]
If Kaci Battaglia ever graduates from being the one-hit wonder behind "Crazy Possessive", I'll be able to tell whatever generation of my descendants that are screaming along to her top 40 club pop that I once saw her vagina. The singer's brief two-song performance (the aforementioned current single and the upcoming "Body Shots") at Roxxy was memorable for me if only for the anatomy class I found myself and my friends conducting on the dancefloor. Miss Battaglia took the stage long after her promised arrival time, providing a welcome change from the endless repetition that consumes so much of any given night at Philadelphia's few under-21 club parties, clad in a silver bodysuit that was more than skintight. As she and her two backup dancers gyrated to one of the later repetitions of the hook, we became increasingly aware of just how scanty the coverage provided by her shiny getup was. Admittedly, she did a reasonable job of replicating the sound of her songs live and interacting with the crowd, but then again it was only a two song set. Here's a live clip of her doing "Crazy Possessive" wearing the same outfit at some club where the stage had space for two more backup dancers, but it gives you the general vibe:

The One Where I See the Biggest Band in the World.

In September, I was presented with the opportunity to venture to Giants Stadium in New Jersey to see U2. I grew up with Bono and the boys, thanks to my dad's rabid obsession with the Irish megastars. I knew I would someday see these songs of my childhood live; I just didn't realize it would be so soon. Needless to say, I had some pretty high expectations. U2 doesn't just put on a show--they give their audiences the best performances of their lives. Along with expert showmanship, the charisma of Bono as frontman gives every song a sermon-like quality, and as such, he adopts a fairly obvious messianic complex, standing with arms outstretched and head held high. In some strange way, this doesn't seem wrong to me. It's just Bono.
This part of the entry is going to be painful, for you and me both. There's this band called Muse, who are pretty big in their own right (sold out Wembley Stadium in Wales three nights in a row), displaying the power of epic themes in rock and roll, and doing this well with only three band members. I was extremely excited to see them perform, as they were opening for U2. I think the traffic system in New York understood just how excited I was, and deliberately made me wait two hours in the parking lines from the stadium while their entire set played out just one mile away from me. I missed Muse. So, let's talk U2.

I have never before seen such a massive stage. With architecture I can only describe as "intergalactic meets Dr. Suess", over 90,000 people stood and sat captivated by the enormity of it all. The excess here almost mocks U2's incomprehensible fame, and celebrates that sort of indulgence. The band opened the show with an homage to Bowie, playing "Space Oddity" before lighting up the stage for their first song, "Breathe", from newest release No Line on the Horizon. While I am more familiar with (and prefer) old U2, live performances of all of their newest material brought a fresh perspective to even songs I blatantly disliked on the new album (namely "Magnificent"). While my seats were in the 300 level of the stadium, my view was extremely clear, and it was enhanced by video screens that displayed magnified images of each of the band members, along with creative graphics to accompany each song. I sang and danced along to all of the songs that I knew, and jammed to ones I didn't yet. U2 engages the crowd by performing snippets of other well known rocks songs at the beginnings and ends of their own (Bono worked in "Blackbird"from the Beatles after performing "Beautiful Day", and "Stand By Me" after "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"). This integration is seamless and is not contrived, or far-reaching.

Bono's vocals soared as he acoustically performed "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)", a semi-obscure track from their Passengers side project, and his operatic vocal quality resonated chillingly within me. I mean, this guy is freaking BONO and I SAW HIM. And the Edge skillfully recreated the succinct and recognizable opening guitar strains of "Where the Streets Have No Name" with an equally holy feel. Bono picked up an acoustic guitar and led the entire stadium in singing all of "Amazing Grace" before segueing into "Streets". I was floored. If these guys don't give you a preview of real worship, don't ask me what will.

U2's politicism was not hidden in this show, nor in any of their past. As they performed "Walk On", advocates from Amnesty International displayed posters with the face of the Burmese president-elect, who has been held under house arrest for longer than I've been alive, all because she chose to strive for freedom in the face of an oppressive regime. They also flashed images of violence in Iraq on the massive screens before playing "Sunday, Bloody Sunday". These powerful statements are not just statements, but because U2 uses their fame to reach those in need, and to advocate for social justice, their meanings are magnified. It's not just another publicity stunt.

After coming back onstage for a three song encore including "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" and "With or Without You", complete with driving (annoying) looped bells, this fantastic show had to come to a close. My experience with U2, seemingly thorough for my age, was completely enhanced by seeing them live. Even though I might not want to admit it (because they're my dad's band and all that), they truly put on the best show I have ever seen. Yes, they have the resources to do that, but it's not just the glitz of it--U2 packs power, politicism, and spirituality into every performance, and it is this unrelenting commitment to what they started as that keeps them grounded and functioning for over thirty years with the same lineup. I was blessed by rock and roll that night, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Show Review: Regina Spektor by Jeff Waters

Each of the two-thousand fans sandwiched into Philadelphia’s Electric Factory are smitten by Regina Spektor’s charm. And who can blame them? The Russian songstress has such a bizarre presence on the stage; one second, she’s giving Tchaikovsky a run for his money, and the next, she’s whacking a chair with a drumstick. Such a wide range of dripping talent has certainly not gotten to the head of the 29-year-old, who seemed unbelievably flattered and, at some points, utterly surprised at the number of voices singing along or the amount of applause received after her songs. Whether she believes it or not, each handclap is entirely deserved. Spektor’s obvious command of the piano, her flawless voice and her quirky and creative lyrics make for quite the show.

Opening with tracks from her new album, “Far”, it was immediately evident that this show would be different from past Spektor shows. Regina was not alone on stage, and was musically supported by a drummer, a cellist and a violin. The show belonged to Spektor, though, and the band was simply an added bonus. Within the first fifteen minutes, Spektor sang about a macaroni computer (The Calculation), barked like a dolphin (Folding Chair), and sang as a heartbroken divorcee who sees her ex involved with another woman while watching from his mouth (Ode to Divorce). Obviously, any worries that Regina’s newfound commercial success would ruin her appeal were immediately tossed out of the window. It was clear that Regina was in top form, and she had the crowd eating out of her hands and singing along at the top of their lungs.

As is the case with all of Spektor’s concerts, the show is driven by her subtle yet undeniably infectious personality. Interestingly enough, some of the most crowd pleasers were ones played away from the Steinway. Bobbing for Apple”, one of Spektor’s signature performance tunes, and That Time were played from her guitar. When Spektor messed up the lyrics during one of the numbers, she said “you all just witnessed the biggest fuckup of the American tour so far. Congratulations!”, which was met with thunderous applause.

Despite the intensity of her guitar numbers, and the enjoyment of her songs with the band, Spektor is at the top of her game when it’s just her and the keys. The crowd responded positively to On The Radio, clapping and singing along to every word. Deep in her set, Spektor peaked during her performance of Apres Moi, a haunting piano number that features a stanza in Russian from a Boris Pasternak poem. Spektor showcased a new song, Carefully Laid Plans, much to the delight of the crowd. After closing her set with Man of A Thousand Faces, Spektor returned to perform a star-studded, greatest-hits encore, featuring Samson, radio hit Fidelity, a riveting performance of Us, complete with the violin and cello), Hotel Song, which featured a beatboxer, and a self-penned, self-proclaimed “country song” called Love You’re A Whore.

During the closing number, Spektor sang “'Cuz they've been there before/And they've come back again/And they always go right back for more”, which sent the crowd into a frenzy. We’ll all be back for more.
- Jeff Waters (his blog is here)

Here's a video of her performing "Us":