Throw Your Diamonds in the Sky if You Feel the Vibe

Jay-Z, a name synonymous with all things hip hop, made his way to Ypsilanti, Mich. on his Blueprint 3 tour last night.

Joining Jay-Z on the tour were J. Cole, who is the first rapper to sign to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label, 2009 XXL Freshman 10 rapper, Wale, and N*E*R*D. It was quite the impressive bill to go along with an interesting venue choice.

As people piled up in lines outside the Student Convocation Center on Eastern Michigan's campus, people seemed to be in an excited mood. Everyone debated who was more drunk, and kept proposing the question of the night, "Will they be serving beer inside?" I have to admit I had the same question in mind. Being on a school campus I figured that there would be no alcohol after I surpassed the doors. Well to everyone's surprise, people came out with wristbands calling for all the 21 and ups. One of the highlights of the night for me came with a girl, who was clearly already drunk, told the worker that she would need five wristbands because she plans on drinking a lot.

I have no interest in J. Cole at all, so I didn't go to my seat until Wale and the UCB band made their way to the stage. Wale was by far my favorite artist on the bill. Yes, I like him even more than the Hova. I first saw Wale earlier this summer in downtown Detroit at The Shelter, where he also appeared with the UCB band. The Shelter is a very small bar-like venue. Wale killed that setting. I was very intrigued to how him and the band would sound in a much larger setting, along with a crowd with little to none knowledge on him. The place was about half full during Wale's 30-minute set. He concentrated on performing songs like 'Pretty Girls,' 'World Tour,' and 'Mirrors,' which is understandable. This tour gave him a good chance to play his new songs to help promote the release of his debut album, 'Attention Deficit.' With a larger crowd than he's used to performing in front of, Wale utilized his time to give the crowd a taste of what he has to offer. For hardcore Wale fans like me in the crowd, this might have been a bit of a disappointed. I wanted to here some more of the classic mixtape material, and more solos from the UCB band.

Unsurprising, Wale closed with 'Chillin.' Not only is it a quality song, but it's a good one to perform live. Wale easily substitutes "DC," with whatever city he's in. Earlier in the set, Wale asked people standing near the stage what city they were representing. Detroit got louder applause over Ypsilanti. So, "DC chillin" became "Detroit Chillin." Wale made his way into the crowd during the song, which got more people off their seats and onto their feet. The song was over, and the lights came on. It was time to set the stage for N*E*R*D.

I've passed on seeing N*E*R*D a few times already, so it was great to finally get the chance to see Pharrell and company do their thing. Now, I'm no hardcore N*E*R*D fan, so you'll have to forgive me on not knowing the majority of the songs they were performing. I still appreciated all of it, as the band sounded superb.

At one point, Pharrell called for some ladies to come up on stage, and the girl that came with me, took off running. Now you must understand, we were sitting in the nosebleeds for this show. I didn't see her for the next 25 minutes. As I'm sure you can assume, she made it nowhere near the stage.

The set was great, and Pharrell even threw down 'Drop it Like it's Hot.' That was great to hear, but if you're going to do that song, why not throw in 'Grindin,' and 'Mr. Me Too.' That would have gotten the crowd rowdy.

Now came the moment everyone was waiting for. The stagehands started setting up for Jay-Z. When the 10-minute countdown came up on the big screens, cheers were heard all around. The time clicked down, the stadium was now packed, the curtain rose, and the band on stage started to play 'Run This Town.' From the the middle of the stage, Jay-Z rose from beneath, as Jay-Z rose, so did the crowd. No one was sitting anymore.

Jay-Z's set consisted of all his commercial success, along with new songs from 'Blueprint 3.' Honestly, I didn't like that album at all, so I could have done without those songs.

One thing I really enjoyed out of his set were his transitioning skills. I felt like Hova did a good job going from song to song. With quick acknowledgments to the crowd, he was able to hint to what song was coming, and get the crowd even more hyped. Example of this would be him simply asking the crowd what they were tuning to. Everyone yelled "the motherfucking greatness," and 'Dirt off Your Shoulder' played on.

Obviously with good transitioning, Jay-Z had good crowd interaction. Being a veteran of the industry, Jay-Z knows how to handle the crowd without coming off just plain stupid. He was smart, funny, and charming.

The highlight of his set might have been when he and the band busted into 'Big Pimpin,' and five seconds in he told the band to cut it, leaving the crowd perplexed.

"This is 'Big Pimpin' baby," Jay-Z said. "Everyone knows where they were when they first heard 'Big Pimpin.'"

Jay-Z said he wanted everyone to get whatever they could, a towel, a hat, a shirt, or if you're the girl next to me, a bra, and wave it in the air.

Another move Jay-Z did to my enjoyment, was bypass the encore crap, and instead of disappearing backstage, while people would probably chant "Hova," he remained onstage and shouted out people in the crowd. He went scavenging and yelled out things like, "I see you in your Rocawear shirt," and "Is that your girlfriend? She looks good." During this period, a couple people kept yelling "Burn Rubber" to him. Jay-Z later proclaimed that he needs a "tutorial on Burn Rubber." I'm sure the store owners love this, as it's great advertising for them. I was wearing a Burn Rubber fitted hat at the show, and I got asked by multiple people after the show ended what Burn Rubber was. I'm guessing a good amount of people may have even took to the Google to further investigate Burn Rubber.

After all the shout outs, Jay-Z went into 'Young Forever,' off the new album, which I must admit to being a great closer. At the end of the song, Jay-Z descended back beneath the stage, and the lights came on.

It was a great show, and like I said even though I'm not a big Jay-Z fan, it was great to see him live, because he is a legend.

That's all I have to say on that concert. On deck for me is comedian Daniel Tosh this Saturday, and in the hole is Saul Williams on Monday. I will be posting on both of those shows.

Thanks for reading,

The Magic Stick.

Skeezy F. Baby

Many music connoisseurs wish they could remember in detail every show they’ve seen, or at least the good ones.  But why is it that we can always remember more easily the details of an unpleasant experience than an enjoyable one (or maybe that’s just me)?  It always seems to happen that it’s the nights where you get beer spilled in your hair, or that obnoxious high schooler thinks he can get away with dancing up on you, that we remember the best.  At any rate, I think we can agree that it’s usually the painful, sweaty, and detrimental concert experiences that always turn out to be the most memorable.

That being said, I offer to you now my own outrageous concert story.  Now, not to put down anyone’s music taste, but the realm of my listening usually falls short of lyrics that compare a part of a woman’s anatomy to a filet mignon.  However, last summer, a few of my friends mentioned that Lil’ Wayne would be in Saint Louis the weekend we got back to school, which was also the weekend of my birthday as well as my roommate’s.  I figured it would be a fun way to celebrate; after all, I had yet to experience a rap concert. 

Sophomore year finally rolled around, and so did the concert.  I had high hopes of what my forty dollars would bring me; let’s just say I got a little more than what I had bargained for.  When we got to our seats I people watched for a few minutes, exchanged words with a friend about the cloud of marijuana that hung above our heads, and set my wristlet down on my chair for about twenty seconds.  I can’t remember why I set it down, maybe my arm was starting to hurt, or perhaps I needed both hands free to perform my signature cross punch dance move.  For whatever reason, it seemed harmless at the time.  Or for those twenty seconds, at least.  Because when I turned around to grab it…yeah, it was gone.  The next couple of hours were a blur of searching, canceling credit cards, and talking to those security guards who think they’re policemen.  Although all of this was happening, I tried to see and hear as much of the concert as I could. 

Getting a purse or wallet stolen is high up on the list of things you pray will not happen to you at a concert.  However, there are positive moments at shows that can make our heart pound just as fast.  When surprise guests Nelly and Murphy Lee appeared, I was in a trance the moment they got on stage; my anxiety faded momentarily as “Air Force Ones” began.  The crowd seemed to be similarly affected; a couple of Saint Louis’ big names were back in town.  I was able to distract myself from my worry in other fashions as well; our seats happened to be right next to the entrance/holding place for the artists, and we could easily peek over the wall and see who was next to strut in.  In doing this, we were able to witness Nelly flash Ashanti a white smile as she handed him a piece of gum.  With the hyped up ambiance and exciting guests, it seemed impossible for anyone not to have a good time; I wasn’t about to have my minor loss bring down this mood.  When I focused my attention on the music rather than who might’ve been browsing through pictures of my dogs on my phone, I was able to let go and have a semi-decent time.  The concert ended up being mediocre, considering I knew only about three songs that were played, and I didn’t get much of a chance to sit down and take it in.

There ended up being even more madness to the method; we found out at the end of the concert that the culprit was actually someone we knew.  He was the then-boyfriend of a girl who went to the concert with us.  (Don’t think too hard).  It was also amusing because this criminal was actually ‘helping’ us look for the lost purse the whole time.  It’s very complicated and not necessary to give all of the miniscule details, but long story short, he ended up in handcuffs that night by Saint Louis city cops. 

So, it was a bizarre night and birthday, and it was a bummer to get my phone and wallet stolen.  But, after my initial pouting had subsided, I realized that maybe this wasn’t so bad.  In fact, I can’t think of a better concert that this could’ve happened; I was fortunate this wasn’t a show with an artist I had a strong attachment to.  Even though theft and general misfortune isn’t necessarily what is hoped for in a memory, this is still a concert I will never forget.  And that, I can live with.

Will Return Writing About Something Other Than Rap,

Pigeon Toed

...If you like rap: stay tuned for "The Magic Stick's" upcoming coverage of the Jay-Z show at EMU!

I don't love the 80s

The other day I was in a hipster bar/club in Washington’s hipster center called the Velvet Lounge. Now, I may have been grumpy because I didn’t know anyone and I was nowhere near cool enough to show my tragically unhip face there (ex: some guy made fun of me for liking Kill Bill), but I am really sick of this. I paid $7 to see this shitty DJ group do something that was billed as “Danceable Art”. With Apple computers glowing and repetitive pseudo-worldly beats blasting, these tight jean wearing maestros turned knobs for two hours for about 40 unaffected and clearly uninspired hipsters who were not dancing. I was worried that I experienced a LOST like time flash, and I too ended in a place I didn’t want to be. Only I didn’t find myself on a tropical island in 1974, but a hip urban bar in 1984.

I never really cared for the 80s and it’s just a bummer that our generation has picked that decade to emulate, but I guess it makes sense. We’re both defined by the technological advancements of our times. They had cinder block cell phones; we have iPhones. And their desire to be “futuristic” is in line with us; but, by nature we’re a bit closer to the actual future. Think about it: Apple (Macintosh) computers are all the rage; tight jeans and flashy colors mean “urban wear”; and our music is inspired by our technology. Sure, it’s great and all that we’re embracing our advancements, but technology doesn’t always do the body or ears good. Technology has given us some incredible music moments like Kid A, late-ish Cure albums, the synth parts through Purple Rain, and (dare I?) 808s and Heartbreak. But I also think it’s killed some projects that otherwise would have been great, namely Paul Simon’s Graceland (I dare).

Before you all chase me out of town with pitchforks and torches, hear me out. Graceland is one of the best written albums of all time, and Paul Simon’s inspiration from the Zulu nation is gripping, but it’s really got that 80s sound (see: Bruce Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love or any Smiths album), and I feel that really detracts from the earthy themes of the album. Nothing kills the vibe of feeling African-y like the electric rhythm section production of this album. The bass sounds like a synthesized tuba and the drum-machine overpowers the nitty-gritty tribal percussion. The songwriting is excellent, even for Paul Simon standards, but it struggles to shine inside the cold electronic shell of this record. This album could be exponentially more warm and welcoming if it wasn’t for those damn 80s. That being said, the Graceland – The African Concert is a more accurate representation of the album. In the film, the songs are removed from the trigger happy production of 1980s Roy Halee and performed with a full band, complete with Zulu crooners. It’s not your fault, Paul or Roy; we’re all victims of our times.

I realize how odd it is to hold a grudge against a decade. Does this make me a decadeist? The 80s did help a lot of things culturally, and for Tom Waits' Rain Dogs and the Indiana Jones trilogy, I say ‘thank you’. Bringing it back around to 2009, I hope our decade will not suffer from the same perplexing obsession with technology that is the 80s, but I don’t see that happening. I guess I’m really looking forward to the neo-grunge movement of 2011.

Anyway, “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” is still one of the best songs I have ever heard.

From Washington with Love,

Sanbasl

Also posted in MKEtc

What do you mean NEXT Monday?

Have you ever done something so dumb, that after the fact, you can't picture yourself riding in any vehicle other than a short-bus? I'm guessing no, but in a recent display of Sherman Klump-esque mindlessness, I have managed to conclude above all else that this whole "you're killing your brain cells!" thing might not be just an old soror's tale. I now feel like "Pinky" to everyone else's "Brain."

Let's set the scene:

I go to a medium sized school in the Southeast, and it's in a town of 10,000, so needless to say, music isn't exactly a cash crop around here. Music is within reach, it's about 2 hours to Asheville, Charlotte, and Atlanta (you do the triangulation) but it's a pain in the ass, especially when your only mode of transportation is a 15-speed. Luckily I have a roommate who has good taste in music and isn't afraid to drop some change on a good show.

One of my favorite bands (if not my favorite), Dr. Dog, was going to be playing at the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC and I was determined to get to see them for the first time as the headlining act. I first was introduced to them when they opened for The Black Keys at the Rave in Milwaukee back in November '06, and then I saw them play about a 50 minute set at Lollapalooza in August '08. Anyways, I had my eye on this show for a long time, and I could not wait to go.

Monday, September 21st finally came around, and it I was not prepared for this concert. My first paper of grad school was due on the 22nd at 11am, and I had hardly done any of it. It had been pouring for honestly like the past 382 hours, and there was flooding all over the region. Let's just say, if it wasn't my boys from Philly playing at the Orange Peel, I would be tucked into a cozy computer lab, getting intimate with Microsoft Word. No, thank you.

I convinced my roommate to escort me to Asheville if I paid for his ticket, as a resounding "word up" sealed the deal. We hit the road around 6 and headed North through the mountains as the pounding rain from the lingering remnants of a hurricane made me feel like it might've been better to hitch a ride with Noah. We eventually rolled into town, stopping at a Whole Foods on the outskirts of town to commandeer some local microbrew and do some hippie-watching. We landed a parking spot about 4 blocks from the venue and sprinted through the standing and falling water to the box office about half an hour after doors opened.

"Could I get two tickets for Dr. Dog, please? Thanks."

[This is the point in the story where I shit my pants, and I realize that I must have accidentally acquired an extra 21st chromosome in my drunken stupor the previous weekend]

"Ummmm, Dr. Dog isn't playing tonight," says the guy at the box office... (turns around and stares at a calendar)... "Yeah, they're, uh, playin' here next Monday night." My face flushed and I turned around and thought for a second. Am I really this dumb? Clearly the answer is yes. "Don't worry, man, you still get to see a bombass rock show!" An impressive amount of compassion from a dude who spends his job in solitary confinement, but I wasn't consoled.

"So who's playing tonight, then?"

"Yo La Tengo, they're really good!" He slid my receipt back for me to sign.

"Yeah, I know who they are," I mumbled. "But I wish ... ah, nevermind. Have a good night, man." I wandered off to my roommate who was having a cig by the telephone pole (ya know, that one telephone pole with all the concert posters on it?). I explained the situation and apologized to him for what happened, but he was cool with it.

"Don't apologize to me, it's your concert, dawg, I don't give a fuck," he chuckled.

We shrugged it off over a few beers and some mozz sticks at a local taproom, then headed back to see Yo La Tengo. I had heard some of their stuff before but didn't own any albums or know any lyrics really. One thing that I did know is that they have a really positive and widespread reputation, and I expected exceptional musicianship. These guys definitely delivered. They opened with some relatively upbeat stuff and worked the crowd into a good lather. The middle part of their show was relatively mellow, with a lot of acoustic work and well harmonized lyrics. They finished with some good hard driving rock, recaptured the crowd, and finished really strong. The encore consisted of two incredible songs (again, sorry I don't know song names, didn't plan on seeing these guys) and they brought the house down at the Orange Peel. Overall, I got what I expected from Yo La Tengo. Not really a sing-along type band, they kept the crowd happy with frequent small talk with the crowd between songs. The musicianship, especially the guitar work, was top-of-the-line, and they definitely showed the savvy that comes with a band of their experience.

True, I didn't get to see Dr. Dog (and no, I didn't go back the following Monday to see them), but it all worked out in the end. I saw a great show, had fun, and even had enough time to finish my paper in time for 11am. I love music.

Sincerely,

La Barba Peligrosa