Lupe Fiasco: Concert Review
March 28, 2008
My view!
I saw Lupe perform at the Phoenix in 2006, but missed his Circa concert last December. So yeah - I was pretty psyched to see him again last night, especially after his insane (and insanely adorable) MOD appearance earlier in the day. I've had his album "The Cool" in high rotation for a few months now, so I couldn't wait to see what he'd do with it.
A lot of super cool things happened at the show (makes sense, considering the name of his album, right?), but there were also things that made me want to punch my own face, too. This had nothing to do with Lupe, so I'll keep my beefs short - let's just say the venue (Circa) was cramped and narrow, the dead clown decorations creeped me out (I'm a wimp) and I've never had so many people dancing up on me in my LIFE. Also I could hardly see the stage, but you know, that happens when you're a girl.
But Lupe was *on*. I really enjoy the format of his show - he started with tracks from Food & Liquor and then moved on to The Cool. Actually, the very first thing he brought to the table was "Touch The Sky", aka the song that introduced him to the world! Then, instead of having a show opener, he brought his friends out onstage to play short intermissions, like Matthew Santos, who's been featured on the songs "Superstar" and "American Terrorist" (among others). Speaking of "American Terrorist", my favourite quote of the night happened when Lupe was introducing the song. He goes, "I'm not sure if you're interested in the election down south..." and some dude behind me screams out, "IT'S A PRETTY IMPORTANT ISSUE!" Haha. The audience yelling promptly returned to "LESS TALKING, MORE RAPPING!" and "PLAY DUMB IT DOWN!"
I don't think I'm going to remember everything here, but Lupes kicked the show off with "I Gotcha", "Kick Push", "Sunshine", "Daydreamin'", "American Terrorist", "Real", "Cool" and "Never Lies" (not in that order). My personal favourite "Daydreamin'" was actually not in top form, whereas when I saw it live the first time, I almost had tears in my eyes (I SAID, I'm a wimp!). Then he launched into tracks from "The Cool" - "The Coolest" (a cappella - was awesome), "Gold Watch", "Paris, Tokyo", "Go Go Gadget Flow", "Hip Hop Saved My Life", "Streets On Fire" (better live than on the album!), "Dumb It Down" and of course, "Superstar". Actually, the longest rendition of "Superstar" ever, with a finale so epic that I was convinced the show was ending. But it wasn't - he still had another go 'round of "Kick Push". Gotta say, at this point I skedaddled (it was almost 1am!) so although I'm pretty sure THAT was the ending, I could be wrong.
At one point, Lupe held up his cell phone to the mic, with T.I. on the other line. He told the audience to say, "welcome home, T.I.!" (I guess cause T.I.'s prison sentence was reduced that day). Later, he told us that his little sister just had a baby girl earlier in the afternoon, and we all sang "Happy Birthday" so he could put the video up on YouTube. Aww!
Before I write a novel here, I'll finish y'all off by saying that as always, Lupe was on fire - he's super engaging to watch on stage, he's got some serious flow and his band is tight - AND he played for 2 hours. The show wasn't as amazing as the first time I saw him live, but I'll give it a 6/10 (factoring in my inability to see, and all the jerks bumping into me. Everything factors into your whole experience, right?) Lupe, I'll be seeing you in a couple of months when you rock the Glow In The Dark tour!
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