August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, PA saw the arrival of the Sneaker Pimps, the touring sneaker and Hip-Hop show. I checked it out upon Jon Jon's suggestion. Sneakers are cool, Hip-Hop is great, and I love Philly! Can't lose, right?
It was a recipe for a great evening, as I ran into a handful of people I knew, but didn't know were going. The music was good, but with as many acts as there were performing, each person/group took the stage for about three songs, then made way for the next performer. I didn't have too much of an issue with this, as it allowed for club goers to be exposed to numerous artists without having to sit through 20-30 minute sets if they didn't like the music.
Here's my gripe though: rappers and DJs talk too much. It's one thing to have prepared statements as part of your set, but it's completely different to just sit up on stage rambling on and on about things nobody cares about. The main problem was performers yelling at the crowd for not being into it enough. Biggest offender of that? Elixer and Dice Raw's DJ. Yes, we're in Philly and Dice Raw is from Philly. Yes, Dice Raw has performed with The Roots. No, Dice Raw is not in The Roots. No, The Roots were not in the building. I have a little bit of an issue with people who name-drop in order to hype themselves. But let me state that Dice Raw said he's not a fan of talking, he just wanted to do the show. His DJ was making all the noise.
Here's a kernel of knowledge for all performing artists: if the crowd has no idea who you are, or they didn't show up to see you specifically, don't be surprised if they just watch you and don't "party". If anything, you should be grateful people are watching you.
Despite that, once The Clipse came on, the venue errupted! The brothers interacted with the crowd, shook some hands, threw items out, and had everyone eating out the palms of their hands. The duo played cuts from their previous offerings, including "What Happened to that Boy", a song they were featured on. During the set, they were joined on stage by Philly's own, Ab Liva, and finished out the evening by performing, "Kinda Like a Big Deal". Philly showed The Clipse some love, and The Clipse showed it right back.
A couple of my friends got to meet The Clipse after winning a Verizon Wireless texting battle, but after the show we all met Ab Liva. He's about 5,000 feet tall, but he's a really nice guy. Big ups to him for shaking hands and taking pictures.
Next stop, Minneapolis, MN!
Other standout performers of the evening:
Joya Bravo - Brooklynite who sings, raps, and plays the violin!
Phil Ade - A member of the 368 Music Group. Definitely got the crowd going.
J. Cole - Newest artist on Jay-Z's Roc Nation. People seemed surprised, but his live show is nice, and a lot of people knew his lyrics.
