I saw a fantastic show last
night that featured Buddy Wakefield, Alias, Buck 65 and Sage Francis.
In fact, I think it may have been the best show that I've attended all year.
Every act gave all they had in the furnace-like atmosphere of Emo's.
Enjoy the review.
- (Left) Buddy Wakefield - (Right) Alias -
Before I get to Buddy and Alias
I need to mention the guys who got everything rolling, Vehicular. I
thought their old school-esque sound was OK but they really suffered from
having to open for such a stellar lineup. I mean, I was so excited
about what was coming later that I forgot to snap some pictures of the trio.
Mr. Wakefield was who really got the crowd energized. He seemingly
dumped everything he had into his spoken word pieces and the end result was
an audience that delivered a frenzy of claps and cheers. I even found
myself completely enthralled in every thunderous line that crashed into my
ears. Buddy should be heard by everyone.
The next artist that delivered a quick burst of entertainment was Alias.
Now, I'm not too familiar with a lot of his work outside of the material
that he produces or remixes so I was a little in the dark as he flew through
his set, but I thought he had a great sound and I would like to explore it
more. Feel free to throw out some songs in which you believe I need to
hear.
- (Left) Buck 65 - (Right) Sage Francis -
I was having a pretty good time
before Buck 65 came out but when he did things only got better. The
Canadian performed a mix of songs from his upcoming album (Way Back When
is pretty much the catchiest song of 2007), his work that he recently did
with Electrelane (Which will hopefully see the light of day), and his rather
lengthy back catalog. In fact, the only problem that I had with his
set was that it wasn't long enough. Much of the crowd was constantly
yelling out requests, and while B65 did his best to appease our needs with a
three minute medley, there just wasn't enough time. Hopefully he'll
hit the road on his own later this year and will be open to putting on a two
hour set.
Sage Francis was amazing. I think his performance might have been the
only one that I've ever seen where the artist worked so hard that the crowd
ended up worn out. Speaking of the crowd, it was especially great.
There wasn't any of the normal asshole-ishness that goes on, just a bunch of
fans coexisting and having a great time.
My favorite thing about the show was the fact that there was no DJ Nospinzo
to be found anywhere on the premises. Instead Sage brought with him a
band that featured a couple of multi-instrumentalists and Alias on the
turntables. These guys did a super job of amping up the energy level
(from an already crazy high point) and I really thought that their addition
gave Sage's sound more than just a little extra umph. They alone are
the real reason as to why you absolutely need to get out to this tour.
Also, I didn't know it until last night but Sage will be putting out Buck
65's new album later this year on his imprint, Strange Famous. I think
it's a great move for Buck and Sage and I really hope that it works out for
the best.
One other thing, if you're
wondering why there is no set list it's because I didn't bother to write one
down. It was just too difficult to do so with my arms thrown in the
air and my brain being more concerned with keeping up with the crowd and
Sage.
-
John Laird -
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