Anyhow...
On September 8th, 2009 The Ecstatic Tour touched down at Boston's House of Blues and was welcomed by a sold out crowd.
Jay Electronica hit the stage first and brought it alive with the type of humours personality one may not have expected from such a serious lyricist. I was pleasantly surprised to witness the repour he built up with the crowd between songs, as he welcomed several people to join him during his set.
Next up, Talib Kweli who took off where Jay left off and KILLED it. At this point...the tone was set...everyone was eagerly awaiting the Mighty Mos. What followed was a little unexpected, but still enjoyable, in my opinion (various people would beg to differ, I know, but hey...this is my blog and this is my damn opinion...lol)
The lights dimmed...then slowly came back up, with a spotlight on an orange drum set to the right. Over walked Mos Def who then stood behind the drums and proceeded to rap & play simotaneously, with his two DJ's cutting and scratching, center stage. At this point, it was pretty clear that we were in for something "different". Me, personally...I'm all for different. There's nothing exciting or entertaining about standard things. Hip Hop shows are no exception and appearently Mos Def feels the same way.
As his set continued, with his birdcage microphone tightly grasped, he performed the songs that many of us love the most and as a tribute to Michael Jackson (leather loafer shoes and all), he fused many of MJ's classics with his own. The show was a healthy mix of new and old and was full of soul and artistc expression. He wasn't doing what he was "supposed to do", he rocked that show as he saw fit and those who were open-minded enough to enjoy it, did so.
Talib Kweli eventually joined Mos onstage for a Blackstar reunion of sorts, which brought back the feel hop classic 90's hip hop that we all miss and love so much. The chemestry that these two posess isn't often matched and their set left me longing for a second Blackstar album.
This show was an living example of musical progression, to me. It brought out the new (Jay Electronica), paid respect to the foundation (Michael Jackson tribute), revisted what we love (Blackstar) and brought us up to speed with where your creativity will take you if you aren't held back by commercial restraints.
Below are some flicks from the show.
Enjoy!
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