I went to two pretty bad HipHop shows recently which made me realize what is necessary for a successful performance. The first Show I went to was Akua Naru, a female MC with a live band. She has a Erykah Badu meets the Roots meets Lauryn Hill type feel. She was excellent, and her band was extremely talented. Unfortunately the show had a number of problems. For starters, it was hosted at Fordham University in a big basement room. Having a live band in a small room led to the instruments overpowering Akua's voice because the sound was bouncing off the walls and low ceiling. Then they had all the lights on so that the audience couldn't loose themselves in the music because they were just as bright as the performer. Lastly, the worst part about the show....there were seats. No one can jam sitting down. Essentially the atmosphere killed the show.
The second show I went to was a SlickRick show in the Boogie Down. This show had immense potential as well. The venue was unbelievable, and the crowd was full of true HipHop fans. The problem was SlickRick indulged a little to heavily in whatever vice he prefers before going on stage. Needless to say he didn't talk or connect to the audience at all. He flew through his set and was very hard to understand. If a performer can't connect to the audience, the energy is only one way, and can only last for so long.
Moral of the story, a good show requires a good atmosphere created by the venue, and a performer that stays live and connected.
No comments:
Post a Comment