Usually I wouldn't travel two hours to see a show on a Tuesday night, nor would I even mention the name of the opener in a concert review, but this opener for Lupe Fiasco at the 9:30 Club April 13 has a platinum single, "Nothing on You," and a highly anticipated album coming out two weeks after the show. It would be remiss of me to just brush past B.o.B's performance.
Bobby Ray is deservedly one of the hottest names in hip-hop right now. The two singles off his debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, are currently the top two songs on iTunes as of yesterday.
His demeanor on stage reflected his recent success, but he also showed off his wide array of musical talents on the 9:30 Club stage. He is a rapper, singer, producer and guitar player, and the audience was certainly the benefactor of his many talents. Perhaps more deserving of the more all-encompassing title "musician" than any of other contemporary hip-hop star, his set ranged from a capella raps to pop rock to some punk rock-esque sections with a full backing band. Between the diverse setlist and success-induced swagger, B.o.B thoroughly earned the title, "Co-headliner" that Lupe bestowed on him at the end of the show.
All that said, everyone was there for Lupe Fiasco. The show sold out before "Nothing On You" came close to the top of the charts, and the crowd was one of the best I have ever been a part of.
Despite his playful mocking of one particular section of the crowd for its lack of participation, Lupe realized what we were experiencing, and he conducted his mob brilliantly. The Chicago rapper showed complete crowd control, especially on the songs from his two critically acclaimed studio releases.
And we heard a lot of those, which was somewhat of a compromise on Lupe's part. Only about one-third of the setlist came from his forthcoming and constantly delayed album, currently entitled Lasers. Artists often have a selfish but understandable tendency to heavily favor their newer work and sometimes sacrifice audience participation.
In that regard, Lupe is truly an unselfish performer. He went in with passion on every track regardless of when it was released. When performing the 2007 hit "Superstar" as the finale before the encore, he let the song go on and on as different parts of the audience were asked to sing the hook. The encore was truly memorable, as well. After a laid-back "Paris, Tokyo", the audience was treated to an alternate, more built-up variation of "Daydreamin'", which was even better than the Grammy-winning studio version.
The show was well was well worth the two-hour drive and price of entry. The Steppin' Laser Tour runs through May. If it stops in your hometown, go see it, and you'll love getting into the show with the rest of the crowd.
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