Mini Concert Review - Final Friday at Gypsy Tea Room - 3/31/06

by Alan Cohen

Final Friday turned into a meeting ground for the most prominant hip-hop artists in Dallas. Headkrack, Bavu Blakes, Money Waters, DJ Spinn, and many more were all there, and right now I'm only talking about the audience.

The show got started with an unexpected R&B performance by up and coming singer Tomeka Pearl. While her performance could use a little tightening up, she is young and has great potential for the future. What was most impressive about Tomeka was her stage presence, and hopefully that will help her continue to grow as an artist. After Tomeka's performance was finished, the hip-hop acts took over.

Although there were at least eight group that took the stage throughout the night, I felt like three performances stole the show. First - the Clever Monkeys really connected with me. Big J and DJ Frantic put on such a high energy performance that I couldn't help but smile when I saw them having so much fun. Second - Rubba Rode found a way to get their mix of hip-hop and straight up rock to connect with the crowd in a big way. Any band that can have an audience that is slanted towards hip-hop chanting "Oy Oy" is a winner in my book. Finally - PPT was simply not to be outdone. Every last detail of their stage show was planned out to provide for maximum fun. Pikahsso, Picnic, and Tahiti came to the stage as part of a The Price Is Right spoof. They then began performing songs from each individual artist's songbook. All the while, pure and utter craziness was ensuing onstage. To reference another Dallas band, PPT's performances make them the Polyphonic Spree of hip-hop.

Final Friday was an amazing show. But what was more impressive than the music was how the show became a real community event. So many musicians were there simply to support one another. That helped create the vibe that made the show so successful.