Monday, March 19, 2007

Concert Review: Public Enemy

By Todd Maternowski

Seeing a living music legend is unfortunately not always what's it's cracked up to be: too many famous over-the-hill artists coast on their past fame, content to rest on the laurels of Best Of albums and radio play, the result being a half-assed show where a listless artist goes through the motions for an otherwise pumped-up audience.

Public Enemy, I'm happy to report, is absolutely, positively one of the best live acts ever, refusing to fall into any of the formulaic, predictable traps their fame and musical stature (and VH1 reality shows) have earned them. Literally exploding onto the stage, Chuck D still dominates with his singular hyper-political baritone and furious onstage energy, while hypeman Flava Flav still pumps a crowd like no one else.

Chuck D

Playing to an incredibally sparse crowd at the Gypsy Tea Room (was it St. Pat's day hangover, or the complete lack of pre-concert hype?), the 200-300 fans in attendance definately got their money's worth from Public Enemy and their bevy of opening acts, including fellow longtime hiphop legends X-Clan. Playing their 20th Anniversary Tour, PE is still proving that they are just as relevant today as in 1987, when their angry rapping with epic sampling provided a massive wake-up slap to the face for the entire music industry, both ripping hip-hop out of it's house-party phase and proving that politcally-charged rap music could make it to the "legitimate" record companies and radio stations.

The days of playing to massive convention centers and arenas may be over (or hopefully, just on haitus) for PE, but that didn't stop them from grabbing the Gypsy by the throat and giving everything they had for the mostly sedate crowd for two solid hours. Effortlessly combining politics and great music --which almost never go well together-- PE exhibited all the rap skill, DJing ability, choreography and uncommon intelligence that has made them one of the greatest bands in history.

Although two hours long, the show was full of non-stop surprises. A surprisingly animate Chuck D flew across the stage all night, Flava treated the Gypsy to an impressive little drum solo just a day after his 48th birthday, while admonishing the crowd between songs to become more conscious citizens in the fight against war, racism and injustice. Flav even got a roomful of Texans to chant "Fuck George Bush", "Fuck Tony Blair" "Fuck Dick Cheney", "And Condolezza Too" with surprising enthusiasm.

Most importantly, especially considering the band's own place in history, Public Enemy repeatedly reminded the audience of the enormous debts they and all artists owe to the pioneers that came before them, specifically honoring Bootsy Collins, the Bar-Kays and the recently-deceased James Brown. Chuck D even encouraged the crowd to get a passport and become a "citizen of the world" -- stating outright that if you've got rims but no passport your life's outlook is messed up. Smoothly transitioning from getting the crowd jumping to getting the crowd thinking, the night was both a great show and a political rally.

For those that like their rap about bitchez and bling -- and conservative Republicans (you could argue there's not that much of a difference) -- Public Enemy is definately not for you. For fans of some of the most effective music ever recorded, however, seeing Public Enemy live is essential and unquestionably as rewarding a show as you will ever witness.

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• Arts > Popular Music > Rap / Hip-Hop