The dividing factor among regular musicians and those that go on to become icons permanently stamped among the best, is a mastery of the live show. Many factors go into recording music in a studio, in a real life setting the bar is leaps and bounds higher. Certainly one cannot expect an introductory performance to overshadow a stadium tour. Live shows at all sizes are important and everyone’s gotta start somewhere. Each crowd and venue size has their advantages. Over the last month I’ve been to five concerts spanning several states of varying sizes.
First up was the last show of Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer Tour. The final show of the tour is a victory lap for any artist; Monáe blessed the masses of her home base Atlanta with two of them. A full production is expected from an artist who clung so heavily to theatrical concepts in her previous albums.
Scenes from her emotion picture, Dirty Computer, splashed across the large screens anchoring the stage. The platforms for various band members and for her throne during “Django Jane” gave the stage a more dynamic set up and stamped her queen status. The court of fans below her spanned shapes and ages and colors, all there for the unifying “free ass mother fucker” spirit that boomed through the venue.
19 years ago a man named Rafe Offer hosted a small concert in his own living room in London. Since then Sofar Sounds has reinvigorated the intimate experience in 415 cities across the globe. The concept is a small venue, B.Y.O.B., a few new friends, and really good music. At the first Detroit show of August, roughly 75 people gathered in the WeWork space in Merchants Row.
Once everyone gathered in the space, our host introduced to the first act, Mayaeni. In the down to earth personal setting, she came to life cracking jokes in between her debut tracks on her mission to drop a new song every month. Her recitation of Jay Electronica’s “Exhibit C” went unappreciated for a large portion of the crowd, but was heartwarming all the same. Up next was Munch, who is a lot like Mac Miller before he got super introspective. The music is fun, his backing band of friends closes out the experience.
To close out the show, Jaye Prime and her band PPT jammed the night away. They interjected unreleased tracks betwixt the fan favorite “Lemon-Aide.” Slightly subdued from the more energetic set lists of her other shows, she tailored the experience for the smaller venue and intimate crowd. Each member of the band was allowed to show of their skills while still maintaining that communal groove.
For a smaller, somewhat private show, it was proportionately epic. Program founder, Rafe, came out and told us of the tales of Sofar’s founding; the proposals of former strangers and irreplaceable music memories. The odds of Sofar in your city are high, I’d suggest signing up for a once in a lifetime experience.
Original Art by Sadé Robinson
It’s truly unfair to compare Jay-Z’s performance to that of his wife, Beyoncé. The woman practices singing while running on a treadmill. Although that’s a great practice skill for anyone who needs to work on breath control. That being said they are both still the respective king and queen of entertainment for their generation. Following the Watch The Throne sequel that we all deserved, Everything is Love, The Carters flaunted their marriage on the second On The Run Tour.
Everyone has their list of songs that they wish were performed. Being that this tour exists in the post Lemonade and 4:44 world of Everything Is Love, I would’ve thought a few more of those newer Jay-Z tracks would’ve made the cut. Wishlist aside, the interpolation of “4:44” and “I Care” was life changing, the way the songs separated by time and experience melded together so nicely completing the tale from both perspectives.
Opposed to the larger music festivals that happen in the metro Detroit area with the varied hometowns of their performers, Kindred Music Festival chose to celebrate the up and comers of the city. The old train station served as the background of the Roosevelt Park venue and amplified the resilient theme of the once post-poned event and the city itself. For it’s inaugural production it made a big enough impact to look forward to for years to come, especially if they keep Delo as the host.
To close out the month, the behemoth, AfroPunk Festival in Brooklyn. While it’s a lot less punk than it’s origins 13 years ago, the spectacle of fashion remains the same. Though it could be argued and substantiated that it’s become more of a place to be seen than a safe place for those of the same cultural background. Over the years it has elevated from a free gathering to one teetering on the toes of much larger festivals and the crowds have surely followed; much to the delight of fashion photographers everywhere.
Lack of personal space aside, the performers always leave their all on the stage. The crowd demographics skewed a bit for the first day as Miguel marked it his tour stop for his War & Leisure Tour. After the first night the crowd celebrated the birth of the producer Kaytranada, who began celebrating a little before going onstage. It leaned more towards Hip-Hop than Punk by including Pusha T on the lineup. Whether it be the booming bass coming from Tyler the Creator’s stage opposing the microphone mishaps of Janelle Monáe, or the slight wait for Erykah Badu to close out the festival, the music was still the most important part of the festival. Although the crowd near the Gold Stage severely under-appreciated Just Blaze bringing out Busta Rhymes.
Each of these experiences differ greatly but the idea of the live show and the weight of performing well holds the same on all levels. These days with the uneven money making method that is streaming, live performances serve as the real bread and butter. It’s the best way to grow a fan base; people are already in the mood for music all the artist must do at that point is put on a good show.