Bogart's
Cincinnati, Ohio
August 16th 2011
The first thing I'll say about The Family Vacation Tour is that, unlike most rap shows, they were somewhat obnoxiously punctual. I showed up about halfway through Blueprint's set (I discovered when the set was suddenly over), thinking that I would have missed one, maybe two songs. So, a note to anyone else hitting a date on this tour, or any other Rhymesayers show, get there on time or earlier!
Now that I've gone off on a tiny tangent, let's get to what I actually got to see! First off, the venue, Bogart's in sensational Cincinnati, Ohio, without going into too much detail I can say that it was a great place for a hip hop show, with lots of space for bodies, a weird but interesting set up for restrooms, tiered flooring, good bars, and a good old fashioned flashy marquis out front. The stage itself is a good size, and I entered to see Blueprint owning every square inch of it, with a KEYTAR, no less! This was my first time seeing either 'Print or Atmosphere and I am thrilled to report neither disappointed, in the least. In fact, having only caught half of Blueprint's set has just made me even more determined to see him play a headlining show. There are a great many hip hop artists who sound great on record, but flounder on stage and Blueprint is definitely not one of those. He sounds just as good, if not better, live, and that's always a bonus in my book.
The period between that set and Atmosphere's was somewhat disappointing, featuring performances by people I knew before from Dilated Peoples, who I love, so I have no idea what happened there. The beats were delightful, but the rapper himself, not so very impressive. Literally only played one song that was truly entertaining.
Fortunately, after that, the stage transformed, with a new backdrop, fake trees, et cetera, and Atmosphere hit the stage. As a long time enthusiast, this was a fairly exciting moment, given that I'd never seen them before. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Slug and Ant playing mere feet away from me stands as one of my top five favorite shows, period. They played a great mix from the newest stuff, all the way back to the mid-nineties or so, with that trademark wit, improvisation, and swagger that they're so well known for. Slug hammed it up to great effect, wooing the entire house with nary a hint of effort, remixing songs on the spot to make Cincinnati really feel like it was their show. I’m not even from there and I couldn’t help but to get excited like I was in my own city.
The Family Vacation Tour is well worth your thirty bucks, no matter where you’re seeing it, or even if you can only make it for the last couple hours (Atmosphere’s set was about ninety minutes all by itself), I could not possibly recommend another tour this summer more.
- daveSMASH / movementNORTH
The Family Vacation Tour in Jacksonville Beach, FL
Tuesday, September 20th
Freebird Live
200 N. 1st St.
Jacksonville Beach, FL
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186317574763627
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