Thank you Stoneys

After much anticipation and worrying that the show was a scam, I finally got to see Talib Kweli…here in Reno! When I found out he was coming I was screaming my head off and I knew that I had to go see the show.

Talib is huge in the underground scene but also huge in the mainstream scene. He works with the likes of Mos Def with their unbelievable group Black Star, Erykah Badu, and Kanye West. He was even a headline act in the brilliant film Dave Chappelle’s Block Party.

I bought tickets but I was still worried because I had heard nothing about it. Even on Talib’s website under his tour dates it never said Reno. Still, why would they sell tickets? Saturday night was totally worth the wait, the price, and the worrying. Talib was there and he proved that he can heat up any crowd, even at two in the morning.

Stoney’s was hot and sticky that night, too many bodies for comfort. It was an 18 and older show so the young ones had to stay in the theater while the legal folks could get their drink on. Maybe the reason people were drinking so much was to conquer their thirsts but of course it only makes you hotter. There were four bands performing that night but what was very professional about it was they didn’t drag along. They knew it was hot as hell and getting late so the pace was perfect.

Blackfoot from Oakland performed first and gave a pumped up performance. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any information on them but it seems they are an up and coming band; I’ll keep looking and update it. Second was Reno’s own Element, an unbelievable hip hop group that’s been around for thirteen years. They were full of energy dancing around and getting the crowd riled up. The DJ who spun for them was ridiculous; DJ Phoreal busted some beats with a phat bass that shook the crowd silly.

Around this time the sweat from all the huddled bodies and smoke created by a “familiar” substance formed together into a huge cloud hovering near the stage. The smell of funk was everywhere and folks were getting a little bit antsy. I was standing in the back with my boyfriend ready to push my way to the front of the stage to see Strong Arm Steady when I noticed a dude wearing a white t-shirt with “Brooklyn” smeared on the front. We made eye contact and I wondered for a moment, “Hmm, a Brooklyn shirt in Reno? That was Talib!” Then again why would such a big name be walking around the crowd like that.

Strong Arm Steady arrived just time to get the crowd screaming again. The Ferocious Krondon, Phil the Agony, and Mitchy Slick swarmed the stage with their hard looks and tough rhymes. Strong Arm Steady is an emerging hip hop group from the West Coast. They are part of the latest movement known as the “New West Coast” sound. Xzibit is also part of Strong Arm Steady, his creation by taking superior solo artists and forming them into a super group. Xzitbit wasn’t there though, maybe he was pimpin’ someone’s ride.

Krondon ordered the crowd with his thunderous voice to raise their fists in the air, sending a shutter down everyone’s back. His powerful presence beamed through the crowd riling them up for the final surprise. “Ya’ll ready for Talib?” Krondon boomed. The crowd replied with frantic screams, even though I know for a fact that I was the loudest.

Talib leaped onto the stage with a grand entrance, Brooklyn shirt an all. Girls pushed their way to the front to hail his presence. I screamed my head off while frantically taking pictures, I mean come on its Talib Kweli! He only performed a few songs because it was really late but it was enough to leave the crowd satisfied. He performed his enormous hit, “Just to get by”, “Get em’ high” a song he collaborated with Kanye West and my favorite, “The Blast”. Just hearing “The Blast” satisfied me enough.

The show was dying down and so was the crowd, two in the morning creped quicker that I thought. As I met back with my boyfriend who was waiting in the back he looked down at me and said, “I could hear only who from back here.” I figured because it looked like Talib was giving me the, “Ok I hear you” look while I was screeching his name. The show was a major success and if you missed it you missed out. I was drenched with sweat by the end, my own thank goodness, my make up had run and I smelt pretty funky but I gotta say it was well worth it. I love you Talib!