02/20/10
Three of indie rap’s finest rolled into town on Saturday night and left a trail of nodding heads and rhythmically-challenged, drunk collegians in their wake. P.O.S., Grieves and Dessa all delivered stellar performances as they neared the halfway point of the Every Never Is Now Tour, aptly named for the title track refrain and central theme of P.O.S.’s last album, Never Better.
Doomtree’s Dessa started things off with an outstanding set featuring several tracks from A Badly Broken Code and fan favorites such as “Mineshaft” and “Veteran.” She is an artist who captures the sound of her records flawlessly through live performance while leaving room for subtle improvisation. The versatile singer-rapper-poet-teacher transitions from battle raps to beautifully-sung ballads and makes it seem natural. A unique cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” punctuated her all-too-brief set to raucous applause.
Brooklyn-based Grieves, the newest addition to Rhymesayers Entertainment, picked up right where Dessa left off and kept the crowd on their feet. The new music Grieves shared showed a seasoned emcee who has truly grown as a writer. Producer Budo’s collage of horns, guitars and keys provided the framework for Grieves to spit his tales of heartache and perseverance over. His performance was highlighted by an inspired rendition of “Smile For The Blade,” a track off of his upcoming The Confessions Of Mr. Modest EP. Grieves continues to evolve as a performer with an impressive stage presence and command of the audience. “I Get Down” and “Gwenevieve” had pale ales raised to the sky in approval.
P.O.S. was in his element. Plain and simple. After spending much of last year on the Warped and PacSun Tours alongside various pop-punk and hardcore acts, P.O.S. unleashed his magnetic energy on a crowd of genuine hip hop heads. The apathetic, anti-rap scenesters that accounted for far too much of the audience on the aforementioned tours were welcomely replaced by an enthusiastic crowd of twenty-somethings bobbing their heads to every break and singing along to every hook. It’s hard to not have fun at a P.O.S. show. If the passionate, pinpoint delivery doesn’t win you over, there’s 1.5 minute mosh pits (to the tune of “Yeah Right”) and thumb wars galore. The crowd participation, which was massive throughout the night, peaked with “Goodbye,” “Drumroll,” and set-closing “Purexed.” Backed by turntable-king Plain Ole Bill, P.O.S. had the sold out audience in the palm of his hand as he delivered hits from last year’s magnificent Never Better as well as classics from Ipecac Neat and Audition.
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