First Avenue, Minneapolis
02.12.06
Flying over the Atlantic Ocean, there was only one thing on my mind – I was travelling with my best mate to Minneapolis, Minnesota to attend a show that I was more hyped for than any I’d ever been to. Having been a fan of the Doomtree crew for a good while now, it seemed like a dream come true to be able to get out to their hometown and watch the entire crew play live to their adoring fans.
After waiting at the head of the queue for over an hour in minus 6 temperatures, on the same night that Guns n Roses were playing the city’s Target Center, we got into First Avenue, and after about half an hour of being at the front, by the stage, it was packed out [we later found out they’d sold the venue out!].
The giant screen played an intro video, with all the members looming large over us, before it went up and the fun began with the crew joint No Homeowners. Seeing all the rappers lined up, each bringing their own individual style to the plate, was absolutely amazing and every track they performed, be it on their own on the jetty or in twos or threes, was perfect.
The crowd got hyped for POS‘ Yeah Right, turned into a frenzy for Sims‘ 15 Blocks, heard new Cecil Otter material with Sufficiently Breathless and 100 Fathers, witnessed Dessa rap, sing and sway her way into everyone’s hearts with Mineshaft and took part in Mictlan tearing the place down with Re-Evolve.
In between sets, the best breakers in the Twin Cities performed to MK Larada‘s funktified beats and made sure there wasn’t a second to take breath, even when the rappers had left the stage. The return of the MCs, along with Turbo Nemesis and Paper Tiger on the cuts, with Lazerbeak appearing every now and then to do wonders on the MPCs, made everything blur into a night of absolute brilliance, with I Self Divine and Crescent Moon turning up for a bit of guest action too.
On a selfish tip, having Cecil stop midway through Dreamsleep and declare “oh shit, you’re from London!” and hearing POS asking who the fuck had flown in from Europe made the already brilliant night that bit more personal. After the three hour show, the well known material had been great, the new songs were amazing and the crew album, due out this year, is something I can’t get soon enough.
Don’t think this was the best show I’ve ever been to? Yeah right.