Warm-up act Theophilus London is somewhat of an enigma. This is strange, because the Brooklyn-based MC has sent something of a trawl net over every social media platform imaginable. There’s no denying the dude’s charisma, with the midsection of his support slot exploding into a theatre-commanding crescendo. But the lack of musical cohesion signifies a lack of artistic focus, leading to the underlying suspicion that Theophilus London could be little more than a calculated construct – a box-checking, aesthetic-obsessed tilt at corporate-minded hipsterdom.
Big Boi launched his assault (fittingly decked out in all-camo) with an impossibly brilliant run of classic Outkast material, drawing heavily from early landmark LPs Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik and Aquemini. Shit, I think even So Fresh, So Clean was dropped second track in. It proved to be a celebration of these tracks, rather than a straight recreation – which when you think about it, is probably the most respectful way to approach such classics of rap sans one Andre 3000. General Patton marked the start
And you know what? It’s a testament to the album that its cuts can easily stand alongside some of the greatest examples of ‘90s hip-hop.
The video aspect of the show was a little strange, with pretty much every track being performed in front of its respective video. This dampened the spontaneity of proceedings, despite the efforts of a feigned shout-out for crowd requests – clutching at a presupposed call for Ms Jackson. Earlier in the year George Clinton rocked the shit out of The Palace, and he did so once again tonight (even if it was in backing track/video form). Weed anthem Fo Yo Sorrows had the venue once again coated in a fine haze.
Despite a slightly muddy audio mix (thanks to a fairly unsuccessful bid to blend the live band with the backing tracks), Sir Lucious put his best foot forward – consolidating his place as one of the most commanding figures in hip-hop.
