After a couple quick clicks through the chronologically sporadic Reverb reviews (thatap me!), you will realize that he has reviewed mostly indie-rock and punk rock shows. Translation: Every review except for one, up to this point, has been for an indie or punk affair. So forgive this hipster (who will go to his grave denying he is one) if this 480ish-word essay on “How I spent my night at the show” sounds a little square.
It was a cold Thursday night at the , deep in a Christmas light-infested Five Points. Brooklyn native Talib Kweli strutted onto the small Cervantes stage with swagger and a sideways-cocked, black Colorado Rockies baseball hat. Kweli performed a set tat gave love to his entire discography. The night helped prove why he rose to fame in the hip-hop scene in the mid-to-late ’90s and has had such impressive ability to stay relevant in an ever-changing scene ever since.
Kweli showed versatility, ranging from: quickly, and impressively, stringing together lyrics, to slowing songs down to a very catchy cadence (all of which were accompanied by aggressive and constant gestures with his right arm). I laughed a bit when the guy next to me, with a dead straight face, frustratedly leaned over and referred to the latter songs as, “songs for the bitches.”
Most of Kweli’s playing-to-his-audience took place during the songs. There was minimal crowd interaction between songs, except for the hawking of his music. I could have used a pen and notepad to follow: which song is currently on iTunes, which track drops in January, and whether that tune is from Kweli’s solo work or his side project, Reflection Eternal. But I would have still probably gotten my facts mixed up.
The best part of the show happened about 50 minutes into the 90-minute set. The microphone malfunctioned, and went nearly silent for two songs. This led to Kweli halting the back beat, quieting the crowd, and proceeding to turn those songs into entertaining, spoken-word slam poems, belting out verses over the hushed crowd. When power was finally restored to his microphone, the crowd abruptly cheered raucously, and Kweli continued as though nothing had happened.
The show hit a high point when Kweli had to improvise. It’s too bad he stuck so diligently to the script for the other hour and 20 minutes. It was an entertaining show, and in fact, better than I anticipated; it felt like everybody in the crowded, sweaty and hazy venue all agreed. Unfortunately, it seemed like Thursday night was the exact same show I would have witnessed if I saw it in Salt Lake or Kansas City or any other city on this tour. I don’t think all that much would have changed, except that maybe Kweli would wear a Royals hat.
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Andrew Brand is a Denver-based writer and a regular contributor to Reverb.
Ryan Cutler is a Denver photographer and new contributor to Reverb.
