In the early ’90s salved the aggressive lean of gangsta rap with their mild blend of jazz loops, hip hop beats and positive lyrics. Their album “Reachin’ (A Refutation of Time and Space)” went gold in 1994 and earned them a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. For those of us in college at the time, that album still nostalgically conjures memories of late night study sessions and Sunday morning coffees.
But after only two albums, the Planets parted ways. On and off over the last five years, they have reunited reportedly to make a new album and to tour, and Saturday night they brought one such reunion tour to .
I’m not sure if it was the over-sold, shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, the almost four hours of opening acts, or the 32″ plasma over the bar showing graphic footage of leopards killing and eating baby monkeys, but the night started with ominous tension.
After the two opening acts’ lengthy sets, an unintroduced group hit the stage. With a bandana-masked man holding up an illegible newspaper, someone sporadically slapping a conga out of rhythm and a single man rapping, it took a few confusing songs to realize this was not yet the Planets. A handful of tracks later and this mystery group left the stage only to be replaced by another poorly identified duo that were also not yet the Planets.
Finally at 12:15 a.m., Craig “Doodlebug” Irving, Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler and a woman who did not look like Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Viera took the stage. Surprisingly, they were joined by a drummer, bass player and guitarist, and no one operating a laptop or any supporting tracks.
As the band started in, it was evident that this was the Planets, but by replacing the brilliantly programmed jazz samples with live bass and guitar, it wasn’t always clear what song we were hearing. Add to that the fact that the female on stage was not the iconic voice of Ladybug Mecca, but rather a woman introduced as Queen Lady Rocka, something just didn’t feel right.
After a few unrecognizable tracks, “It’s Good to Be Here” and “Nicklebags” confirmed that this was, in fact, the band we had come to see. The melodies were played well by the band, but a pushed electric guitar and amplified electric bass made the songs feel more hard rock than smooth jazz. Even Doodlebug’s rapping was hard and fast and did not recall the relaxing super-breezy voice associated with the classic Planets sound.
“Where I’m From” and the closer “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” rounded out the total of old school Planets’ songs for the evening. The rest of the set was solo material by Doodlebug and Butterfly, and some newer material they’ve written with Lady Rocka.
By night’s end we got roughly 15 tracks, only four of which were actual classic Digable Planets songs. Add to the disappointing and undisclosed lack of Ladybug Mecca, and the night turned out to be a long series of moderately interesting hip hop, but not much of a memorable reunion show.
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Jamie White is a Denver writer, musician and producer.
