With a name like and a reputation as one of hip-hop’s most ostentatious artists, the rapper kept things oddly subdued at the on Tuesday. Dressed in camo pants and two chains instead of his usual pile of gold and diamond jewelry, Fabolous stopped in Denver for his “Life is So Exciting” tour with .
His set included a flood of newer material (“Diamonds,” for one, where the MC samples a Rihanna track) and a trickle of older songs like “Breathe” that show off Fab’s lyrical prowess and punch lines. Backed by a full band, Fab’s drummer did most of the heavy lifting for the highly-scripted show.
As the lights changed from blue to purple and the strains of “We Get High” blared through the less than full venue, the entire place filled with marijuana smoke, much to Fab’s delight. He’s a man that despite his name and credence, is not very charismatic on stage. Fabolous’ best moments included meandering comfortably down the stage while his band held down beats.
More fabulous than Fabolous was Pusha-T, who was not only charismatic and enthusiastic, he was the highlight of the evening. With the voice of Marlo Stanfield from “The Wire” on constant loop shouting “My name is my name!,” Pusha showed why he is the more interesting twin in Clipse.
His set was all new material from “Wrath of Caine,” (the Rick Ross assisted “Millions”) and promotional banter for his debut album “My Name is My Name.” Wearing his weight in gold, Pusha’s interaction with the crowd gave the early evening show a shot in the arm. Particularly outstanding was the Kanye West-produced “Numbers on the Board,” which, while a great song and example of what Pusha-T can do lyrically, was a bit lost on the mainstream KS107.5-listening crowd.
There was an obnoxious DJ set interval from Fab’s tour DJ that involved imploring a young girl to “turn around and show her ass,” which thankfully was not that particular girl’s forte. The DJ invited several other women up before embarrassing them and kicking them off the stage for not “shaking enough ass.” The audience groaned displeasure the entire time.
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Ru Johnson is an arts and culture music writer living in Denver. You can follow her on
