Black Swan Songs

One of the best shows I witnessed at SXSW 2009 (aside from the revelation that was Janelle Monae) was Kanye West at the Fader Fort…easily. Sometimes hip-hop artists play for an unusally  short time, but West played for two hours. He made average album cuts morph into show stopping bangers.

Expectations were really high too – I mean, up until recently Kanye would be the first to tell you that he is the shit! But hommie lived up to his own hype, believe it or not. The guy has skillz. And his eight-piece band was on point. He had a drummer and a precussionist that made the beats extra tribal. The DJ showed restraint and good taste throughout. And the place nearly combusted when Common and Erykah Badu appeared from stage right, proving to be the real surprise guests.

Kanye was supposed to be a surprise, but I actually broke the story (locally, nationally and internationally through Twitter) that Kanye would be playing at SXSW. A friend of mine (who shall remain nameless, like Deep Throat) rather accidentally let me know that Kanye was coming…and then my editor was able to confirm it through a second deep source…allowing me to break the story on the Austin American-Statesman’s music blog.

It felt great breaking the story cause…I’m just a freelancer. You’d think the full-time staff writers would be breaking stories like that…but this time it was all me.

Anywho, of all the stuff I wrote during SXSW, I was most proud of the Kanye review. I felt like I nailed it. I felt like I wouldn’t be embarassed if he read it. I felt like I was golden…like my writen skills on deadline had gone golden once again.

Click here to see the review in its first publication in the Austin American-Statesman here.

By V.M. Black | Sunday, March 22, 2009, 01:05 PM

At 9:05 p.m. Saturday, Kanye West and his stable of G.O.O.D. Music artists descended upon the Levi’s/Fader Fort stage at 1101 E. Fifth St. for what would become a highlight of SXSW 2009.

If you had ever visited the Graphic Glass Studio on Fifth Street, you wouldn’t recognize it in its incarnation as the Levi’s/Fader Fort. All of the floor-to-ceiling “Sanford and Son”-type items in the warehouse had been removed for its transformation into a Levi’s store, complete with all the ambiance of a store from a high end shopping mall.

Likewise, West’s performance was something of a transformation, too. West was as good as he needed to be (many people had been waiting for him to play based on a rumor since the early afternoon), and it was better than it had to be (he killed for two hours). The show resembled one of those “cavalcade of stars” tours from the late 1950s/early 1960s: West would perform two or three of his hits, then he’d bring up one of his proteges from his G.O.O.D. Music record label imprint and share the stage or feature them outright. Although West (and his ego) are notorious for being his own worst enemy, he really reined himself in Saturday night; he graciously played the role of a generous headliner and an excited mentor and label boss spotlighting his stable of artists in what was a marketing coup (for all parties involved).

“Amazing” from West’s most recent, most experimental work yet, “808s and Heartbreaks” started off his set with a pitch-perfect stomp, pricking up ears with its modern-yet-tribal groove and maxed-out Auto-Tune vocals.

“Gone” – one of the best tracks from his breakout sophomore album “Late Registration” — came in quick succession. The creative DJ then elevated the crowd further with a bit of “Drive Slow” as bodies and booties bounced in unison.

West was clad in a T-shirt and sleeveless jean jacket – and only one gold necklace (and a watch that’s probably more expensive than all our salaries combined). He looked more old school, and had shed the urban-futuristic-Afro-punk accouterments that he’s recently flirted with. Considering he didn’t have a soundcheck, nor any of the enormous stage show props he’s grown accustomed to using, his performance was spot-on evidence that his talent is not based on overblown production.

West’s diction was excellent, cutting through the bombast of his live band and DJ. And it’s worth noting that his band – bassist, drummer, guitarist, percussionist, keyboardist, DJ (with now requisite Apple laptop) and backup singer – were flawless. The percussionist played electronic drums and over-sized congas in time to the DJ, emphasizing the hypnotic snare beats, providing synthetic and organic tones. The live snare and kick drum were pegging the mixing board in the red, and cleaning out earwax, just the way it should be.

Likewise, West’s band used dynamics better than most bands, which tend to play with everything turned to eleven, loud and proud, full of nervous energy, never thinking to bring it down.

The star-packed show was carefully constructed with a song cycle that built in intensity over the course of two hours and reached a crescendo when super-surprise guest Common came on stage to perform his songs “Universal Mind Control” and “The Light.” At the end of “The Light” Erykah Badu appeared out of nowhere, representing Dallas and female power worldwide. Badu then flexed her skills in a freestyle joint with Common and West. Common is one of West’s longtime friends and collaborators, and his and Badu’s arrival sparked West’s biggest, most sincere smiles of the evening.

“I (expletive) forgot the words…I got too excited Austin!” West said during his climatic hit song, “Good Life.” Then as if to help out their mentor, all of the G.O.O.D. artists and Common returned to the stage as West found his footing again. The song’s lyrical reference to West’s grandmother and his recently deceased mother (who was also his manager) seemed to elevate the song in the audience’s consciousness; everyone appeared to appreciate the moment for its realness.

Whether you love him, hate him, or are apathetic, it’s nearly impossible to deny West is something of an anomaly in pop music in that he has critical acclaim, mainstream appeal, indie rock cred, Grammy awards and platinum-selling albums. West’s albums rest alongside Radiohead records in the vinyl collections of critics and tastemakers. From the hipster Pitchfork Media set to top 40/urban radio worshipers, West has both a ghetto pass and a suburbia pass, and his Saturday evening show proved that he can rock both arenas and a small 1,500-capacity boutique micro-festival.

The four-day long Levi’s/Fader Fort event was free for all, and included unlimited free booze and drinks (but alarmingly no food – a horrible planning flaw). The Levi’s/Fader Fort was evidence that the worldwide “economic downtown” apparently has not touched neither Levi’s nor Fader Magazine as the production price-tag of the event would likely be enough to feed a small West African nation for a month (or more); also, toward the end of West’s set, he shouted “Levi’s get that check ready.” Austinites appeared to be in the minority, as New Yorkers, West Coasters and assorted folks from around the world appeared to make up the majority of the audience (I overhead too many conversations about Williamsburg and the Bay area).

Setlist
1. Amazing
2. The Good, the Bad, the Ugly (Consequence featuring Kanye West)
3. Don’t Forget Em (Consequence)
4. Gone (Consequence featuring Kanye West)
5. Drive Slow (featuring GLC)
6. Big Screen (GLC featuring Kanye West)
7. Spaceship (featuring GLC and Consequence)
8. Disperse (Consequence featuring GLC and Really Doe)
9. We Major (featuring Really Doe)
10. Plastic (Really Doe featuring Kanye West)
11. Crack Music (featuring Malik Yusef)
12. spoken word interlude by Malik Yusef
13. Diamonds Are Forever
14. Getcha Some (Big Sean)
15. Way Out (Big Sean & Mr. Hudson)
16. Anyone But Him (Mr. Hudson featuring Kanye West)
17. Stay Up! (Viagra) (88 Keys featuring Kanye West)
18. Everybody (Fonzworth Bentley)
19. Welcome To Heartbreak (featuring Kid Cudi)
20. Sky Might Fall (Kid Cudi)
21. Buggin’ Out (Consequence, Kid Cudi, Kanye West)
22. Day ‘N’ Nite (Kid Cudi)
23. Universal Mind Control (Common)
24. Get Em High (featuring Common)
25. The Light (Common & Erykah Badu)
26. freestyle session (Common, Erykah Badu, Kanye West)
27. Heartless
28. Paranoid (featuring Kid Cudi & Mr. Hudson)
29. Good Life
30. Love Lockdown

Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment Categories: SXSW 2009, SXSW 2009 reviews: Day 4

Tagged hip hop, music, sxsw