On Saturday, June 1st, 2013 I found myself in a funk, and I couldn’t understand it.
I couldn’t understand it because the night before, at Stir Cove in Council Bluffs, Iowa, I had been lucky enough to witness the incredible
Kings of the Mic tour featuring some of my favorite artists of all time: LL Cool J, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, and De La Soul.
In
some ways, scratch that, in every way, it was a dream lineup. In fact,
the night before this tour was announced, I was talking to my wife about
the concerts we had seen, and I specifically mentioned that I would
really like to see LL
and Cube someday. But never in a million years did I think that the two
of them would go on tour together, with the added bonus of Public
Enemy, who I had seen last fall, and De La Soul, another classic group.
So
when I thought it over, the reason for my depression became clear: it is
doubtful that I will ever see a lineup or a show like that again. First
world problems, I know. But I really was kind of bummed that it was all
over.
So
as to the show, and why I was so excited about it - let’s start from the
beginning. With four acts like these, there is really not a moment to
spare, and with that in mind, opening De La Soul came out five minutes
early to open things
up. I wasn’t complaining – we’ve all been kept waiting for upwards of
two hours for an artist that we paid $20 in Ticketmaster fees plus an
expensive ticket price to see. I can just imagine the artist waiting in
their dressing room until all of the red M&Ms
are removed from the candy dish and the bottled water chilled to
exactly 37.3 degrees per their touring rider, while we suffer in
silence, wondering how many drinks we’re going to have to buy before
they bother to show up.
But
not these guys. They get down to business. They got things started with
a mix of new songs, rarer old ones, and some hits, including “Me,
Myself, and I” to the delight of the crowd. They packed a lot in their
thirty minutes.
