There is a bit of a surprise before Souls Of Mischief appear as Jeru The Damaja arrives onstage to hype up the crowd. I didn't even realise he was in town but apparently he's appearing at an afterparty across town later on.
The DJ is the first to appear and he does a little showcase of his scratching skills before the MCs hit the stage with 'That's When Ya Lost'. It's already hot and smoky, and the excitement and expectation only adds to the atmosphere. Each member keeps mainly to their quarter of the stage, stepping forward when it's their verse. The group chorus of 'Let 'Em Know' is really effective. All the group have a great flow and demonstrate really good chemistry with each other, but that's to be expected when you consider that they've been rhyming together for 30 plus years. 'Live And Let Live' is laid back and funky whilst smoky beats and elastic rhyming combine on the excellent 'Never No More'. Tajai is probably the most impressive lyrically but all of the rappers pull their weight. 'Tour Stories' is excellent, and is reminiscent of the style of hip hop which Jurassic 5 made popular in the late nineties. The DJ section is heavy on James Brown but keeps the crowd cooking. The closing '93 'Til Infinity' predictably sends the crowd wild but it is still one of the classic West Coast hip hop tracks.
A short set from Jeru The Damaja is an unexpected treat. 'Da Bichez' sees everyone chanting the chorus back at him whilst 'Come Clean' is also great.
Keeping track of The Pharcyde over the years hasn't been easy due to various splits, and there are currently two versions of the group, one helmed by Booty Brown (who I think still owns the rights to the name) and the other featuring the other three members. Waiting for the band to appear, I'm still not sure which version will appear.
The Pharcyde open with a bass heavy '4 Better Or 4 Worse' which sounds amazing. The stalking verse is changed 'to stop them from being cancelled' which actually works much better. The chorus of 'Drop' is great whilst 'I'm That Type Of N****' sounds colossal. 'Oh Shit' sounds as good as it did in '93 and the crowd holler away on the chorus. 'Ya Mama' is still a massive crowd pleaser with its 'ya mama's so fat, how fat is she?' refrain. Imani is so energetic, pulling out a number of impressive dance moves when he isn't rapping. No wonder he is sweating so profusely. The dubby, jazzy bass for 'Pack The Pipe' is earthshaking. Tonight is billed as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of 'Lacabincalifornia' but it doesn't feel like it as they are playing much more 'Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde' material, which is fine by me. 'Passin' Me By' is red hot, and Fatlip's verse is fantastic. The funky and jazzy 'Otha Fish' still blows my mind, and Slmkid's acapella verse is amazing. Although they are playing all these 'Bizarre Ride' and 'Lacab' classics, the crowd appear to be a bit jaded after Souls Of Mischief and the band have to work to keep the energy up. New track 'Timeless' sounds very contemporary with some booty shaking bass. A DJ mix in honour of J Dilla loses momentum a little. This goes straight into the smooth jazzy melodies of 'Runnin' with its gargantuan chorus, and this closes the show. It may not have been exactly what was advertised but it was still everything I hoped it would be.
The Pharcyde ****
Jeru The Damaja ****
Souls Of Mischief ****
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