He has a radio program on WXOU out of Oakland University
Wild At Heart
I must admit I have never been a huge rap fan though I have tried to be fair to the music style. I have been disappointed by Ludacris when they opened for the Black Eyed Peas and Twista at the Michigan State Fair. However, I did enjoy Snoop Dog at the first Rothbury and the Common/NERD show at the Fillmore. So when I found myself outside of Comerica Park thinking of buying a ticket, I was wondering if I would enjoy the show. I had seen Jay-Z last year when he played the Obama support show at Joe Louis so I knew I would like his set but I had never been a fan of Eminem. They had a $40 obstructed view seat available so I convinced myself to buy one and give it a chance. After all, how can I leave Detroit without seeing its dysfunctional son?
I passed a long line of fans waiting to get in as a got to the ticket window so I decided to try to go into Comerica using the entrance by the giant tiger and got right in. I bet some fans in the other line waited up to another half an hour to get in. Well the seat was actually obstructed by a secondary stage which you couldn’t see over so seeing the opener B.o.B. was difficult through I had good views of the video screens on both sides of the stage. I had seen B.o.B. twice before (opened for Kid Cudi and Lupe Fiasco – both at Royal Oak Music Theatre) so I wasn’t totally upset.
I noticed a guy walking around giving wristbands to fans in this section. It turns out they had a limited supply of VIP tickets to give fans sitting in this section and I got the last one. With this ticket, I was able to move into the VIP section which was located right in front of the stage. So basically I paid $40 for a ticket and was upgraded to the $250 ticket section which was fine by me. I’m betting they just wanted to fill in this area so the audience didn’t look so small right by the stage and they just happened to pick my section. Lucky me!
Soon after I got to this section, Jay-Z came out and the show really hit its stride as he was dressed in his customary all black attire with his dark sunglasses and looked taken aback by the huge crowd. I know he had this rehearsed, but his opening statement to the fans “Before I start, I gotta take this all in” set the tone and got the audience pumped as he moved from hit to hit. He was joined onstage by Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy early on in his set and they did a number of songs together. The set climaxed with an stunning backdrop of the New York City skyline on the video screens as Jay-Z belted out "Empire State of Mind"as Jay-Z thanked his fans by saying "I appreciate you singing 'New York' at the top of your lungs here in Tiger Stadium. I know where I'm at".
After a brief break, Eminem came out on stage following a video intro that looked at his back story as to how these concerts came to be and asking the fans "Detroit, I'm back. Did you miss me or what?". While I can honestly say I haven’t given it much thought, the 42,000 screaming fans around me apparently did miss him and he came out with an attitude that oozed Detroit surrounded by a stage filled with scrapped cars. His set took him throughout his career and was filled with numerous guest appearances.
They started out with Trick Trick performing "Welcome 2 Detroit" and then his old group D12 did a few songs. After awhile I thought things were going to heat up. Eminem and one of the band members seemed to be having heated words onstage and I wasn’t sure if it was part of the act or they actually were not getting along on stage. I honestly thought there would be a fight onstage and was thankful when the set was over and the show got moving again. This time is didn’t let up as he was joined onstage by opener B.o.B for a version of "Airplanes Pt II" and Drake’s all too brief appearance on “Forever”. I think Drake is a very talented musician and would have like at least one more song with him. 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks came on for mini-set songs including "Patiently Waiting" and "In Da Club" and Jay-Z joined Em for the song "Renegade". Lastly, Dr Dre came out for a few songs including "Nuthin' But a G Thang". All in all, this was a lot of star power as these artists have a combined 126 Top 40 hits, not to mention numerous #1 albums and around 20 Grammys.
When all is said and done, this was a very well put together show that should stand up as a milestone of rap shows. Eminem, if truly recovered from his drug addiction, should be a force in the musical landscape for years to come. The overall atmosphere was energetic and the fans were reasonably well behaved. The bar was raised high for the NY shows these guys will be putting on shortly. I'm glad I went to the show and it sets a high standard for other rap shows in the future.
In other musical news this weekend, we have the International Detroit Jazzfest vs Arts Beats and Eats in it's new Royal Oak location. I was downtown yesterday to take in the vocal talents of Take 6 who were accompanied by the Mulgrew Miller Trio and the funky jazz beats of Tower Of Power. It was getting a bit windy downtown but both groups did a wonderful job delivering wonderful performances. I can't wait for the rest of the weekend since I have decided I might be boycotting Arts Beats and Eats. Last year, ABE tried to keep costs down for people coming to the festival offering cheap parking but that is not the case this year. Of the main performers, only Macy Gray and Clint Black were of interest to me since I have seen just about every one else. Driving around the area, ABE has done something that totally pissed me off. They have control over all the parking structures and are charging $15 no matter how far away the parking is. Usually, the farther away you go, the cheaper it should get but that is not the case. They have also decided to get rid of metered parking this weekend and have posted warning signs on every back road for up to 8 blocks or more away making it a $50 fine to park on roads which are normally free. Considering, I only want to go down for a couple hours each day, I can't justify the cost of paying that much for parking with no other options. If I was down there all day with a bunch of bands that I felt I needed to see, that would be one thing to pay that. I would rather park 8 blocks away and pay $5 but that isn't an option. They say they want to prevent cars from driving around looking for spots, but to me it's just a greedy way to make money from people. I might try some options Sunday night for Macy Gray but I'm not paying $15. I'd rather stay away and keep going to Jazzfest where I can always get free parking.
If you want to stay away from festivals, there are a few films out this weekend that could be enjoyable instead. Starting off is a film that really blew me away when I saw it and might just be the best film of the year so far. That movie is the Australian film "Animal Kingdom" which starts off with teenager Joshua (James Frecheville) finds himself after his mother dies of a drug overdose and he is taken in by his grandmother Smurf (Jacki Weaver). This side of the family it turns out to be a small mid-level crime syndicate that operates out of Smurf's home in Melbourne. The four brothers include Baz (Joel Edgerton) who looks after the money and is urging Smurf to move into something legit, Pope (Ben Mendelsohn) who is a criminal jack-of-all-trades who never lets go of a grudge, the enforcer with a weak streak Darren (Luke Ford) and Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) who is a drug dealer who has become addicted to his own product. After Joshua moves in, the family is hit by the tragedy of Baz's murder by a vigilante part of the police force and Joshua is brought into a revenge scheme by Pope which might turn into the downfall of the family. Detective Leckie (Guy Pearce) sees Joshua as the weak link to bringing the crime family down and Joshua finds himself in the middle of finding out where his true allegiance falls. Should he help the cops bring in his family or should he cover for his family. The weak link in the film seems to be Joshua's character who really just seems to be drifting through the movie but that is more than made up for by the manic intensity of Pope who is truly off his rocker. There are numerous scenes where he seems to be a menacing force just on the edge of bringing down wrath on those that cross him be it the cops or Joshua. Jacki Weaver seems to be a characture in the film with her lingering kisses of her boys that just seems weird until the end where we see her coldness in not letting anyone get between her and her boys. The film even manages to surprise me a bit which is rare in today's cinema. There is a great atmosphere in this movie which keeps one involved and wanting to know where things will lead. This is the first feature film from director David Michod and it shows great promise. My grade is a A+.
Next is the George Cloney thriller "The American" where he plays an assassin, Jack, who constantly on the move and always alone. After a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected, Jack retreats to the Italian countryside to hide while his boss finds out why the Swedes are after him. He takes in the quiet nature of this town but does take on an assignment to construct a weapon for a mysterious contact, Mathilde (Thekla Reuten). He has two friends, as much as an assassin can have friends, among a local priest Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli) and a beautiful prostitute, Clara (Violante Placido). Jack and Clara’s time together evolves into a romance but as forshadowed earlier in the film, can Jack really find true happiness while perusing his line of work and his credo to never get involved. By allowing this relationship to blossom and make retirement seem as something that could happen, his likestyle comes back to try to kill him. Director Anton Corbjin made his living doing music videos for bands like U2, Echo & The Bunnymen and Depeche Mode as well as the Joy Division movie “Control”. This use of the short form might briefly explain why the film which builds up nicely and then starts to unravel towards the end of the film. Cloney’s has a very controlled performance in this film unlike his typical wisecracking self which also might throw some people off this film. There is one scene in particular at the near end of the film during the assassination attempt on Jack which mystifies me to how the allegiances of the film fall out and really takes the film a bit off the nicely laid track in had started on. This film will be a challenge to most people who might not enjoy seeing a more stoic Cloney or the slightly garbled ending. It does hold promise, but it ends up getting the borderline grade of C+/B- from me.
Lastly is a purely fun film romp with "Machete" which is based on the fake trailer in the Grindhouse double feature (nothing to do with his character Machete from the “Spy Kids” film). In real life a machete is a tool that is common to see people using them for their odd jobs such as splitting open coconuts, working the lawns, clearing brush, or other related activities and consequently, it is often the weapon of choice for uprisings. The uprising in the film centers around the current debate of controlling the borders for illegal immigrants. Three years ago in Mexico, determined Federale Machete (Danny Trejo) is betrayed and set-up by his boss, resulting in his wife and child being murdered by drug kingpin Torrez (Steven Seagal). Now, in Texas, Machete resurfaces when hired to assassinate Senator McLaughlin (Robert De Niro), an extreme advocate against illegal immigration. Once again betrayed and set-up, Machete plots his revenge against the men who've wronged him with the help of resistance fighter Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), ICE Agent Sartana (Jessica Alba), and the shotgun-toting Padre (Cheech Marin). Don Johnson is looking gruff as vigilante Lt Stillman who works with Sen McLaughlin and Lindsay Lohan plays herself as his drugged out daughter. With all these actors, it is amazing how they all seem to fit together as Rodriquez tells this tale. He isn't quite at Tarantino's level for pulling this off, but he does a very nice job creating some interesting characters and some nice action scenes. The film does drift into the occasional corniness (Lohan as a gun weilding nun or Machete swinging from a guys intestines) but this is the type of film where you forgive such things. You knew this wasn't Hamlet when you walked into the theatre. If you enjoy B-movies and films like Kill Bill, you really can't go wrong with this film. Don't expect much and you will be greatly rewarded. My grade is a B+.
Getting ahead of myself for Monday by giving you an early preview of some cool concerts next week after labor Day.
Wednesday (9/08) - Boz Scaggs with Michael McDonald and Donald Fagen @ Fox Theatre
Thursday (9/09) - Billy Idol and Slash @ Ceasar's Windsor, female rockers Girl In A Coma @ Magic Stick, Ratatat @ Royal Oak Music Theatre, Sloan @ Fort Malden Park, 70's rockers the Strawbs @ the Ark
Friday (9/10) - School Of Rock does mock rock (Blues Brothers, Spinal Tap) @ Crofoot
Saturday (9/11) - alternative folk with Billy Bragg @ the Ark, Hot Hot Heat @ Pike Room, KISS @ Pine Knob
Sunday (9/12) - Crosby Stills and Nash @ Pine Knob, California Guitar Trio @ Callahans, 2 School Of Rock shows @ Eagle Theatre (trubutes to Green Day/Nirvana & Beatles
Enjoy the rest of your Labor Day and stay warm now that Hurrican Earl has moved a cold front into the area. So much for warm weather. Fingers crossed!!
