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For the last two days, not much has entered my mind
other than the Cee-Lo concert and the events that ensued immediately after
the show. I want to write about the experience as if Cee-Lo was just
another human being, but truthfully I am as big of fan as he has, so
inevitably that will shine through in my description. Still, I think he
genuinely appreciated the enthusiasm of the Santa Cruz crowd, and was
probably a little shocked that we knew our music
so well.
The evening started with LFG headlining at Kresge Day
on the UCSC campus, where an odd mixture of personalities enjoyed the rap
concert over cotton candy and gardenburgers. A frighteningly large owl
appeared during the middle of the set. When this strange experience ended,
we needed to quickly get to the Catalyst for sound check. Gift of Gab was
on stage when we arrived, and Cee-Lo showed up moments later. Before the
doors opened, Cee-Lo was very friendly, autographed a few albums for us, and
talked with Sayre about his new album, the Prince comeback, and the state of
music.
LFG took the stage very early, and unfortunately the
majority of the crowd hadn’t arrived yet. This night was more about being
part of a great lineup, so no one was overly disappointed about going on at
8pm. Regardless, Coley Cole ripped through some of his new material, and
Sayre and Ashkon performed a couple LFG favorites while Gift of Gab watched
from the side of the stage. Jahi went on next & had a short but nice
set, referencing several jazz greats in his songs.
By the time Gift of Gab’s turn came, most of the crowd
was inside, and the energy level was high. Gab infused some classics
(“Deception,” “A2G,” “Make You Feel that Way”) with material from his new
solo album. Lateef the Truth Speaker joined him on stage for a few songs,
as well as a freestyle session. From what I’ve heard, the Catalyst usually
sells out for a Blackalicious show, and so it was odd that there were only a
few hundred in attendance. However, those that were there did their best to
make it sound like a packed house.
I was excited to see Gab, but in between sets, our
whole crew made sure we were in Row 1 for the evening’s main event. From
beginning to end, Cee-Lo killed it, as did our pocket of 20 or so fans. I
never looked back during the show, so I
 don’t
know what the rest of the crowd was like, but the energy was definitely
right up front. During “Cell Therapy,” I just about jumped out of the
building. After about an hour, Cee-Lo and his crew had run through their
set list, but the crowd wouldn’t let them leave. When the DJ broke into
“Childs Play,” the mic was passed down into the crowd (to JT) to recite a
verse. Carla requested “Beautiful Skin,” one of Goodie Mob’s all-time
classics (and a song where Cee-Lo totally stole the show), and he sung it
while holding her hand. Unbelievable. When the show was really over, I was
already considering it one of the best nights of my life.
As the crowd cleared out, Cee-Lo came down and very
graciously snapped a few pictures with us. His crew asked about where we
were heading after the show, but no one fully expected them to show up at
the Red Room. As I was ordering a beer, Hank (one of the hypemen) walked
in, and suddenly everyone was like, “Oh shit, the whole van is here!” Ten
seconds later, Cee-Lo walked into the room.
Until closing, we enjoyed good drinks and great
conversation. Members of the Dungeon Fam now have LFG CDs, and whether or
not they listen to them, I have to thank the whole crew for being cool as
fuck. Hopefully, we renewed a little of Cee-Lo’s faith that there are real
music fans out there. Whether he sells 100,000 copies or eventually follows
the path of Outkast, there are people who are listening. We hope he rolls
through Santa Cruz again soon.
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-Joe Kostelnik
joe@lostandfoundgeneration.com |
