pissed
so my editor decided not to run my review of the Talib Kweli show b/c he was terrible. Sweet. Here is the review, hope no one wastes their money on him.
Plenty of shows do not live up to their hype due to poor sound quality, long delays and other missteps. An artist as big as Talib Kweli could have saved the day after a 4-hour delay and worked through the ham radio quality sound system, instead he proceeded to mail it in during his hour long set. The set was so bad Kweli decided to duck out early, like half the audience, before even saying goodbye or thanking the crowd for spending 20 bucks on what can only be described as a bait and switch.
Spinning records and playing DJ may work for Kweli in his hometown of Brooklyn but in Denver, fans expect to hear him rap. Kweli greatest strengths lie in his lyrics and ridiculous flow, which remained the few bright spots of the evening. These high points were nothing but a tease as the crowd was predominantly forced to endure other artist’s hits. The predictably bland set included songs by Nas, the Beastie Boys, Mos Def, Otis Redding and surprise surprise, Notorious BIG. Kweli could not even muster the strength to sing a little more than the refrain of his own hit “Get By.” Some of these complaints would be forgivable had the show been promoted as Talib Kweli spinning rather than simply a performance by Talib Kweli. Had it been promoted that way though there would not be much to write about.
