A Tour Called Quest

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October 14, 2004 4:05 AM
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by Doc Justice

In an era where Clear Channel rules over brainwaves as well as the airwaves, Hip Hop has given way to the Chingys and Lil Scrappys of the world. However for at least one night, the Electric Factory shook with the fever of the early 90s, the only way A Tribe Called Quest knows how.

Being billed as the after-party concert for the Beastie Boys and Talib Kweli at the Wachovia Center, the Tribe show was called for 10:00. Unfortunately for a lot of cold fans waiting in a line that possibly ended in the bathroom stalls across the street at Shampoo, that’s just when the doors opened. Typical.

As the masses made their way through the entrance, the Electric Factory looked more of a disco than a Hip Hop concert hall. Disco balls (and fake ones too), lit the venue along with the many signs from the tours sponsor, Salem cigarettes. A DJ whose name we all choose not to remember played Usher and Nelly. C’mon man, know your crowd. This is a HIP HOP show.

Just before heads were about to explode, out comes the Funkmaster himself, Flex. This is the guy that made DJs famous, and he put forth a performance that you could expect. He played the hits that the former DJ chose not to play, hit such as “DWYCK,” and “The World Is Yours.” These were the hits at the time of Tribe’s rise to fame. This was the time we were all trying to relive.

Tiffany Bacon of Power 99 introduced Tribe, and it was just pure bedlam from there on out. In a moment symbolic of unity, Phife Dawg, Q-Tip, Jarobi, and Ali Shaheed Muhammed all hugged. Although perfectly planned and most likely done on the rest of the tour, there is only one word to describe it. Goosebumps.

From there, Tribe rocked their hits as the crowd bounced along. Hearing “Buggin Out” and “We Got The Jazz” were incredible, and Hip Hop was in the air. Talib Kweli even made an appearance to rock “I Try” and “Get By.” After Kweli, tweaked versions of “Electric Relaxation” and “Bonita Applebaum” sent the crowd in a frenzy. After a false finish, the night was officially capped with “Scenario,” “Check The Rhyme,” “Award Tour,” and a “Fuck Bush” chant. A Hip Hop heaven.

During Tribe’s performance, nothing else in the world mattered. It was the first time in 6 years they had performed as a group, but it felt like 1994 all over again. All in all, it’s a dope tour…with Muhammed, my man.

-Doc Justice