Okay, back to the review. The crew pulled a coup about three songs into the set as they brought special guest and Cincinnati resident, Bootsy Collins onto the stage with them for a number. Both Flavor Flav and Chuck D made sure the crowd knew that without people like Collins, James Brown, and others who forged a path for black musicians, there would be no Public Enemy. For over two hours, the Enemy “brought that beat back” taking the jammed packed crowd through the 20 years of P.E. music without ever slowing down. At one point in the show, Chuck acknowledged that every time the band makes a mistake, they have to get down and do push-ups, thankfully they weren’t doing too many push-ups that evening.
It’s no accident or simple matter of logistics that Public Enemy chose Cincinnati to be the tour’s opening show. Long a hotbed of racial tension in the U.S. Cincinnati represents much of what Chuck preaches is wrong in our society – the overt racism, the separation of classes, the constant struggle, and the powers that be.
As tour #57 continues on, P.E. find themselves headlining the Docks in Toronto and then on to Austin, Texas to headline the SXSW music conference. In between there are only a handful of dates, if you are anywhere near a performance city, go see this show.
Article comments
1 - Patrick Cossel
The photos are incredible! Sounds like this show was just as incredible. Awsome man glad you liked it!!!
2 - coolbacca
I thought the Impossebulls were dope. That "hyper-kinetic" intensity is what makes their show as ill as it is.
What do you suggest that PE do when they come out? Should they use walkers and canes or should they come out like the crowd expects them to? I guess you haven't seen enough live hip hop to know what's really real. Oh, and that scary intellegent black man crap...wtf?
3 - Benjamin Cossel
Hey rock on man, you dug the Impossebulls, good for you. Like I said, I gave 'em the benefit of the doubt and will check them out again.
WTF? You telling me that to too many narrow minded, back assward folks running around this country an intelligent, well-spoken Black man isn't something that just makes them shake in their boots? Damn KKK been running around for as long as I can remember talking about how dumb the black man is, must give them fits to have someone up the their like Chuck whose about as sharp a man as they come. So wtf you wtf-ing?