- If you thought Monday was the end of the long weekend and all the internationals had up and left, then get over it, the Black Eyed Peas, one of hip hop finest groups, had decided to play one last show in Sydney at Gas before they moved on. The gig was announced the night before at their Citylive gig on Monday, but most of the attendees found out later in the day on Tuesday that they were going to have a final show that night.
The line up out the front was quite long and took some time before they let us in. If the Citylive crowd were fans of the Black Eyed Peas, then these guys were the die hard elite fans, especially when being asked to fork out $30 at the door. Walking into the establishment known as Gas, we are treated to some current and classic hip hop sounds spun by the DJ upstairs. Quite a good selection too as De La, J5, Tribe and many other classic and current hip hop hits got spun - all butter, no cheese!
After waiting for about 2 hours we were treated to the first act to grace the stage, Sydney's own Bliss & Esoterikizm. After hearing so many good reviews about these guys, it was time to finally check them out for myself. The 2 MC's Bliss & Esoterik can really kick up a storm on the mic, one song involving Bliss using vocal scratching techniques, a la Rahzel & Scratch from the Roots, while also kicking some decent flows. DJ Izm knows how to scratch it up on the decks, however I was hoping he'd at least use the other turntable to spin the beat instead of it being played by the man on the boards in the back. Nevertheless, it's hard to come across a vinyl presser these days, especially in Sydney, and it was still an awesome effort from one of Sydney's finest. The highlight of their set was definitely the song which they freestyled lyrics on top of no beat as DJ Izm's turntable was "broken"... hah yeah right, just an excuse to rip a freestyle. The turntable magically repaired itself later in the track when the crowd started getting hyped!
The Black Eyed Peas' DJ Motiv8 was next up to perform. Last I saw this guy was at the Sydney Big Day Out in 2001 spinning tunes when the Peas were running late. Imagine how surprised the crowd were when drum'n'bass started emanating from the speakers. Actually it was drum'n'bass remixes of hip hop tracks along with some crazy antics from the DJ himself. Certainly the crowd can heard cheering during the drum'n'bass remix of Pharoahe Monch's Simon Says. Turntable craziness to get us hyped for the main event.
The Black Eyed Peas made their entrance to the stage with the crowd making sure their last show would be a memorable one for both the group and the crowd themselves. Will.I.Am, Apl De Ap (pronounced Apple Dee Ap) and Taboo going around the front of the stage shaking hands with anyone in arms reach then going straight into their tracks. It's always good to see hip hop being played live and the BEP's backing band know how to get down and funky. If you have heard their Bridging The Gap album, then you know exactly what you are in for, however the live element is something to experience. Standout performances include Joint 'n'Jams which they kept us in suspense as they kept stopping and restarting; Request Line which originally features Macy Gray, kept the crowd happy; Falling Up which prompted the crowd to jump and wave their hands in the air.
At 12 midnight, they were asked to finish their performance as the promoters of Gas wanted to close up, much to the chagrin of the crowd and of course the Peas themselves who were prompting the crowd to shout their disapproval. Surely enough Gas promoters gave in to the pleas and let them rock the party longer.
What is the point of having a live backing band without letting them get funky? Sure enough the Peas had to flaunt their breakdancing skills with a perfomance known as the "Freeze Rock". Why is it called that? Because during their breakdance routine, each dancer is told to "Freeze" and hold their pose then "Rock" and continue. After this is the part where each band members get to flex their stuff with a solo.
The Peas recognised that the night was going to be a more intimate night than the Citylive gig, they knew that everyone who attended was a die hard Peas fan and they reiterated that fact several times that night. This probably would have been a performance they'd never forget, they seem to love it down here. Here's hoping they come down again for some more funkiness.