OPINION: Concerts You Could Only Dream About PART TWO

HIP HOP-Beastie Boys, Outkast, and Kanye West

Opening: Kanye West
Critically acclaimed "hottest MC in the game," Kanye West serves as a triple threat to hip-hop: singer, producer, and rapper. P. Diddy (or Puff Daddy?) has stated through a personal YouTube video, "The concert changed my life. I ain’t gonna lie. I was so impressed and inspired. It was beautiful, man, and I fell in love with hip-hop again."
Never having witnessed one of his concerts myself, I have only heard raving reviews. During his shows, he hires no backup dancers or singers. He remains the only one onstage throughout the show.
Anyone who reads the headlines knows that Mr. West doesn't take criticism well. Between his public outburst of "George Bush doesn't care about black people" to going onstage to accept an award he was only nominated for, trying to convince the audience he deserved it.
During a show in Australia, West began to rant on how the media unjustly contributed to the breakdown of Britney Spears, making his first song last ten minutes more than expected. After he finished, he exited the stage and told the band to keep playing. Confused, they kept going until Kayne re-appeared and sang 30 seconds of "Love Lockdown" before abruptly vacating the stage once again. He walked back on later as the band began a third time as he stated, “I’m supposed to have another f*cking outfit for this song, but they’ve taken it back to the dressing room. Let’s just do it”. After the full performance of the song, he walked off stage shouting "Goodbye Sydney!" as outraged fans yelled at the house lights coming back on, signaling the end of the show.
I'm not expressing any desire to have this happen during a concert that I attend but this further proves the point that Kanye does what he wants. When I go to a show, I expect to be entertained and encounter the unexpected. Kanye has no rules, neither do his performances.


Mid-Outkast
Constantly praised for their originality toward the genre of hip-hop, how could their show be any less creative? Despite their massive success of the album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" being one of the three hip-hop albums to be certified Diamond in the U.S.-they have remained the same down to earth couple they were when they first started out.
After being the second rap artist to win "Album of the Year" at the Grammys (aside from Lauryn Hill) André 3000 performed "Hey Ya!" as the show closed featuring dancers moving wildly around a green teepee, war paint and feathered headdresses. Creative to some, offensive to others. He was criticized by the Native American Cultural Center, who called for a boycott of Outkast, Arista Records, NARAS, and CBS, the broadcaster of the awards show. CBS later apologized, hoping to avoid plummeting ratings.
Outkast is another artist who has always steered away from boundaries. Concert reviewer Steve Appleford of the Rolling Stone described their show as a "frenetic carnival of high-concept party music." They fill the stage with backup singers and dancers, a guitarist, a bassist, and a DJ, in addition to the two main members of the group. Andre has been known to provide a spectacle of his own, usually sporting a blond wig and a pink jumpsuit David Bowie might have worn to orbit the Earth in 1970 while Big Boi quietly commanded the stage with his usual jeans and shirt.

Headliner: The Beastie Boys
I will never forget the opportunity I missed when I was 14. The Beastie Boys played a small venue less than a mile from my high school in Las Vegas for MTV's $2 concert series. Why did I miss it? I was distraught by the dozens of fans camped out for days at the local gas stations hoping to score tickets. The situation was unfortunate and the opportunity hasn't risen since.
Somewhat recently, The 2007 Athens' Ejekt festival came to an abrupt and violent end when 30 masked men armed with CS-gas, iron bars and baseball bats stormed the stadium during the Beastie Boys' set. Cars were set ablaze and a member of electronic group Underworld, who were set to close out the event, was injured in the melee.
Earlier that same year, the band encouraged the audience members to dress up in suits and gowns on their website and pre-show promotions for a show in Chicago. Many in attendance were in suits, tuxes, fancy dresses, feather boas and even the occasional lab coat and fake mustache (like the"Sabatoge" video).
The band is excellent, even though MCA, Ad-Rock, and Mike D are looking old. It doesn't matter. They still have it in them-anyone who says differently is whack.