WBLS and Hot 97 came together to host Run DMC and LL Cool J at Barclays and from this attendee’s perspective it was a success. I hope it gets written up appropriately. I just want to memorialize a few things before I crawl into bed.
Although getting into the stadium was messy – if you visit one day make sure to print out your tickets, cause e-tickets just did not work – once you got in you were greeted with the booming sounds of classic hip-hop being spun by Kool Dj Red Alert. The crowd was lively, the volume was loud, the smell of weed was strong. That went on for a short while and then they transitioned into an opening act that I did not recognize. Some woman from one of those hip-hop & love shows or something and I’m too lazy to look it up. So this was when Ming and I went to go get chicken and IPAs. By the way, this was my first time at Barclays and I have to say it has a nice feel. A lot big open spaces, well designed bar areas and decent food selection. Anyway, when we got back to our floor seats we were pleased to see Marley Marl at the booth with his spiderman stickered laptop and what I assume was Serato. More classics and the mood was right again.
Then Z-Trip got on stage and prepped the crowd for Uncle L. LL’s set consisted of classics interspersed with guest appearances. He brought out EPMD, Canibus, Troy Ave, Raekwon, Murda Mook and Bell Biv Devoe. It was a good way to keep the crowd engaged and I thought it worked well. He also made it a point to recognize both his predecessors and people on the come up. And he shouted out Larry Smith briefly.
In between LL’s set and Run DMC, Funk Flex got on and spun some early, pre-radio hits. And proved again why he is a great Dj. When Run DMC finally came out the energy was good. Although Run seemed a little hoarse the set was mean and bolstered by the sheer number of stadium friendly hits that they have in their arsenal. And they are both charming guys and you can tell they’ve lived on stages so much that they share a strong comfort level with each other. Run was joking about how Reverend Run stayed home tonight so we got to bear witness to the foulmouthed version of himself. And although he was a bit edgy, overall they ran a respectful show. Especially when they took time out to honor Larry Smith and Jam Master Jay. Run explained how Smith was the man behind their sound. And it was touching to hear him articulate his gratitude and the fateful coincidence, that Larry Smith would die on the night that Run DMC returned, after so many years, to perform in front of a large crowd in New York.
There were a lot of other highlights but I’ll let the more patient and less tired heads write it up. It was a good show and I am happy Ming dragged my ass to BK. Shout out to WBLS and Hot 97, can we get more shows like this or what?
