schmiggens
Outrageous
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Registered: Apr 2003
Local time: 12:06 AM
Location: In The Zone
Posts: 18704
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Concert review: Black Eyed Peas
HEART AND SOUL: Black Eyed Peas Will.I.Am and Fergie help tear the roof off Wellington's Events Centre.
Two and a half years ago Black Eyed Peas tore the roof off the Starlight Ballroom. With two albums under their belt the trio of breakdancing hip-hoppers – Will.I.Am, Apl de Ap and Taboo – had plenty to prove.
Backed by a sharp, funky band they certainly delivered the goods. Dedicated to preserving the old-school intentions of hip-hop, owing a debt to the likes of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, Black Eyed Peas have always been wise in their assimilation of funk, soul, reggae, R'n'B and hip-hop. But with the release of their third album, Elephunk, they have lifted their game, raised the level; they are now a pop phenomenon – as well as still being a fantastic live hip-hop unit.
The band's second album, Bridging The Gap, featured guest vocalists (including Macy Gray) but with Elephunk the band have added female vocalist Fergie as a fulltime member.
To see Black Eyed Peas live – for the third time – just shows that they have developed artistically. All commercial intentions are worn – along with their hearts – on their sleeves; and album tracks like Hands Up and Smells Like Funk engage the crowd just as much as the dancehall-funk of Hey Mama or the pop-rock sheen attached to the slinky hip-hop groove of Let's Get It Started.
They still offer tracks from Bridging The Gap (Weekends) and their debut Behind The Front (Joints & Jam). And their band is fantastic as ever; the lead guitarist blending Santana-styled leads with groovy melodic hooks; the drums marking the pulse of each song; rich basslines entice the crowd to dance.
The section before the encores where the band got to fully show off their chops was absolutely electrifying, matching the impressive freestyling by the three rappers and the scat singing by Fergie.
Black Eyed Peas are now reaching a larger, wider audience. Other than that it was business as usual, another amazing show from one of the best live bands in the pop and hip-hop fields.
Black Eyed Peas show that if you offer your heart and soul on stage, you can bridge any musical and philosophical gaps.
- Stuff
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10-11-2004 08:49 AM
