REVIEW: Big Boi at Club Soda, Montreal

Photos by EvaBlue. PLEASE SUPPORT!

Bonjour! Big ups to our homie Laurent and his peoples at 33 Mag in Montreal, Canada for providing this amazing review of this show! Look for more cross-border collaborations with Couch Sessions and 33 Mag real soon!
After a fast and absolutely unscientific survey, I can affirm that nobody could remember if Outkast ever stepped in the 514 during their career. Sizzurp, apparently, hits more than we’d like to believe.
So, the presence of Outkast’s Big Boi at Club Soda in Montreal’s notorious Red Light District had a particular significance for North of the Border’s playas and Montreal’s Funk Freaks. There were definitely people waiting to hear a blasting sound system exerting from the upcoming Sir Luscious Left Foot: The son of Chico Dusty. But most of us were there for a travel across time and space: Direction Stankonia, Georgia, era 1994-2000.
After pushing the audience’s patience to its limits, the last of the multitude of opening acts finally retreated where they should have never left: backstage. Four hours after the doors opened, alas, the tired host announced, trying to be as convincing as he could, that the South was in the building and ready to jump on stage. Yesssssssir, ‘cause with beers at $6.50 a pop, I was drinking more dollars an hour than my hourly rate at work.

Without wasting a second, “the least effeminate half of Outkast” (as a good friend of mine puts it) was rocking the room with the hits he wrote with Andre 3K--2 Dope Boys in a Cadillac, Git up Git out, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, Ms Jackson--all in 15 minutes! Woah. I didn’t need the ATLiens chorus to raise my hands in the air and wave them like a Wacky Waving inflatable arm flailing tube man. The projection of the amazing videography of Outkast was flawless and (surprisingly) perfectly coordinated with the song performed on stage. It made me realize though, how much hip-hop needs more artists capable of producing inspired and varied videos. I mean, who else can claim to have recorded videos with an entire pet shop, crazy indu-alien chicks and fierce pimps and playas from the A-Town?

The mood couldn’t have been smoother to introduce the new joints from Big Boi’s LP. It was a real treat to (re)discover in such good conditions Royal Flush (with Andre 3k and Raekwon), Shine Blockas (with Gucci Mane) and For ya Sorrows (featuring George Clinton & Too $hort), one of my favourite tracks of the year so far. A twitter leak is always good to spread the word but a blast-in-the-face performance is still the best way to break singles. Yet aware that new tracks are always a bit rough on a crowd’s spirit, Hot Tub Tony rapidly got back to its most known material and sped up the night with its best shots. You could have had your booty dipped in liquid nitrogen, I like the way you move, Bombs over Bagdad, The whole world and Player’s ball would have made your shorts bounce left to right. The grand finale was a wink at those who followed Big Boi’s adventures with the Purple Ribbon All-Stars. The explosive Kryptonite gave a chance to C-Bone to shine a bit outside of his backing vocal role and drained the last bit of energy out of the fans. ”I be on it/On it/On it/I be on that kryptonyte!” Ya!

I left with my ears buzzing happily and totally satisfied, something that doesn’t happen at much of these pre-album promo tours. DC people, be assured: Big Boi still got the stank! You better catch him when he hits your town.