« Bone Thugs-N-Harmony live @ The Independent, SF by Ro Knew »

As an 80s baby who discovered my love for hip-hop in the mid-90s, it comes as no surprise that Bone Thugs-n-Harmony was a major influence to me as I became immersed in this music and culture. Those who can recall 1995-96 as vividly as I do will recall that Bone was on top of the world at the time, dominating the commercial charts with singles like "1st of Tha Month" and "Tha Crossroads," but also maintaing artistic integrity with a very dark, unique, and innovative style. Although their recent output may not match up to the classic E. 1999 Eternal, at least 3 out of the 5 members remain very capable emcees, with Krayzie Bone in particular reminding us of this with his show-stealing guest appearances throughout the last decade. I wasn't sure if I was up to paying the $30 price tag to see them perform at SF's Independent with no local support listed on the bill, but when I ended up winning tickets through a Thizzler On The Roof contest, I immediately set my evening's plans aside and geared up for the show.

We entered the Independent around 8:30, as local legend DJ D-Sharp with emcee Tone Vic were closing out their set. Although the crowd was still relatively small at this point, Tone Vic brought some high-energy verses to complement D-Sharp's slick blends of boom-bap tracks and hyphy Bay slaps. D-Sharp even came out from behind the decks and spit a few bars which definitely got a good reaction from the already buzzing audience. (I'm sure it was a great day for business at the Independent's bar as well as the local cannabis dispensaries)! Next up was DJ Platurn from the Oakland Faders crew. While it can be difficult for opening artists or DJs to keep the attention of an impatient crowd anxious to see the headliner, Platurn went above and beyond the call of duty. Starting off with some old soul records and then digging into the hip hop crates, his set was like a walk down memory lane as I seemed to hear ALL my favorite jams from the 1992-2000 era - not just radio singles but classic underground anthems from all regions of the country. Spinning for almost an hour and a half, Platurn kept the fans entertained until the lights dimmed and Bone Thugs' official DJ began setting up his equipment. Also shoutout to Platurn for mentioning the BP oil spill and the importance of making ourselves aware, without coming across as preachy or creating a negative vibe.

After the DJ built up the hype for a bit longer - lighting blunts on stage and passing around Hennessy to the front row - it was finally time for one of the most memorable entrances I have witnessed at a hip-hop show. Rather than coming out from backstage, the members entered one at a time through the FRONT door of the Independent - flanked by security but also slapping hands with audience members. Layzie Bone was the first to take the stage, and he couldn't possibly have picked a better verse to open the set with: "Think about back in the days when the year was '89, little ni**a on the grind..."  and any dedicated BTNH fan knows the rest. Bizzy Bone was conspicuously absent, which was a bit of disappointment for me given that his face was on the flyer and he is still an official part of the group, but I can't say I was surprised, given the stories of his personal troubles and battles with alcohol (We wish you the best on Celebrity Rehab, Bizzy. Seriously).  

With the remaining four members now on stage, the tone was set for the evening. The group rattled off hit after hit, including "Thuggish Ruggish Bone," "Dayz Of Our Lives," "1st Of Tha Month," and "Foe Tha Love of $."  I know I wasn't the only one singing along word-for-word to these. The show then took a bit of a more serious turn as it entered the "Tribute to the fallen soldiers" segment - but this didn't bring down anyone's positive spirits as it included tributes to Michael Jackson, Eazy-E, Biggie Smalls ("Notorious Thugs"), 2Pac ("Thug Luv") and of course their most popular song ever, "Tha Crossroads."  (I would have liked to have heard Krayzie perform the verse from his collaboration with Big Pun, but no one seemed intent on rocking non-BTNH material). We then got to hear the debut of some new material, which wasn't as entertaining as the performance of the classics, but I can't say that the new songs were weak by any means. After this, the subject of Flesh-n-Bone's 10-year incarceration and recent release was brought up, which served as an inspirational moment and perfect segue to the closing number - "No Surrender," which may have drawn the loudest and hypest reaction of any song in the whole show.

Overall, it was definitely an experience that I'm I got to be a part of - especially for free, thanks Thizzler! My only complaints would be Bizzy's absence and the fact that at certain points, the group's mics were too low and it was clear they were rapping over their songs rather than the instrumental tracks. Even with those minor sound issues, it was clear that the 17-year veterans - particularly Krayzie and Layzie - can still rattle off their rapid-fire harmonies without missing a beat or fumbling a lyric. Even if they never make another major hit, I think they'll be able to sustain themselves touring for several more years as long as they are able to deliver performances of this quality.