Tech N9nes unlikely career continued to defy logic Saturday at the Midland theater.
CONCERT REVIEW
Riot Maker Tech N9ne in top form at Midland
Kansas City rapper kicks off an ambitious tour in front of a giddy and noticeably younger sold-out crowd.
March 25
BY BILL BROWNLEE
Special to The Star
The Kansas City-natives fan base isnt merely growing its also getting younger. More than a third of the 3,000 people at Saturdays sold-out concert were teenagers.
Audiences for popular music tend to reflect the demographics of individual artists. Yet Tech N9ne, 40, is more than twice the age of many of his most ardent admirers. The excitability of the youthful audience occasionally made the event seem like a debauched version of a performance by a teen idol.
Tech N9nes hometown concerts long have resembled wanton New Years Eve celebrations. If the current trend continues, future Tech N9ne appearances may need to feature designated childrens sections.
Tech N9nes appeal to teens may be partly explained by the heavy rotation the music video for his Am I a Psycho? is receiving on the BET cable television channel.
The song features B.o.B, one of several high-profile acts hes collaborated with in recent years. Such savvy career moves have made Tech N9ne the regions most commercially successful musical export of the past 20 years. His new release currently tops Billboard magazines independent record label album chart and resides at No. 15 on the publications overall album chart. This latest success enhances his status as the all-time top-selling independent artist in hip-hop.
Saturdays performance, the first in an ambitious string of concerts thats billed as the longest consecutive tour in rap history, showed Tech N9ne in top form. An uncluttered new video-enhanced set represented a significant upgrade over previous designs. The set list was similarly revamped. Favorites such as Riot Maker, Einstein and Welcome to the Midwest made the opening segment of Tech N9nes 90-minute set almost flawless. The masterful interplay between Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko and the rap duo Ces Cru on Unfair was the evenings artistic pinnacle. The songs disorienting torrent of words are a hip-hop version of the Tower of Babel. The unintelligible outburst was fascinating.
Renditions of Beautiful Music and the otherwise prodigiously gifted Kalikos Simon Says represented the only musical lulls in an otherwise ceaselessly frenetic party. Unfortunately, Tech N9nes rambling monologue near the conclusion of the concert killed much of its momentum. Hed be well served to put as much preparation into his stage patter as obviously goes into his rigorously paced performances.
Aside from the unexplained absence of longtime sidekick Kutt Calhoun, the concerts most surprising twist was an encore after the traditional closing song Im a Playa. Assisted by Mayday, the best of the concerts four opening acts, Tech N9ne performed The Noose, a somber song about the challenges faced by combat veterans.
Mayday resembles an artless version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Even so, its welcome use of live instrumentation made the Miami-based act compelling.
An appearance by Machine Gun Kelly also captivated. Initially an awkward blur of nervous energy, the newcomer settled down after a fan removed his pants. He then shamelessly danced to Blink-182s pop-punk hit Whats My Age Again? in his underwear. The Ohioans new release on Sean Diddy Combs Bad Boy Records is aptly titled Half Naked & Almost Famous.
As sated fans stumble toward the exits after midnight, they were informed that Tech N9nes tour would conclude July 7 at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater, the Bonner Springs venue formerly known as Sandstone. Proponents of uninhibited revelry are advised to circle the date. Tech N9nes shows remain unparalleled celebrations of Kansas City.




