Lupe Fiasco Turns B-Ball Court Into Trampoline - F&M College 2/19
WHO: Lupe Fiasco
WHERE: Franklin & Marshall College – Lancaster, PA
WHEN: 02.18.12
When one thinks “Lancaster, Pennsylvania liberal arts college,” they often don’t think “superstar rap artists,” but nevertheless on February 18, 2012 Lupe Fiasco hit up Franklin and Marshall’s Mayser Gymnasium in a show that was little known to the community outside of the student population. All that being said, he still put together a collection of new and old hits that the crowd really responded to.
The setting was far from intimate, as the stage was set up on an old basketball court and a sweaty mass of students occupied the majority of the gym. Though the dance floor/basketball court wasn’t exactly comfortable, I have to say that the feeling of the hardwood floor bouncing up and down like a trampoline was pretty awesome. The crowd consistently displayed the same fun-loving sense of playfulness that often finds its ways into Lupe’s music, which made for a great atmosphere.
Photo Credit: Brian Moghadam (lupefiasco.com)
I’ve always enjoyed rap concerts best when all of the music is played live, but there was no way to for Lupe to play everything without a few electronic tracks. His full band did a great job navigating the space between pure electro-pop rap and the more rich Roots-esque live jams. For instance, a song like “Kick Push” had all of the fullness expected from a live set as the keyboards and guitars took over for the studio version’s heavy string and horn section. At the same time, when he broke out “The Show Goes On,” it was pure pop bliss. For all anyone in the crowd could have cared, none of the instruments mattered in that song. The infectious Modest Mouse sample with epic horns and lyrics that can surely brighten everybody’s day made my best memory of the night resisting the urge to scream “all right/already/the show goes on!” every time the hook played. What Lupe did best was provide a wide-ranging array of all his most popular hits for rich white kids to dance to in an old gym.
Photo Credit: Matt L (tristateindie.com)
Lupe isn’t an indie artist, nor has he ever been, but he has always had a mass appeal that just about everyone can appreciate. For the crowd that wanted to see Lupe prove is hip-hop chops, he played “Go-Go Gadget Flow” and his very own verse from Kanye’s “Touch the Sky.” For the crowd that wanted get rowdy and dance, he tracks like “Superstar,” and “The Show Goes On.” All in all, there was something for everybody, which makes for a great show. Check out the set list below:
- Words I Never Said
- State Run Radio
- I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now (cut short due to a crowd incident)
- Everyone Noise (Remix) (N*E*R*D cover) (cut short due to a crowd incident)
- Go Go Gadget Flow
- Coming Up
- Till I get There
- Touch the Sky (Kanye West Cover)
- I Gotcha
- Kick, Push
- Hip-Hop Saved My Life
- The Coolest
- Happy Birthday (for Erik Hammer, guitar player)
- Happy Birthday (for Big Baby Bam, drummer)
- Unknown (freestyle about F &M)
- Out of My Head
- Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways)
- Never Forget You
- Superstar
- Daydreamin’
Encore:
21. The Show Goes On
Encore 2:
22. I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now
23. Everyone Noise (Remix) (N*E*R*D Cover)
