TECH N9NE!!!

Good Morning Ladies & Gentlemen,

Well, I decided to go see my first real concert since the 95 plus four pennies (that's 1999 for the two of you who don't know who Snoop Dogg or Dr. Dre are). That concert back then...was Blink 182 shortly before hitting it big with "What's My Age Again?" and "Small Things." My buddy Ryan invited me...and it was rainy...and I left when participants in the mosh pit grabbed 2 x 4's. That coupled with my hesitance to pay $50 plus for a seat at a good show nowadays, I haven't been to a concert in a while. However, my brother got a ticket to the Tech 9 show out at Saltair (actually not a bad venue for a concert, once you get past the smell of the Great Salt Lake). I have a few pictures of the show...but they all suck because it's the camera phone, so I'm adding links to the acts if you care to check them out. In a general admission concert though, it pays to be really really tall.

• Opening acts included Self Expression Entertainment, who resembled the Jackson 5 for a moment...but then half the people rapped and the other half danced sounding nothing like Michael, Tito, Jermaine, and the rest. Two stars.


• Next was the group Potluck, who announced that they were joining with Tech 9, Kottonmouth Kings, and Cypress Hill to form the pot-smoking supergroup, "The Cannibus Cartel" whose album will release early 2008. Keep an eye out for them.


• As for their performance, it was pretty good. I was quite impressed seeing as I had never heard of them before. They allegedly debuted two single from the "Cannibus Cartel" album entitled "Stoner B**ch" and "You Ain't That Fine." Both were pretty good. Four stars.


• Next, they had a heavy metal group "Dog Faced Gods" play and they were awesome. The music was a little out of place at a hip-hop concert but I'm glad that they threw them in. The lead guitarist may have looked like Queen Latifah but he sure could play. Bass guitar looked like Jesus, singer looked like Big Pun, and they played awesome. Four stars.


• We found the other two people in the audience that don't smoke pot. How? They tried to start a mosh pit and nobody would participate, they just backed away. Trying to pick a fight with a stoner isn't going to work usually.


• However, if you try to mosh with the two 6'8" guys who are uninterested, you'll catch a hockey check up high and get laid out. Unfortunately, that guy found out the hard way.


• On that note, there was a strange fragrance throughout the establishment during the show. It smelled like a hippie commune or my friend's computer room. They must have been spraying new herbal Febreze or something to counteract the smell of sweat & cigarettes that people were smoking.


• Did you know that Evian is Naive backwards?


• Finally, Tech 9 came onto the stage. Joined by Cut Calhoun and Chris Calico (both have albums coming out soon), they formed a threesome of hip-hop showmanship. On the real though, it was pretty good. The songs were catchy, they danced a little bit, basically just great showmen as expected and great at getting the crowd involved.


• If you have never heard of Tech 9, then think of him as an incredibly fast rapper at times but knows how to slow it down, make great hooks, integrates rock music into his rap, and he has no problem with reminding you that he's from Kansas City - "K-C-Mo, WEOOOOOOO-OH!!!"

• The only reason that I really know of him is because my brother really likes him...and I've listened to his songs in his car all the time. He's okay. The show however, five stars. Great show and I'm glad that I decided to go at the last minute. Now, will I got to Kottonmouth Kings on December 9th? You bet your ass I won't.

After the show, I basically went home, checked the email, and went to sleep, waking up around 10 AM again. Today, I'm probably going to Lagoon since the weather seems to have cleared up. If not, I'll just watch football all day. I have no problem with that. By the way, did you guys catch the college football yesterday? Wouldn't it be awesome if the national championship were between the two undefeated teams left when it rolls around...and it's South Florida versus Hawaii??? I think so...but it'll probably be LSU and the winner of the one-lose lottery, probably USC. Anyway, have a great day and I'll catch up with you tomorrow. Football's starting now.