Photo: Kath Caller
"Ooh ooh it's De La Soul!" the crowd chanted in excitement as the lights of Sydney's Metro Theatre were turned low and the bass was elevated to full-body pulsating volume. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the arrival of one of hip hop's most influential bands to the stage.
The boys could not have asked for a better crowd on the anniversary of their 20th year together. The house was packed to the brim with both old-school fans, who remember singing along to the anthem 'Saturdays' while combing out their perfectly trimmed mullets and brushing dust off their oversized shoulder pads; and newfound fans, who stood out in the crowd because their attempt at singing along with the rest of us made them look like they were miming in tongues - until of course, those immortal words were uttered: "Hey, how you doin'? Sorry you can't get through. Why don't you leave your name...." You get the picture.
"Ladies and gentlemen," a disembodied voice boomed over the house speakers. "Welcome to - oh s***; De La Soul!"
An explosion of screams filled the room as the boys strutted onto the stage with a quiet confidence only afforded to those high-end performers who have walked the boards for more than two decades.
The boys launched ferociously into what would end up becoming a defining moment for both the band and old-school hip-hop fans alike. Their usual mishmash of old and new tracks was there, giving the audience just enough to keep them satisfied but still wanting more - let's face it, once you've seen De La Soul do a remix of Run DMC, there really is nothing left to see.
The set was tight: if it had started off as a lump of coal, by the time the two hours were up there would be a mountain of diamonds left in its wake. The backup band was flawless, moving from old-school hip-hop to classic jazz riffs with pure ease.
The crowd were given a glimpse into what it would be like living as a hip-hop star, with one-half of De La handing their microphones into the crowd to see what sort of free-styling talents Sydney could produce. Suffice to say both the boys and the crowd were thankful when the mics were given back to their rightful owners. At one point while Black Sheep MC was on stage, the crowd was ordered to crouch down and bounce along to the music. As the beats lifted to an almost unbearable crescendo, so too did the crowd, with the end result being an explosion of bodies dancing like it was their last day to live.
As Black Sheep yelled into the mic, "Let's all create a memory together!" a quick glance across the sea of faces had me thinking, "We already have."
Alex Hahn
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