Curren$y at Marquis Theater, 10/21/10

Britt Chester

It was little testy last night at the Marquis. Things got off to a tense start with a heavy-handed security presence combined with a restlessness on the part of the crowd as they waited for the show to get going -- more than half the crowd was on hand before the DJ started spinning. When things got underway, the opening act, Corner Boy P, had such an awful flow that save if not for his collaborator, New Orleans native, Fiend, his set could have -- and probably should've -- just been skipped altogether.

Britt Chester

Corner Boy P

The thing with shows like this -- part of a cross country jaunt dubbed the Smokers Tour and clearly geared toward the smoking crowd -- being held in a smoker-friendly town like Denver, is that folks naturally come ready to get their smoke on. Problem is, there's an indoor smoking-ban in this state. As such, folks were subjected to an intensive, invasive pat down at the door, which created an intense energy in an already highly charged space.

Britt Chester

Fiend

The tour DJ tamed the crowd a bit with several smokers' anthems like Rick James' "Mary Jane" and a few classics like Junior M.A.F.I.A's "Get Money." The party really got started when Smoke DZA took the stage admonishing security to "chill out and let my friends smoke," garnering cheers as he launched into his set with tracks from his early effort Substance Abuse.

Britt Chester

The performance was very well received and DZA rocked with so much bass, the liquor bottles behind the bar could be heard rattling from the top shelf. He brought charm and charisma throughout his energetic set cutting the tension with hilarious call and response participation and in performing tracks from his latest mixtape George Kush Da Button. He really shined, though, when he kicked a freestyle over Kanye West's "Power," declaring "no one man should smoke all that sour," prompting the clouds of smoke to rise higher and higher.

Britt Chester

Smoke DZA