Review: Tech N9NE at the Fillmore, 7/2/11

Britt Chester

Tech N9NE last night

​TECH N9NE at the FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 7/1/11

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You have not seen devoted fans until you've seen hundreds of folks styled in red and black with faces painted and ready for lyrical war at a Tech N9NE concert. Last night at the Fillmore, the Kansas City heavyweight shut it down with his Strange Music crew.

With a line around the corner, down the street and around the corner again, the sixteen-and-up sold-out crowd was rowdy and ready to raise hell by about 4 p.m. Chants of "Tech N9NE! Tech N9NE!" could be heard for blocks long before doors opened at 7 sharp.

Read our pre-concert interview with Tech N9NE

We spotted more than a few folks mixing soda with booze in disposable cups while they waited in line under an unforgiving sun and smoldering heat. They came to party and didn't give a damn.

View the Tech N9NE at the Fillmore slide show

Britt Chester

The crush of fans last night at the Fillmore for Tech N9ne. View the Tech N9NE at the Fillmore slideshow

Once folks began filing into the venue, the madness really got started. A melting pot of gangsters, juggalos, juggalettes, college undergrads, hippie-indie folks and plain old party people blended together for a dynamic (and drunk) crowd. We witnessed a guy fall up a flight of steps, only to then tumble down that same flight of stairs and keep it moving as if nothing happened. Later, I saw this same guy being escorted out of the venue by security, and he was still in a pretty nasty stupor -- and all this took place before the first act even came on.

Britt Chester

Black Pegasus. View the Tech N9NE at the Fillmore slide show

Black Pegasus brought out Hypnotiq and King Tef's crew for a bouncy, pre-recorded rap lyrics set that, from a technical standpoint, could have been better, yet warmed the crowd up considerably. Black P then brought out an affiliate whose flaming-red Afro was as much a highlight as his rapid-fire rap flow. He slayed the crowd with his comfortable wordplay. Stevie Stone gave a relatively forgettable performance, although his set was energetic and choreographed to the nines. There were a number of folks in the crowd who dug his music, but it was clear that the next few acts really came to bring the noise.

Britt Chester

¡Mayday! View the Tech N9NE at the Fillmore slide show

The MC introduced the next act saying that someone was likely to "get bitten or kissed" after the outfit hit the stage. ¡Mayday!'s band opened up immediately after that with an instrumental introduction so fierce, the whole place turned into one giant dance floor. The bongo player (who got so busy on those things, it felt like Cuba for a second) was also the resident b-boy, and he killed it. The Miami-based rappers came strong and put on a great set, alternating between being the focal point and setting the attention to the musicians providing the music. After a while, the crowd's excitement lost its luster, though.

Britt Chester

Kutt Calhoun. View the Tech N9NE at the Fillmore slide show

Kutt Calhoun came out with more swagger in the red bandanna tied around his neck than most cats will have all year. From the moment he took the stage, the gang-banging commenced in full force. Chants of "su-woop," the high-pitched Blood gang salutation, could be heard from almost every person in the venue, gang-affiliated or not. When Calhoun performed the classic "Colors," damn near everybody lost their minds, representing for Kutt's crew like there was no tomorrow. The gang-banging got a little redundant with each song, but he got busy on the microphone and even performed from the audience for a while.