Too $hort In Concert

This post is long overdue. Not long ago, I had the chance to see Todd Shaw (also known as Too $hort) in concert.

Growing up, I was never a huge Too $hort fan. I didn't dislike him, but he was far from my favorite. The bulk of my ambivalence regarding Too $hort often revolved around his beats. I'm not sure if I could really put my finger on it. The beats were slow and made for the trunk. Back in the day, I was a hyper kid that couldn't drive - not a good combination for slow trunk rattlers. Then there was the absolute vulgarity. Don't get me wrong. I listened to plenty of raunchy artists: Slick Rick, N.W.A., Geto Boys. However, there was something about Too $hort that seemed to take it to a different level. Sex (and a certain level of misogyny) was his forte'.

Nonetheless, there were a few Too $hort songs that I absolutely loved including: The Ghetto, Life Is...Too Short, and So You Want To Be A Gangster.

Last month (May 2008), I had the opportunity to see Too $hort in concert - FOR FREE! By free, I don't mean: "I had a hook-up" or "I was given a ticket." I mean that the concert was FREE for everyone in attendance. How was it free? It was sponsored by Scion. (Not only did they provide the free concert, they also gave away some decent promotional swag like bags, CDs and T-shirts. I know that this is no skin off of their backs thanks to their marketing budget, but I find the concert marketing to much more effective to me than a television commercial campaign. The reach may not be as broad with the concert promotion, but I'm more likely to consider a Scion than I was before. A commercial would not have done that.)

The show opened (as most of them do) with the DJ and a hype-man trying to get the crowd moving.



The opening act was a band out of California called Connie Price and The Keystones. The band included at least two drummers, three guys on horns, a guitarist / vocalist, a keyboardist and a bassist. They performed some of their own material mixed in with instrumental versions of some great hip-hop songs by artists like Digable Planets, Wu-Tang Clan, EPMD, Ol' Dirty Bastard and more.
Percee P followed with some material while Connie Price and the Keystones remained on stage to provide the musical backdrop.

His performance was solid. He showed a dedication to true Hip-Hop. He also exhibited the mentality of a hustler (in the sense of a hard work ethic) as he later blended in with the crowd to sell his CDs. A Man Of The People!!!



Then, Too $hort came through (with Connie Price and the Keystones still providing the musical backing).

He performed quite a few of the usual suspects: Freaky Tales, Bossy, Life Is...Too Short, The Ghetto, and Burn Rubber. I must admit that Too $hort's trunk-rattling beats sounded lovely when performed live by Connie Price and the Keystones.



Near the end of his performance, he brought Mixmaster Ice of UTFO onto stage to get some shine.


Am I likely to give his music more consideration now? Maybe a smidge. I don't mean that as a put down. I just don't consider him a lyricist. [But the show was FREE! I'm not sure I'd have much room to complain if all he did was walk out there and performed a mime routine.] Nonetheless, I loved the way he got the crowd into the show. He gave shout outs to all the areas cities (Detroit, Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, etc.) and all of the races in the crowd (Asian, white, black, etc.). He also allowed some guys to get on stage to rock the mic for a little while. That was very kind of $hort Dog, but I don't think any of those guys will end up in Unsigned Hype in the near future.

Many of the female fans in attention were hoping to get onto stage to show off they extremely short skirts, tight tops and exposed bellies. Too $hort was more than willing to oblige. He also made sure to shout out the lesbians in the crowd. I was quite surprised how many were in attendance. I didn't even have to guess. The sexual orientation was quite clear.* Not that I mind...I'm just sayin'. I was actually shocked that so many women were in attendance. Isn't this the guy who proclaims that his favorite word is b!tch?

The entire show, as a whole, was well worth my time. Even though it was free, it would have been worth some of my money as well.



[* I'm not saying it was clear based on some alleged stereotypical appearance. It was the kissing, groping, and other more explicit displays of affection. Not that I mind...I'm just sayin'.]