Cage & Grand Buffet @ CCSU

Thursday night seems like an odd night for a school to be throwing a concert, but then again there isn’t very much that’s normal about Cage and Grand Buffet. The night started with a bang, or more precisely a spark, as one of the opening acts managed to accidentally set the place on fire, literally. The original area where the show was being held had to moved down the hall, which took around an hour. The wait was of no concern to my group of people since we didn’t think the show was going to start so early anyways (seriously, I dig when shows start on time, but 8:00PM!?!).

The changing of stages also meant for a rearranging of the acts. Cage had to get to another show later that night so rather than headlining he went on next to the last. He hit the stage for an energetic set looking more and more like an indy rocker, but still sounding just like Cage. The Def Jux veteran ran through some of his more current songs, referencing ones that aren’t even that old as old, but to the young college crowd anything that came out a handful of years ago has to be considered classic at this point. I highly doubt anyone was 10 years old and listening to Cage. His fans, however, were rabid, rushing the stage and rapping his lyrics right along with him.

One thing that Cage did remarkably well was segue into having one of his boys on stage to spit a rhyme or two. He had a song with the artist, so they performed it together, and then he left the stage, giving his boy time to shine on his own for a few songs. When the time was right Cage jumped back on the stage and closed the set himself. It may not have seemed like much, and it was all done quietly, but it was a clinic in how to introduce an artist to your fans. It’s no wonder Cage has been around so long.

After Cage was finished it was time for Grand Buffet to hit the stage. My group of people had been hanging with Lord Grunge and Jackson before the show and they’re both really cool people, so both DJ Halo and I tried to help convince some of Cage’s fans to stick around. It wasn’t the easiest sell in the world as many of the people had already seen what they came to see, but despite the dispersing crowd Grand Buffet rocked the house when it was their time to hit the stage. Saddled with a limited set due to the fact that the school wanted to close up shop at 11PM, the duo ran through a number of hits off of their Five Years Of Fireworks album, even taking requests from the audience and messing with a few people for fun and enjoyment. Despite the crowd being smaller than the duo might have wanted they still seemed right at home doing exactly what they wanted to do on stage. It’s nice to see a group that loves performing enough to rock any size audience and not slack off if it’s a few hundred rather than a few thousand.

Overall seeing Cage and Grand Buffet was a great time. During Cage’s set I saw a beautiful girl who was both dancing to the music and reciting Cage’s lyrics. I figured this was my kind of girl so I went up to her after Cage was off stage. I asked her if she went to school at CCSU and she said no, she had snuck into the show with her friends. I thought snuck was an odd choice of words since it was a free show and none of the people I was with went to CCSU either. Turns out the girl was only 17 (yes, you can start the Winger serenade now). Rather than being taken aback I was actually encouraged to hear that there were groups of teenagers sneaking into Cage shows. A lot of critics like to tell people Hip-Hop is dying because of who the major labels are signing, or what’s getting airplay on the radio, but as long as there is still a contingent of high schoolers out there who are looking to find ways to get into shows like this one Hip-Hop’s going to be just fine.

Sightings: Other than the acts who hit the stage I think DJ Halo and I were probably the only even quasi-important people at the show. College shows don’t usually bring out the celebs.

Liks: The same way college shows don’t bring out the Hilton sisters, they also don’t serve alcohol, so there were no drink specials to report on from this one, though I’m sure there was plenty of drinking going on before and after the show in various dorm rooms and houses.

Verdict: Both Cage and Grand Buffet give a great show. I look forward to seeing Grand Buffet do a full set sometime as their energy and mix of political ideas with biting humor makes for a great time.

For pics of the show click here

Comments

WEKetchum said…
I really need to go to more hip-hop concerts. I've only been to a few of em, but I'm trying to step my game up....best I've been to was last summer: De La Soul, Common, and John Legend in Detroit. Hot shit.

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