It all started off on Halloween in Calgary, Canada. It was a brisk night on the windy plains of the oil rich city. Lean towers of glass and metal leaned to and fro as we weaved thru the streets. An anxious crowd awaited us as we pulled up to the spot. It seemed that the two opening groups had neglected to show up...which resulted in a listless crowd at best. We ( Zion I & the Grouch) rumbled to the stage and shook the dusky cavern to life. By the time we arrived back to the hotel it was 4 AM.
At 9 AM we were rolling back to the airport to fly out to Zurich, Switzerland. After layovers in Montreal, and London it felt like I'd slipped into a wormhole. We left on Thursday afternoon and arrived Friday afternoon. Reflecting on the cranky nature of the turbulence and the plastic seating of the plane, I began to think that there was a conspiracy against my much harassed sleeping patterns.
At the Zurich show, we rocked with a plethora of indie stalwarts. In in the house were OC, Eternia, Reef the Lost Cauze, and Illpoetic, amongst others. The youthful crowd, persuaded by the rivers of beer spilling on the floor, bounced and rocked thru the night. I even met a kid who threw up the thizz sign, and requested a set in honor of Mac Dre. In Switzerland though!! Life is a trip. This time we didn't even get to go to sleep. After the show, I went to the hotel, showered, and hopped in a car stuffed with baggage. As we headed to the airport I looked at the time, 4:30 AM. This is becoming a trend. The wackest thing about it was that we had to drive an hour outside of Zurich, to Basel to catch our flight.
We landed in Hamburg, Germany at 9 AM. As soon as I got to the hotel, I fell out and stayed asleep till 5 PM. By 5:30 we were already gliding to soundcheck. We hit the stage at 10. Coming out thru the haze of artificial smoke and lack of ventilation, we gazed out into the sea of eager heads. Yeah, this shit looked dope. There must of been over 1,000 people crammed into the large hollow of a room. All those expectant faces must have done something, because we gathered strength from the ethers and pushed past exhaustion.
Let me not forget to mention that it was hot in the club. I mean, so extreme that both Deuce and I had bouts with lightheadedness from goin just alil too hard. Yet in still, the enthusiastic crowd roared with approval. Hands swayed and faces reeled as we shocked with every ounce of energy in the tanks. It was easily one of the illest shows we've done in Europe. Germany is one of those places that truly appreciates hip hop as an art. Here, the game is not so saturated, the culture is not sold to you with a side order of fries. It is at once more innocent, and less affected.
After we finished, Redman came through and left the spot obliterated. He bounced thru classic after classic proclaiming between songs "Remember when Hip Hop was good??!?" The audience screamed back, in an attempt to rekindle the fires that first sparked Kool Herc and Bambataa.
In the immortal words of R Kelly, "after the show is the after party." Indeed it twas. A rich assortment of ethnicities grooved inside of the club, right across the street on the world famous Reeperbahn. This spot is any party animals dream, as it is known as the red light district of Germany. Strip clubs, sex shops, and ho houses clutter the lenghty blocks which comprise the area. On this night, it was a veritable free for all as young folks, drank and smoked their way into oblivion in the chill night air.
Inside the spot, Africans, Turks, Arabs, Germans, and Asians bounced to the rugged beats pumping out of the system. I couldn't help but smile at the fact this was nothing like the Germany I had ever imagined. I could have been in LA, or NY by the feel of the club. The only difference was that the dancing mass thrilled in "tru skool" beats just as much as Soljah Boy's "Superman". There was even a point at which the dancefloor broke out in a prolonged scuffle of bottle throwing and cursing. I must admit, it was entertaining.
Once again, at around 4:30 AM, we wound up back at the hotel, only to catch a cab to the airport at 5:15. No sleep till Oakland! It was a live trip in all. But, especially Hamburg. It showed me that its the same worldwide, different toilet, same shit.
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