Aleksa Stirane recounts the 90s icon's visit to Nottingham last month and the impression it left on the huge audience at the Motorpoint Arena.
When a hiphop legend performs in your area, you know you have to be there, and it did not
disappoint. This concert was a must-see, but I have to admit that unless you are standing, and
standing right at the front, the vibe of a hip hop concert is may not have travelled to the seats in the back.
Disappointingly The Game could not make it, and I missed the initial warm-up act due to
Nottingham’s rainy weather and heavy congestions but for the last couple of second that I caught
them they seemed great.
This was my first time at Motorpoint and the arena is pretty cool. It was super easy to get to and also easy to navigate, so plus points there. Sadly what disappointed me was some of the interactions I had
with fans, and there was one guy in particular that made the experience not so nice. It took a while for security to catch on as well so that’s the only thing I’d keep in mind.
The fascinating duo Cypress Hill tore the roof off. Performing classics like Hits from the Bong, Insane in the Brain and Jump Around the crowd was dancing and singing along. The audience interactions really stood out with their set, with the group dividing the crowd in two and really engaging people to shout, sing and go “insane” making the set memorable. My personal favourite was How I Could Just Kill a Man where everyone was shouting back the lyrics to the duo. I'd give the group a nine out of ten, I would love to see just a Cypress Hill concert where they are the main event. The lighting and graphics that were going on in the background also really captured the Cypress Hill essence moving along with the music and perfectly complimenting the crowd and performance on stage.
With a legacy to upkeep, Ice Cube played classic songs that everyone, not only hardcore fans, know.
There's never a dull moment when you are listening to Westside hip hop classics from as early as the
80s. With a legacy to upkeep, Ice Cube played classic songs that everyone, not only hardcore fans,
know. Obvious classics like It Was A Good Day, You Know How We Do It and Straight Outta
Compton were played and as excepted the crowd reacted favourably.
The vocal performance was great but Ice Cube's actual stage presence seemed to be lacking and at points, as it was really simple. When Ain’t Got No Haters started playing is when Ice Cube really shined in his performance in my opinion. This more down-to-earth and chill approach is what musically and artistically gave him that edge that I was looking for throughout his entire
performance. At some more heavy songs, the audience was what really carried the performance, as
something was missing. Sadly, I couldn't pinpoint what integral element to the show was missing, as I
don’t think I know what I was looking for. Maybe we just needed to see some more energy from the main man!
Aleksa Stirane
Edited by Tabitha Smith
Featured Image courtesy of Ice Cube via Facebook
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