Classified + Kidz In The Hall @ Club Soda

So, on a beautiful Saturday, there I was at another great concert (one of many that weekend in Montreal). The first act had just finished playing to an almost full Club Soda when I got there. For it to be full at that point - before the main act - was great to see. Whatever the reason, we were all there to see Juno-nominated rap-producer Classified.

The Enfield, Nova Scotia native is currently performing his catchy, witty lyrics and amazing beats with a nationwide tour to promote his 14th studio album (2nd with Sony Music Entertainment), Handshakes and Middle Fingers. Having gotten on stage early, he delivered an hour and a half of some good old hip-hop, the kind that you wish you heard more often. He came on stage in a cloud of smoke, followed by his two hype men, one of which is his brother, Mike Boyd. He didn’t waste any time delivering his usual smooth style over great DJ delivered beats that got the crowd jumping non-stop throughout the show. His set list was filled mainly with tracks from his latest album, but he did perform a few oldies, much to the delight of the audience (most noticeably "Oh...Canada" from 2009’s Self-Explanatory). At one point he brought a girl from the crowd on stage to sing along with him; luckily she knew the lyrics to the song and stayed 'till the end of it. For his encore he performed a seven minute mash-up of seven songs.

On a side note, I was happy to discover Kidz In The Hall, the opening act. The Chicago duo gave an impressive performance. Equipped with a laptop, drum machine and a lone snare drum, they put out some great beats! I’ll definitely be looking for more material from the duo.

I must say, it was a very exciting and entertaining show. I’m impressed by the response Classified received from the audience; they were in it from the beginning, and that intensity didn’t die down when the beats slowed down. Classified and his band had great interaction with them during the concert. The drummer actually stage dived into the crowd and went all the way to the sound board at the back of the floor level. Not bad!

-Alex Menjivar co-hosts Phantastiq Cypha on Fridays from 4-6pm