KRS-ONE @ Le National

By Adrian - Eclectricity - 03/09/2008

KRS-One’s 1994 Montreal concert is the greatest concert experience of my life. With the exception of The Roots or Femi Kuti, no concert, hip-hop or otherwise, has managed to dethrone KRS' impact on me. Not even his 1997 Montreal concert could top that night. Since 1997, there have been a lot of changes on my part. Nothing is stagnant. Things change for better or worse. My views on hip-hop music and concerts have changed. KRS' Montreal concerts have obviously changed as well, bringing us to March 9, 2008 at National.

When I learned of KRS' Montreal date, I was leery. I didn't want anything to ruin my already high esteem of him and that 1994 night. There was a strong turn out that Sunday night despite the weekend's snow storm. One realized that the night was going to be memorable judging by the crowd's reaction to "MCs Act Like They Don't Know," one of his set's earliest tracks. To see the icon performing live in front of you is worth the cost of admission. After the initial moment of being star struck wore off, I prepared myself for what was to come.

The night was filled with highs and lows. Among the lows were factors within and outside of KRS' control. Never have I heard a performer comment about technical difficulties as much as I did that night. He couldn't get the lights turned down when needed, he occasionally asked if he was being heard, and he could not get anyone to turn off the air-conditioning. There was an overall feeling that this concert was makeshift and nearly did not take place. It is not certain whether there was a communication breakdown due to language barrier, but one could feel there may not have been a lot of preparation for the night.

I noticed a trend with KRS Montreal concerts that stems from 1997. Unlike the 1994 concert where he was the central figure on stage, in 1997 he brought more people on stage with him including BDP members and breakdancers. In the beginning of the show, he was the sole figure on stage aside from the DJs, but by the middle to the end, it was a free-for-all. He asked audience members to come onstage and dance. Within moments, he had a scene from "Step Up" or "You Got Served" going on. That was interesting but suspect at the same time. Next, he invited audience members to go on stage and rhyme while he drew on blank white t-shirts and shot them into the crowd. That moment looked like 8 Mile onstage. Was all this filler or planned? On one hand, I felt that he was recreating a Bronx block party on stage, but on the other I was wondering if he was saving his energy for a bigger venue the next night. The jury is still out on that issue.

Still, KRS is such a seasoned performer that he overcame any difficulties he may have had on stage. Something that was difficult to accept was his sampler style presentation of his music. With over twenty years of material, he is not expected to perform all his songs in one night. The problem was that one verse of each song is not enough KRS. Few MCs have the charisma and stage presence of KRS. I know that, the audience knows that, and most importantly, he knows that. When you add the technical problems and relatively limited time on stage, you get the feeling you were lucky to see him that night.

A lot has changed for me, KRS and his Montreal concerts since 1994. I had the privilege of attending the greatest concert of my life and he was a major factor for that night being so memorable. Perhaps some people in the audience at Le National thought that was the greatest concert of their life. One thing is undeniable. KRS has what it takes to make any performance memorable. Thanks for '94 Kris.

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