Lupe Fiasco @ The Fillmore 1/31/08

Greaaaaaaat show! Can I just leave it at that? I went with a colleague from work. We're from different departments, but he facebooked me and we've become work buddies, based on the fact that we a) are probably the only black people under 25 who work there, b) can talk about Greek stuff - he's a Sigma, and c) he's mad cool. I SO did not want to drive to Philly, but his car was in the shop. Imagine my surprise when he said he could drive stick! Bonus points were immediately awarded. He drove us to Philly, and got a BEAUTIFUL parking spot directly across from the theatre, on South Street. Soooo fab! It was at that point we knew the night was gonna be awesome. I've got chills just thinking about it! Now, we had been late leaving Jersey, so my BFF and her boyfriend were already having dinner when we arrived. Work Buddy and I walked down the street to this diner type place, and ordered drinks and apps. (side note: the drink menu included a drink called the "Jamaican Me Crazy." It was made with Captain Morgan's. Ummm, how are you going to title a drink after my homeland without including either Appleton or Meyer's? Boooooo!) I had a Money Maker - I don't remember what was in it, other than Bacardi, but it was good. BFF and boyfriend met us at the diner, we drank, talked, took pics; Work Buddy and I got Blue Moon (yum!), then it was off to the show. It started at nine, but due to the warning of one of my HU bros Josh, we went in late, so as to avoid the crappy opening acts. We got there as this dude named Optimus was finishing up his set, with a surprisingly good version of Bob Marley's "Waiting in Vain." There was an intermission, so we went to the bar, where WB sweetly got shots for the group (it was BFF's boyfriend's birthday). SoCo and lime, let's go! The majority of the crowd was white high school kids, of course, with a sprinkling of uber-hip and fly young black people. Fast-forward to the crowd chanting: "Lupe! Lupe! Lupe!" and the show started! I bet WB that Lu would start the show with "Superstar" and end with "Kick, Push." He was sure it would be the reverse. He was half-right, dang it. The show began with "Real," from F&L, and while I get the concept, it was kind of a wack intro. It was followed by an awesomely rocked-out version of 'Ye's "Touch The Sky." (Did I mention the whole rock band aspect? BFF remarked to me about halfway through -- "This is my first rock concert!" And that's what it was. Sooo cool.) My favorite cut was later in the night, when he did "Daydreamin'." It was so hard. I was practically moshing, while WB was looking at me like I had two heads, but I'm pretty sure it's because he was jealous. Intermission, with this random dude who kept repeating: "I had a dream I was a $100 bill." Um, ok! Back to the bar, then. BFF and I ran across a friend's line brother who also went to HU. We chat, finish our drinks, head back to the floor, where the boyfriend and WB have been gallantly holding our space. At that point, we're pretty much feeling like this: The most interesting part was when he performed "The Coolest" a capella. I have to admit, it was a little weird to see him reciting "the coolest nigga, what / the coolest nigga, what / the coolest nigga, what" in front of that particular crowd... And that's when I realized that the only really derogatory statement I could make is the following: Lupe is truly a poet. So, having the rock, and the hype man, and the flashing lights is all good, but between songs, you just feel like you should be snapping your fingers or something... I don't know if I'm explaining this well, but, he was awesome and yet so low-key... sigh, I dunno. The show ended with Superstar, and the super-cute Matthew Santos came out to sing the hook. Below is the clearest picture WB managed to get of Lu. Like I said. GREAAAAAAAT show!