Tech N9ne

The Roxy

10-14-11

Tech N9ne has been around more than a decade, and gone platinum without a major label. He's been touring on and off since May in support of his last album All 6's and 7's, which was #4 on the Billboard Top 200. He's on Tha Carter IV. Not exactly a lightweight.

In fact, he's got another album, Welcome to Strangeland coming out on Nov. 8, his 40th birthday. But he still performs like a beast, and his sold-out show at The Roxy showcased his skills as a live performer.

He calls his fans “Technicians,” and they went crazy when he hit the stage. The energy level remained high throughout the night as fans were treated to a well-rehearsed array of stop-and-go rap. His delivery was great, and even the stage lighting was dope, particularly for a hip-hop show. The flashing strobe lights and various-colored spotlights set the tone for each song.

The show also featured members of his Strange Music label, Krizz Kaliko and Kutt Calhoun. Their performance was filled with choreographed two-stepping and jumping up and down, which the crowd emulated. All three of these performers wore red prison shirts, and every so often you could hear a “soo woo,” especially during Compton rapper Jay Rock's opening set. Of course Tech N9ne also had his trademark face paint.

For the somber and introspective “All By My Lonely” Krizz Kaliko sang while Kutt Calhoun rapped. For “Welcome to the Midwest”, Kutt Calhoun performed alone. One of the best parts of the show was during “Worldwide Choppers,” when Tech got off stage and walked through the crowd rapping. Fans rushed towards him and whipped out their cell phones. “Thank you for making this my job,” he said to close out the show. “Thank you for making Tech N9ne.”

Personal bias: This was my first time going to a Tech N9ne show and I was definitely impressed.

The crowd: Mostly male with a few female fans here and there. Of course, there were groupies. In the VIP section there was a table with lots of guys rubbing up on a single girl. I guess she knows it ain't no fun…

Random notebook dump: All of the security guards and management at The Roxy were super nice and helpful.

Set list below.

Set list:

Intro

“Strange Music Box”

“Sex To The Beat”

Tech Intro

“Technicians”

“Am I A Psycho”

“Like I Died”

“Riot Maker”

“Beast”

“Sickology 101”

“Einstein”

“Bout Ta' Bubble”

“Psycho Bitch (Intro)”

“Psycho Bitch 2”

“Psycho Bitch”

“Asshole”

“Welcome To The Midwest”

“All By My Lonely”

“I'm Forever”

“Smiling Faces”

“I'm The One”

“Elevator”

“Rewind”

“Anxiety”

“Midwest Choppers”

“Midwest Choppers 2”

“Worldwide Choppers”

“Crazy Love”

“Beautiful Music”

“Darkness”

“Blackened The Sun”

Break

“Mental Giant”

“Caribou Lou”

“Areola”

“I'm A Playa”

“Stamina”

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