Recently I was lucky enough to get tickets to what was labeled as the “Block Party Allstars, Featuring Dave Chappelle” in Charlotte, NC.  At least that is what my ticket said.  I am not quite sure if everyone in the audience paid attention to the word “featuring” on the ticket.  Regardless, let me give you a little background.

As most of you know by now, Dave Chappelle is releasing a feature film entitled “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party.”  In a nutshell, the movie is a mix of documentary and Chappelle's own brand of sketch comedy combined with a star-studded cast of musical guests.  The film spotlights Dave as he presents a Brooklyn neighborhood with its very own free “block party.”  In addition to Chappelle performing all-new material, the roster of artists includes Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Dead Prez, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, the Roots, Cody Chesnut, Big Daddy Kane, and the Fugees.

Now back to the aforementioned show, which was basically designed to promote the movie and as well as the artists appearing in the movie.  The entire concept of the show appeared to be similar to the format of the upcoming film release.  Patrons purchased tickets, knowing only that Dave Chappelle was going to perform and bring musical guests.  However, the names of those musical guests were not released until a few days before the performance.

For the Charlotte show, I was pleased to find out that we would be blessed to have Talib Kweli and Erykah Badu.  This was my first time seeing either artist perform live; and likewise for Dave. And much to my delight, I have to say that they were all phenomenal! 

Dave is definitely a blessed individual; blessed with a gift not many of us possess.  His standup included written material as well as a large amount of “straight-off-the-cuff” humor that showed just how incredibly gifted he is as well as demonstrating his stature a seasoned comedian.  He made those of us in the crowd feel like we were in a small comedy club laughing, when in reality, it was a sold out crowd of 2,500.  But Dave was not the only performer worth writing about.

 

Yes, there were some pretty amazing musical artists on the bill as well.  Now I must admit that I am not a die hard Talib Kweli fan. However, I was definitely impressed with his style and performance.   He very cleverly and effortlessly mixed his recorded material with off the head freestyling.  He also incorporated a special tribute into his set for producer/mc extraordinaire, J-Dilla who recently passed.

As for the incomparable Erykah Badu and her performance, she definitely brought her A-game that night.  Her stage show was set up as if you were watching the entire performance on television, which was very unique.   She performed many of her classic songs, as well as touched on some of her most recent material. She also included the remix version of “Back In The Day,” which she performed on Dave’s riotous hit television sketch-comedy series, “Chapelle’s Show.”  As was stated before, all the performers were worth the price of admission.

Now, with that information, I am left to discuss the diverse, yet “not-so-diverse” crowd in attendance.  The crowd was about a 50/50 split between Black and White, with a sprinkle of Latino mixed in for good measure.  From that estimation, I would venture to say that approximately 40% of the white crowd (college guys, couples, etc.) thought the show was going to be a 100% stand-up comedy show.

One particular conversation I overheard at the end of the night whilst I was departing went like this:

Guy #1: “I think that woman who performed may have outshined Dave Chappelle.” 
Guy #2: “Man, that b*tch was wack as hell, Dave Chappelle rocked it!”

Another comment a friend told me he overheard occurred when Erykah Badu first came on stage. A woman seated in front of him asked who she was and then proceeded to state that she was “bored with her” after a very short time.

A third noteworthy comment came from a lady who called into the local radio station the next morning.  On the call, she said that a couple beside her commented that they were “p*ssed” and “didn’t pay $50 to see some rapper” and decided to leave halfway through the performance.   

Despite these negative comments, Dave Chappelle and his show brought a crowd together that normally would only cohabitate at work, in class, or on the sports field.  He attempted to expose people to music he knows and loves, as well as entertained the crowd in between as a host with his signature brand of standup comedy.  Was this a successful pairing?  To the many people I asked in my circle, it was.  Outside of those circles, it was apparent that some people had no idea who Talib Kweli or Erykah Badu was, nor could they relate to the music they performed; that is until Erykah sang about smoking weed.  It seems as though the show was not a number of people in the crowd expected, despite the media blitz that is accompanying the film, which for all intents and purposes, is a MUSICAL concert film.

Regardless of some misinformed audience members, Chappelle is still selling out venues in hours, not days.  He sold out the Kennedy Center in 30 minutes, and the tickets for the entire tour are hot commodity.  If you can get your hands on some, I highly recommend attending.  But before you shell out your hard earned cash, I offer this one piece of valuable advice…

Read your tickets, b*tches!