OK, so I gotta confess: after seeing De La Soul something like twenty times, I was pretty blase about them closing out Saturday night. There was some talk amongst the VIP's hiphop contingency of De La's evergreen "safety" as a Bumbershoot choice, and disbelief that they were on the Fisher Green stage while The Knux of all people get to rock the main stage.

Mind you, De La has shared my number one group spot with NWA for all the years I've even thought about music that way- there's not really another crew that can touch the innovation and genius of their first 3-album run. It is in fact, the 20th anniversary of their debut 3 Feet High And Rising, the first hiphop record I truly geeked out over. That, plus the fact that a live band was setting up to back up Plugs One Two and Three- a fact that should make my colleague Charles Mudede absolutely aghast- worked to soften my somewhat "over it" stance. Then, over a rather striking take on the Stakes Is High sleeper "Dinninit", they melted any vestige of an ice grill i might have been wearing- then quickly proceeded to evaporate it to a hot fucking cloud of rolling steam.

Sure, Posdnuos' voice was maybe a little hoarse- but he, Trugoy the Dove, and PA Pasemaster Mase (as they were listed in the liners of 3 Feet) killed it, breathlessly bounding all over the stage , whipping the rather stiff crowd into a semi-respectable froth in the front. The band- which included Fishbone's Phillip "Fish" Fisher on the drums- was never noodly-indulgent, always tight and locked in, did picture perfect arrangements of a slew of De La hits and album cuts, including a roof-obliterating encore of De La Soul Is Dead single "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)". The trump-tight brass section did a solo, riffing on Stevie Wonder's 'Sir Duke"- and the bass soloed "Paid In Full" while Maseo (who only quit jumping around the stage to jump behind the turntables and cut when needed) rapped the words, along with a good number of the people watching. What can you say, outdoor hiphop was in the building!

Ancient live hiphop tropes were enacted- it struck me how "party over here" was a deeply tribal statement. Lyrics were recited (many by myself and #1 De La fan, Boom Bap Project's NightclubberLang AKA Karim Panni of MYX Music), and hands were waved. Awkward white hiphop dancing was laughed at. The ultimate sign of hiphop excellence, as described by no less a personage than LL Cool J ("that face", AKA a scrunched up screwface similar to bitter beer-face), was spotted all over the Fisher Green lawn. People walked up, starting conversations with a reverent "Fuck, dude..!" that said everything. All in all, it was probably the Best De La Show I've Ever Seen- perfectly capped off by Pos announcing this was "their first Bumbershoot". Was that a joke? A little, "hello, Cleveland"? Or simply the recognition of a bombastic, slate-clearing performance for the ages?

Dazed at the sight of a method
Dying at the death of a neverending verse
Gasping and swallowing every last letter
Vocalised liquid holds the quench of your thirst
Reasons for the rhythm is for causes unknown
Different individuals are dazzled with the showbiz
Auditions are gathered but the Soul would just rather
Hold a count at three and in the end leave it as it is
-"Plug Tunin"

Setlist:

Dinninit
Fela shit
Eye Know
A Rollerskating Jam Called Saturdays
Much More
Stakes Is High
Pass the P's
Jenifa
The Grind Date
Ooh
The Bizness
All Good?
Breakadawn
Me Myself & I

Encore:
Feel Good Inc.
Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)