Live Review

Big Boi – Moho Live, Manchester

• 4th Nov 2010

Every once in a while there is a gig that flashes on the radar that I need to attend at all costs. An example of this was when Snoop Dogg was allowed in the country recently and I completed the silliest marathon train journey to London and back to see such a legend which included 5 hours in Milton Keynes deserted Train Station. When I heard Big Boi, one part of rap-super group Outkast was coming to the UK and to Manchester I immediately noted it in my diary.

On the day of the gig, which was supposed to take place in the Ritz in Manchester I learnt that the venue had indeed switched to MOHO ([link]) as ticket sales were not as high as anticipated. I was lucky that when I arrived in MOHO I was at the front of the stage. First up was the charming Theophilus London. An alternative hip-hop act who ran through an impressive set of tracks in a sparsely populated venue.

As the time arrived for Big Boi to take the stage with his hype man C-Bone, the last of the stragglers made their way through the door from the Ritz and the place was rocking. Big Boi ran through his explosive back catalogue of Outkast songs including ‘Players Ball’, ‘Southernplayacadilacmuzik’ ‘Elevators’, Bombs Over Bagdad’ and my personal favourites ‘Ms Jackson’ and ‘So Fresh, So Clean’. Following this he launched into tracks from his recent solo album ‘Sir Lucious Left Foot – The Son Of Chico Dusty’.

Big Boi is a charismatic performer and he really got the crowd bumping with recent singles ‘Shutterbug’, ‘Follow Us’ and ‘For Your Sorrows’. A gig which is not often seen outside of London in this country showed that good hip hop music will always find a crowd and that was certainly the case on Tuesday night. A concert that will live in the memories of those who were lucky to experience it Big Boi owned Manchester that night.