Cult fave M.I.A. performs energetic set at Sonar
Issue date: 12/6/07
- Page 1 of 2 next >
The line stretching around the block so far it almost went full circle should have been the first indicator that this concert wouldn't be like every other concert. The second was that the show was completely sold out. Friday night around 11 p.m., over two hours after Sonar opened their doors to those eager enough to buy tickets days in advance, the entire line finally snaked its way through the doors. By that time, a couple of openers had already come and gone and the crowd was booing down a perfectly good hip-hop artist. The air was heavy in anticipation of one little Sri Lankan girl, the reason we had all sacrificed our normal Friday nights and 20 bucks, the reason we had stood in the freezing cold for two hours.
I squeezed my way through a crowd as diverse as the city itself to find myself front and center, just as the lights dimmed and strange noises began to come from the stage. On screens set up on the back of the stage, what I can only assume was some sort of Asian politician began to talk passionately. Unfortunately, the subtitles were hidden by the massive speakers, so nobody knew what exactly he was so impassioned by. Tensions grew as his speech lagged on. Finally he ended on what I can only assume was a high note, and all of a sudden the stage was stormed by M.I.A. and her posse of backup singers and DJ. The center crowd broke out into something resembling a moshpit, and, to avoid being trampled, I backed out towards the outside of the crowd, where I was still able to see, but from a safe distance.
The one thing about M.I.A. (real name: Maya Arulpragasam) is she's weird and crazy; nobody can deny that. Her music is an eclectic mix of techno beats and London slang and foreign influences spanning the globe. But whether you find her just weird or totally awesome, for this one night all that mattered was the DJ behind her supplying the steady rhythm with which the entire venue exploded. The concert turned into almost a club scene. It was just one massive dance party where the artist singing/rapping the songs happened to be jumping around onstage in a purple leopard print get-up, instead of just streaming out of your speakers. The most amazing part of this party was that everybody who was wise enough to buy a ticket in advance was invited. Dancing shoulder-to-shoulder (and sometimes even closer) were college students and Baltimore residents alike.
I squeezed my way through a crowd as diverse as the city itself to find myself front and center, just as the lights dimmed and strange noises began to come from the stage. On screens set up on the back of the stage, what I can only assume was some sort of Asian politician began to talk passionately. Unfortunately, the subtitles were hidden by the massive speakers, so nobody knew what exactly he was so impassioned by. Tensions grew as his speech lagged on. Finally he ended on what I can only assume was a high note, and all of a sudden the stage was stormed by M.I.A. and her posse of backup singers and DJ. The center crowd broke out into something resembling a moshpit, and, to avoid being trampled, I backed out towards the outside of the crowd, where I was still able to see, but from a safe distance.
The one thing about M.I.A. (real name: Maya Arulpragasam) is she's weird and crazy; nobody can deny that. Her music is an eclectic mix of techno beats and London slang and foreign influences spanning the globe. But whether you find her just weird or totally awesome, for this one night all that mattered was the DJ behind her supplying the steady rhythm with which the entire venue exploded. The concert turned into almost a club scene. It was just one massive dance party where the artist singing/rapping the songs happened to be jumping around onstage in a purple leopard print get-up, instead of just streaming out of your speakers. The most amazing part of this party was that everybody who was wise enough to buy a ticket in advance was invited. Dancing shoulder-to-shoulder (and sometimes even closer) were college students and Baltimore residents alike.
Be the first to comment on this story