M.I.A./The Gray Kid @ Rickshaw Stop, 7/28/07

M.I.A. at the Rickshaw? Really? Did I read that wrong??

Could I possible score another hot ticket, making that two super exclusive shows in one week (the other being The Smashing Pumpkins)?

Oh yes, the HardRockChick made it happen. Scoring tickets for me is like scoring drugs for some. It’s exciting.

The Rickshaw Stop, being the rickety little hipster haven that it is, has a sign as you walk in the door: Capacity: 127. That’s it. So you have to figure the crowd was going to be a mix of employees, guest list/VIPs, fans with fast fingers, and the superfans/rich folks who coughed up the dough on craigslist.

Dressed in my best ’80s-meets-space-cadet ensemble, we went early and ended up having a drink at some stuck up restaurant nearby since waiting in front of the Rickshaw in the cold wind for a half hour would have resulted in an HRC peep show. There’s nothing better for feeling rebellious and getting worked up for a show than having a bunch of old stuffy people look at you and mutter.

We scored a nice spot right up front- next to a speaker/drink coaster/seat/coat holder. The stage is tiny…minuscule. We knocked back a few more drinks and started to get our dance on to DJ Omar. I’m still sore from Daft Punk–these back to back dance party shows are hard on the body.

The Gray Kid came on at about 9:45/10. I thought he was the perfect choice of opener for this show. It was surprising that no one seemed to be too familiar with him–what an uninformed audience. They should really read my blog more. I suspect The Gray Kid is near tipping point- especially if he keeps opening for killer shows up here in SF. The crowd seemed to be getting quite into it once they started to grasp his concept–the first impression is that he looks like an indie rocker, but then he starts his gig, and you realize that he’s really a hip hop maverick. I was particular happy with this performance- almost all of my faves were played, and I got some attention this time.

DJ Low B came up next…and played for at least an hour before M.I.A. came on. I’m not sure what the hold up was….there was virtually no stage set up as he was also M.I.A.’s DJ. That’s just mean….

But, it was soooooo worth the wait. She finally came our with her back up singer, in some killer outfits. Why are the ’80s so much cooler in the ’00s? You’ll just have to see it in the vid. Here’s the setlist (which we snagged at the end). There were a lot of new songs in there.

She’s a phenomenal performer. So was her back-up. They had some great low impact dance moves–there’s just something about seeing synchronized dancing in a performance that really does it for me. The crowd was a hot, sweaty, happy mess. Especially during Bucky Done Gun.

M.I.A. is one of those performers that is able to make her politically aware lyrics very sexy. If you don’t know her background, you should really check it out.

At some points, she crawled up on our speaker/drink coaster/seat/coat holder and hung out there for awhile. Like, behind me. She stepped on our coats. How cool is that! Nothing can beat such a small, intimate venue. Have I made all of you who didn’t get to go feel like shit yet? Sorry.

Well, here you go- a video montage from the show (the video is stretched in many parts b/c they were taken vertically. But it beats turning the computer sideways).

You can pick up The Gray Kid’s new CD, Vultures, in a couple of days. You can also catch M.I.A. in September at the Treasure Island Music Festival, and her new album, Kala, comes out August 21.

Preorder M.I.A.’s Kala here: Kala

Other blogger reactions: Cheztune and 2kewl4u.