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The reality of being a young artist is that things aren’t always going to work out the way you want them to. Knowing how to put together a solid set regardless of the circumstances is what can make or break musicians.
Spose’s two-night run at The Dime in Old Town this past weekend, with openers the Educated Advocates, Lady Essence and Fi, was not without flaws, yet still gave fans a great opportunity to see some of Maine’s best hip-hop acts.
Despite the technical difficulties plaguing Spose’s Friday set, he handled himself well and made the necessary changes to turn everything around on Saturday night. A shortage of equipment forced him to play without his backing band Friday, but by night two he was back in business.
“We were able to play five more songs than the night before and the whole set went a lot smoother,” Spose said. “We got to play some new songs.
Aside from the musical hiccups, The Dime’s first foray into an 18-plus show had some snags as well. While the concert was set to start at 9 p.m., a queue of those under 21 were forced to wait outside until 9:45 p.m.
Once the initial group was let in, it was still a while until the show got underway. With no drinks, the downtime was an awkward affair.
But once things got started, the crowd flowed in and out throughout the night. On both nights, fans filled the floor about halfway, with numbers waxing and waning between 50 to 100 people. It was a solid mix of bump-and-grind partiers and backwards hat-wearing rap fans.
First up on Friday night was Lady Essence. Short in stature and dressed in a dull grey hoodie, her delivery was much stronger than she wanted to let on. Even during her short set she instantly brought the energy up with a style reminiscent of the golden days of hip-hop.
For Saturday night’s set, which got underway an hour earlier than Friday’s, rapper Fi kicked things off. According to Spose, Fi “murdered it,” setting the stage for round two.
Both nights featured The Educated Advocates in the second slot. They had all the charisma of old-school rap groups: switching verses, finishing each other’s lines and clowning around on stage. Unfortunately, the poor sound system made it next to impossible to comment on their lyrics. The only audible words were some “Hell yeahs” and occasional rhymes that broke through the mix.
The three emcees were husky and loveable and the relaxed, friendly vibe between them was strong. When they jumped up and down in unison, getting the crowd to do the same, the whole place seemed to shake with them.
But it was the nationally known Spose that everyone wanted to see. His liveliness was infectious, and even with the technical difficulties in the back of his mind, he gave the crowd his all.
Spose said the worst part about sound or equipment problems is that they distract him from the task at hand — normally he can just go out and his sole focus is on the rhymes.
Nevertheless, he gave the crowd what they wanted performing a mix of his radio hits, newer freestyles and older gems.
The crowd sang along with older cuts like “John Madden” just as loudly as his recent single “We Hate Money.” While most of his studio tracks display a relaxed, stoner-influenced flow, the songs came alive on stage as Spose spat each line.
Unfortunately, his vocals were occasionally buried in the mix. The most obvious problem Friday was the incessant guitar feedback when the band tried one song. Spose said he was glad to have a second chance on night two.
“We got there at 5 p.m. the next night,” he said. “The Dime didn’t have enough equipment so we ended up running most of our own sound.”
One of the unexpected highlights was the DJ for all performers, Mister Harps, who hails from Auburn. His prowess on the tables eased the transitions between sets, especially when he spun Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson,” punctuating lines by fading between the two tracks which were a beat off from each other.
The volume was sometimes overbearing, adding to some of the mixing problems, but the beats themselves were crisp.
As Friday night wound to an end, Spose turned to the crowd and said, “I’ve got this song I wrote yesterday. We’re going to see how it goes,” and the echoes of “Awesome, Awesome” erupted from the speakers.
He played his infamous hit “I’m Awesome” with spark, knowing full well he couldn’t escape the catchiness of the track. The crowd was eager to scream all the words right back into his face as he sang them.
