Bone Thugs, Mary J Blige Concert Article (August 31, 1997)

BONE, BLIGE ARE STANDOUTS AMONG STELLAR LINEUP

By SHEILA SIMMONS PLAIN DEALER REPORTER August 31, 1997 Publication: Plain
Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH) Page: 5B Word Count: 706

Friday was a special night for Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and a
screaming, attentive, packed Gund Arena crowd. Cleveland’s
multiplatinum rap act, with a new album that recently debuted at No.
1 on Billboard’s pop album chart, returned home to headline its first
major national tour.

But what was most exciting about the night was not the familiar connection. It was that, with
some polish and tightening, this Budweiser Superfest could be the best hip-hop/R&B tour to
hit national stages in years.

The tour is on solid ground with an unusually stellar lineup of multiplatinum acts – Bone, Mary
J. Blige and Aaliyah – and successful newcomers Dru Hill and Ginuwine.

But most important, the tour’s hip-hop acts seemed poised to finally become performers. Bone
and Blige use splashy elements that old funk and rock shows long enjoyed – changing
backdrops, fireworks, inflatable objects, consistent themes and well-conceived dramatics.

However, Cleveland is only the second stop on the Superfest’s 30-city tour. And there are
plenty of kinks to work out.

Technical problems kept the audience from enjoying the turntable talents of legendary deejay

Kid Capris. A bad sound system badly damaged the opening-act performance by Dru Hill and
aggravated Aaliyah as well.

Except for Blige, all the acts could stand to shave time off their sets. Friday’s show lasted
nearly seven hours, sending yawning crowds out to parties after 2 a.m.

Much of this tour’s potential is based on Bone’s potential, signs of which were demonstrated
throughout the quartet’s show. Rap artists have not perfected the art of performing. They’ve
spent much of rap’s 18-year history stalking the edges of stages, while their tight-flowing
spoken lyrics were drowned out by throbbing bass.

But Bone proved as captivating to watch as to listen to on recordings.

The mesmerizing Bizzy Bone raps in a higher pitch than the other members of the group, and

in a blur of words that might place him in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest-
talking man on Earth.

Krayzie Bone raps with an intriguing resonance, bending the music in his words. Layzie’s
buttery tones are clear, and his delivery was paced well enough to decipher his often intimately
personal lyrics. And Wish offers a deep tone and a mature, masculine sound.

Neither a contract slippage nor a $1 million bail from legal problems in Los Angeles kept
unofficial member Flesh-N-Bone from the show. He added a bluesy tone to the five-part
harmonies. But Flesh also seemed less sure of himself on stage and at times seemed out of
sync with the act.

After a dramatic, surreal introduction, Bone launched a lively set – the bouncy “Body Rot,”
violent “Thug Luv” and celebratory “1st of tha Month.” The show took an emotional turn with
the inspiring “If I Could Teach the World,” the No. 1 smash single “Tha Crossroads” and the
catchy “Family Tree,” on which more than 75 friends and family members streamed onto
stage.

But II Tru, signed to Bone’s Mo Thugs label, was a weak offering. A spotlight was badly
needed on a stage as dark as a haunted house. Inflatable blood-shot eyeballs, to go with Bone’s
“Look Into My Eyes” single from the “Batman & Robin” soundtrack, struggled through the
length of the previous song to inflate.

Blige proved an enormous act to follow, and she delivered what is surely a headlining show
herself. Her backdrop moved from a New York City skyline to a star-studded night sky. A
geyser of sparklers shot from under a staircase. Her show offered tightly choreographed dance
routines and hit singles that span three successful albums. But Blige herself made the biggest
impression.

She let loose a more confident New York borough-girl image, stronger vocals and a more
intimate connection with the audience than in the past. She turned “Not Gone Cry,” which
debuted on the “Waiting to Exhale” soundtrack, into a female anthem and sing-along. She also
covered songs from such soul favorites as Chaka Kahn, the Mary Jane Girls and Rose Royce.

Baltimore’s Dru Hill gave the kind of energetic performance one might expect of overnight
R&B successes. In a New York Knicks-colored sweatsuit, Ginuwine seemed to have stepped
right off the basketball court to woo women in the crowd.

Aaliyah also delivered a tightly choreographed performance. The former R. Kelly protege
proved a convincing mixture of female sophistication, youthful exuberance and street-wise
attitude on such songs as “Back & Forth” and “Four Page Letter.”