Few sounds in popular music are as luxuriously decadent as the soundscapes contained on Rick Ross' albums. They evoke penthouse suites and fine champagne. Unfortunately, at Ross' concert Sunday at the Sprint Center, the sound reproduction resembled a defective speaker in the drive-through lane of a fast food restaurant.
The dismal sound quality was more than enough to spoil the concert. Even so, it wasn't the evening's only significant problem. Absurdly poor pacing and the ceaseless yammering of MCs between acts also tested the patience of the beleaguered audience. Approximately 3,500 fans paid between $50 to $100 to attend the ineptly staged event.
Ross didn't appear until shortly before 10:45 p.m. His abbreviated set concluded about 30 minutes later.
"For those of you who do not know," Ross told his fans. "I am the game's biggest star."
Three of Ross' four albums topped Billboard's sales charts. Among the morally ambiguous hits he performed Sunday were "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" and "Aston Martin Music." When Ross boasted about his prowess in dealing and distribution on "Hustin'," he's wasn't referring to playing cards or ensuring that his albums are shipped to retail outlets. With his gruff delivery lost in the mix, the Floridian's intriguing tales of skirting the law were rendered incomprehensible.
Similar technical issues plagued a 30-minute set by the fine R&B singer Monica. As with all of the evening's performers, she was accompanied only by a DJ and backing tracks. The absence of live instrumentation and an inadequate microphone made Monica's set forgettable. She was barely audible on hits like "You're Everything To Me." Only when Monica wisely chose to sing a cappella could traces of her lovely voice be appreciated.
A 45-minute outing by Kansas City's Ron Ron represented the concert's most memorable moments, if not exactly for the right reasons. With a compelling flow and vivid imagination, the promising rapper has been on the cusp of stardom for a couple years. His exceedingly odd set included erratic behavior and bizarre outbursts.
"I'm on this stage whether you like it or not," he shouted at the perplexed audience.
He seemed more interested in rewarding longtime associates with stage time than in engaging the curious crowd. Even so, the mere fact that Ron Ron and sometime collaborator Stik Figa performed on the Sprint Center's stage represents a minor triumph for Kansas City's hip hop community.
Soulja Boy has made several appealing appearances in the Kansas City area. Sunday's effort was not among them. Without proper lighting or a serviceable microphone, hits including "Pretty Boy Swag" and "Turn My Swag On" were mutated into anonymous rumbling.
Sunday's concert was only the second time a hip-hop artist has headlined a concert at the Sprint Center. Lil Wayne's spectacular 2009 show featured flame-throwers, indoor fireworks and elevator-style lifts for a live backing band. A single spotlight and flashes from fans' cameras were the only special effects on tap Sunday.
Ross' exceptional music needn't be accompanied by pyrotechnics to be entertaining. A reasonable time schedule and a decent sound system -- two elements sorely lacking Sunday -- would have been more than enough.
Ross didn't appear until shortly before 10:45 p.m. His abbreviated set concluded about 30 minutes later.
"For those of you who do not know," Ross told his fans. "I am the game's biggest star."
Three of Ross' four albums topped Billboard's sales charts. Among the morally ambiguous hits he performed Sunday were "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" and "Aston Martin Music." When Ross boasted about his prowess in dealing and distribution on "Hustin'," he's wasn't referring to playing cards or ensuring that his albums are shipped to retail outlets. With his gruff delivery lost in the mix, the Floridian's intriguing tales of skirting the law were rendered incomprehensible.
Similar technical issues plagued a 30-minute set by the fine R&B singer Monica. As with all of the evening's performers, she was accompanied only by a DJ and backing tracks. The absence of live instrumentation and an inadequate microphone made Monica's set forgettable. She was barely audible on hits like "You're Everything To Me." Only when Monica wisely chose to sing a cappella could traces of her lovely voice be appreciated.
A 45-minute outing by Kansas City's Ron Ron represented the concert's most memorable moments, if not exactly for the right reasons. With a compelling flow and vivid imagination, the promising rapper has been on the cusp of stardom for a couple years. His exceedingly odd set included erratic behavior and bizarre outbursts.
"I'm on this stage whether you like it or not," he shouted at the perplexed audience.
He seemed more interested in rewarding longtime associates with stage time than in engaging the curious crowd. Even so, the mere fact that Ron Ron and sometime collaborator Stik Figa performed on the Sprint Center's stage represents a minor triumph for Kansas City's hip hop community.
Soulja Boy has made several appealing appearances in the Kansas City area. Sunday's effort was not among them. Without proper lighting or a serviceable microphone, hits including "Pretty Boy Swag" and "Turn My Swag On" were mutated into anonymous rumbling.
Sunday's concert was only the second time a hip-hop artist has headlined a concert at the Sprint Center. Lil Wayne's spectacular 2009 show featured flame-throwers, indoor fireworks and elevator-style lifts for a live backing band. A single spotlight and flashes from fans' cameras were the only special effects on tap Sunday.
Ross' exceptional music needn't be accompanied by pyrotechnics to be entertaining. A reasonable time schedule and a decent sound system -- two elements sorely lacking Sunday -- would have been more than enough.
| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star
you spent more time on his review than he did on stage?
Posted by: barf | February 28, 2011 at 12:41 PM
That does not sound fun at all!
Posted by: Clint | February 28, 2011 at 02:45 PM
LMAO,
How about the BS story that ticketbastard / livenation cliams to have lost money last year after raking in 5.1 BILLION in fees, from you and I. WTF?
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/live-nation-annual-loss-triples-162537
Posted by: Ticketmaster lost money? OH BS | February 28, 2011 at 06:56 PM
Maybe they are spending more than they are making, who knows, sounds a little crazy, but when you get that big things do get complicated. If its true and they are hurting, we can only hope they will soon let loose the power hold they have on the concert market. Like I said the other day, its insane when you pay more in fees than you do for the ticket, now I get it, its rare, it was a cheap ticket but still they need to watch that, whoever builds the pricing should say wait, this is gonna make us look aweful and these days a bad look can spread like a wild fire online. Lets continue to support Pipeline Productions and all the box office ticket sales!
Posted by: Green | February 28, 2011 at 10:44 PM
I like this line, I wonder if they adjusted the fees also or if they only lowered the ticket price. What percent of the ticket price do they get, hmm, sounds like all they did was rework the costs so they could get more fee money, more tickets sold more fee money. I would love a breakdown of ticketmasters books, come on wikileaks! Great line below ...
Chief executive Michael Rapino said that while the "macro-environment remains challenging," he is encouraged by year-to-date ticket sales. The company has been dropping prices in order to encourage sellout crowds.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/live-nation-annual-loss-triples-162537
Posted by: Green | February 28, 2011 at 10:48 PM
5 billion in revenue and they lost money? What the hell? All they do is run some computers (and maybe)printers......
If I was an owner of this publicly held stcok, I would be asking some serious questions, for instance "WHO IS GETTING PIAD WAY TOO MUCH FKN MONEY??"
Posted by: QnA | February 28, 2011 at 11:16 PM
....and Green.... as you pointed out ......
lower priced tickets DOES NOT mean lower fees. $12.00 fee on a $10.00 ticket.
FKTHAT 120% in fees!!
Posted by: QnA | February 28, 2011 at 11:19 PM
Wow, further proof that generally speaking, live rap/hip hop shows just blow and I'm not one of those old geezer haters either. Loved the PE/Digital Underground/Kid n' Play show I once saw at Kemper, but it just seems that with alot of these shows (like the above), the artists show up late, play abbreviated sets or their sets just plain suck. And even with keeping in mind that those studio-enhanced sounds are often difficult to reproduce in a live setting, there's simply no excuse for not rewarding their fans with a more professional product.
Posted by: pellboy | March 02, 2011 at 01:12 PM
I find life an exciting business,The point is succinctness of expression.
Posted by: Billiga Moncler | January 11, 2012 at 06:01 PM