On July 29, St. Joseph had the chance to turn out for a multiplatinum-selling hip-hop artist. They rose to the challenge.
Packing Civic Center Park for the Red Rally and headliner Tech N9ne, thousands showed up in a way that the area hasn’t seen since the bygone days of Trails West!
Even in the scorching heat of late July in the Midwest, the energy was off the charts as Tech N9ne roared through what was advertised as a three-song set but turned out to be a montage of about 10 hits. Just watch Made With Uncommon Character’s Facebook Live video of the thousands chanting along with the Kansas City Chiefs’ anthem “Red Kingdom.” It’s amazing.
While the mini concert was great, it was also what came before that mattered. Warming up the crowd, “Voice of the Chiefs” Mitch Holthus praised St. Joseph and gave recognition to some of our local schools. In a city that often feels undervalued when compared to Kansas City, that felt like some nice validation.
After giving opener Mizznekol a warm reception, the crowd was amped for Tech N9ne. As I wrote in last week’s Shuffle, this felt like decades in the making. It was a big enough of a reaction that Tech seemed to be blown away by it. Taking off his sunglasses, he took a moment to let the response wash over him.
“Wow. Look at this crowd. I had no idea. Now this is a party,” he said, to loud cheers.
Those who have been following Tech for years rapped along with his verses from songs like “Face Off,” “TRUST” and “Hood Go Crazy” (a PG-13 version of it that stretched the definition of “family-friendly” and had me laughing). Those that were there for the spectacle of it all got a showcase of Tech’s chopper flow, amazing breathing control and ability to move a crowd. He rapped, joked around, took pictures with someone on their birthday and brought a kid on stage to provide the vibes for “Don’t Nobody Want None.” He was the perfect showman.
At the end of the 17-minute set, he was thankful for how hard people showed up. Hopefully, he’ll be back again.
“I love y’all, man. Thank you for all this love. It will never be forgotten,” he said.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.