On October 30th Lupe Fiasco hosted his third annual Halloween concert. This concert was different from previous years, as rather than a “regular” set, Lupe took the stage sans any opening acts and presented the concert as Remember 2 Smile: A Retrospective. Fans in attendance were taken on a trip through Fiasco’s career, as he performed songs from pre-Food & Liquor Mixtapes such as Revenge of The Nerd and The Touch The Sky mix as well as songs from both of his albums and even new songs leaked on the Internet. Lupe’s was accompanied by a live band, as well as smoke machines, lights, and multiple screens. Fiasco added another dimension to his show by creating transitions through vignettes that put everything in context. The short films, all in black and white, featured Lupe isolated on a sound stage talking about topics such as lyrics, death, politics, religion, and fame. Any questions regarding Lupe’s feelings were cleared up and he seemed to present songs in segments that matched each film intro.
Lupe also raised the bar by remaining on stage for more than two hours, truly giving his fans their money’s worth, as well as putting a lasting stamp on his annual Halloween tradition. Fiasco’s fire, which was relit after being kept off MTV’s Hottest Emcee in The Game list, certainly fueled the show, which was meticulously put together by Fiasco from set list, to song transitions, to lights, and all. RH was previleged to be present during Lupe’s sound check where he was band leader and orchestra conductor all in one. His planning and ability to create a strong show was evidenced towards the end when Lupe took the background and brought out a collection of Chicago artists including Mikkey Halsted, Dude N’ Nem, and Crucial Conflict leading up to “Go Go Gadget Flow”. Despite the changes with FNF, long-time collaborators Bishop G and Matthew Santos both performed to the crowd’s delight.
The show was not without glitches, as Lupe had some trouble with one of the vignettes, and The Congress experienced some sound issues throughout. Mikkey Halsted experienced the burnt of everything, when microphone feedback made the first verse of “Liquor Store” inaudible. However, Mikkey as well as the show continued without pause, and Lupe delivered a great concert. To view more of our pics from the show, click here.
