"You Can't Stop Me Now" Applies To RZA & Co. Only
Seattlest only caught the second half of RZA's performance on Tuesday, thanks to a confusing and upsetting encounter with Showbox SoDo security regarding someone else's can of PBR on the floor. We heard the strains of "Long Time Coming," our favorite track from the just-dropped Digi Snacks, from outside the barn venue while we argued to clear our extremely innocent good name. It was just not that great of an evening, despite the tricky cadences of the skinnier-than-expected "Bobby Digital" (aka RZA) backed by Stone Mecca's clanging, vaguely metal funk rock.
We tried to explain to three different bouncers that no, we were not trying to smuggle a watery tallboy into the all-ages section under our Brian Utting School of Massage sweatshirt. No, we were not even drinking beer that night (but lots of other people certainly were, people who may or may not have accidentally dropped their drink on the floor). Yes, we understood the gravity of the situation, but no, we would not like an ominously large black X in ink on our forearm. Too late! That puppy took some scrubbing to fade to an acceptable remnant before work the next morning.
(More about the show itself and another track to stream from Digi Snacks after the jump!)
By the time we convinced everyone to at least let Seattlest (100% innocent, here-as-press Seattlest) back into the all-ages area for the remainder of the show, it took us another ten minutes to be able to hear music over the rush of blood in our embarrassed ears. But here are the performance-related reflections we managed to gather through the maelstrom of false accusation, humiliation, and remembering friends' experiences with overly/underly aggressive Showbox SoDo security:
First and foremost, Stone Mecca and RZA do the live band/rap combination very, very well. If only all collaborations could be so perfectly matched. It helps that RZA thinks in terms of traditional music theory/composition when he's writing these days. Second, everyone in the tour entourage has a shapely, intriguing hairstyle and looks stylish doing the Wu-hands. This is magical. Third and finally, some sage words from the rapper: "If you're not having a good time, you're wasting your time. So make sure you're always having a good time." Cue: scantily-clad lady dancer to shimmy around while RZA raps at her like he's in lust.
We don't want to hate on security, because we know what a hard job they're doing. But it'll be awhile before we are excited at all about returning to this venue---not least because of the continued issues with security. Don't be discouraged from the music, though: there are some damn catchy songs on Digi Snacks ("You Can't Stop Me Now" sounds like it belongs on the excellent Kill Bill soundtracks, "Long Time Coming" has been stuck in our head for a week now, "Drama" is quirky hot fire), and we genuinely wish we could have experienced the whole show. It sounded promising.
