Arriving at the venue (595 North in Atlanta, Georgia), I noticed that a line formed outside. Walking up with my lovely date, I was really wondering just how good this show could be. The tickets themselves for general admission were fairly cheap ($15). I don’t know if it was because of the venue itself or that Bilal wanted to offer a show that was well worth the money. Still, the situation had me wondering about how all of this would play out.
Entering the scene, the smell of fried food, cannabis, and body oils enchanted my nostrils. I didn’t know whether to be ready to party, eat, or just chill out. With the DJ spinning African rhythms (via Fela Kuti), the mood was festive. The crowd was becoming denser as people came in. I even had a friend out of town come to the show just because he was in the city. It was safe to say that this was going to be the making of an interesting situation.

Now that I sit here the next day, I can give you reasons as to why this concert was a success beyond success.

1.) The lack of opening acts and the concentration of talent: There was only one opening act. The singer’s name is Kameron Corvet. It is safe to say that he did not disappoint. While he presently only has an EP out, he performed with a fever. Once he ended his three song set with his jam “F_ck Love”, I knew that the man had talent. I eventually bought his EP that was being sold. He has talent. THAT is how you open a show: with someone that is dope and gets the crowd open.

2.) Bilal is seen as a R&B deity: If you could have only paid attention to the crowd reaction when he got into his songs, you would understand. Bilal has pure crowd control. It was as if he was a shaman and the concert goers were entrapped in the gaze of mind controlling peyote. One woman was so enthralled she got on stage, talked in his ear, bought him a beer, and fell swiftly on her drunken arse. Now THAT is how you party!

3.) His songs resonate so much more effectively live: Bilal’s songs were meant to be performed live. Straight off of Airtight’s Revenge, he went into songs like “Restart” and “All Matter”. Many times, he was so in vibe with the music that he wasn’t even paying attention to the crowd. Yet, when he was, his hilarious antics and dramatic performances would ensue and delight us all. Bilal is a pure performer. Once I learned that fact, things only improved from there.

Yet, he was still amazing even performing his older material. His renditions of “Sometimes” and “When Will You Call” were just classic performances. Standing on tops of tables, yelling, screaming, and crooning in an animated fashion was the service of that nice. People were so entertained that all they could do is cheer, clap, and sing along. By the time he returned for his encore, the people were equally enthralled and wore out.

In the end, this was how a show was supposed to be: enchanting, riveting, and well worth the price of admission. There were no complaints about the show at all. Then again, how can there be? Bilal performed for practically two hours (give or take). He went through all of his hits, familiar and unfamiliar. He displayed his range. He even engaged in crowd interaction. We got all of this for $15 general admission? This was some of the best money spent.

 

Here’s some footage of Bilal performing “Lord Don’t Let It”:

Concert review written by contributing writer, Mark A. Harris, for STACKS Magazine.

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