Last night I had the privilege of attending the Revenge of the Nerd Tour 2 in Phoenix, AZ. For many of us, the nerdcore genre offers a welcome release in an environment with other like minded geeks and gamers. I watched the crowd drift away in a plethora of familiar rhymes and nerd references about gaming, comics, and even how it feels to be on the fringe of acceptability in society.
The concert was held at the Crescent Ballroom, but you can catch Mc Chris, Jesse Dangerously, Dr. Awkward and Tribe One in Florida, New York, or a number of other stops remaining on the Revenge of the Nerd Tour 2.
The venue was packed and brimming with energy.
The sets were long and the rappers sat behind their tables enjoying the jams from their fellow artists, which really offered up an amazing vibe. Absolutely everyone in the room was jamming.
The rhymes were tight.
The rappers took the stage with their laptops laid out on a table behind them. Laptops that spit out epic old school beats that were reminiscent of the beeps and dings you heard coming out of your Super Nintendo. There is nothing else like those addictive and repetitive beats that resonate deeply inside of your head, just like they did back in the ’90s. Layer that up with the awesome voices of these highly skilled, and often incredibly fast, rappers for a unique sound that everybody can enjoy.
It was interesting to overhear the venue staff talking about the crowd, and how “They aren’t the drinking type.” It seemed, with the exception of one person who got kicked out at the start of the show, that nerds are a pretty chill and responsible crowd.
It seems MC Chris is really cleaning up his image as well after some past issues at concerts and some less than desirable interactions with his fans after some personal issues. Many of you know that MC Chris is clean and weed free but he’s still spitting out those marijuana laced rhymes. It’s easy to see MC Chris is better than ever, no one knows how much of this is due to his new clean lifestyle or simply experience playing earth shattering shows year after year.
The incredible thing about the Revenge of the Nerd Tour is just how accessible the artists are. They don’t hesitate to chat, sign a shirt or a CD or learn right in for a big hug with their anxious and excited fans. The line to meet up with MC Chris at the end of the show was huge! The line nearly stretched out of the concert hall, and MC stood by meeting and greeting each and every fan.
Where else can you have this kind of contact with the artists you love? I think this is just another example of how incredibly awesome the nerd subculture is.
If you get a chance, make sure to take in a concert at one of their upcoming stops and support the nerdcore genre, word up!
All photos by Cali Mist, Pounce Photography.
