Words: Miljan Milekić
After quickly selling out AB Concerts in Brussels on November 6th, Run The Jewels didn’t wait long before adding another show. Sunday, November 5th was the new date, and we took our chance to be there. With a bit smaller capacity, an extra concert was almost entirely packed, and everything was set for a killer show.
Danny Brown was first to take the stage, backed by Black Sabbath‘s ‘Iron Man.’ Although he did need a few songs to get the crowd going, the show got wilder with every piece of clothing he took off. When he finally lost his coat and sweater and stayed in a Mötley Crüe T-shirt everything set in its place. He was a support act, but he had quite a few fans of his own, so the energy was there. Obviously, tracks like ’25 Bucks’ and ‘Grow Up’ were best accepted, being sung by every person in the building.
The moment ‘We are the Champions’ thundered from the loudspeakers, the crowd went wild. Killer Mike and El-P took the stage over, and the show exploded. With three records under their belt and more than a few smashing hits in their arsenal, they didn’t take long before making the AB Box one big party. And that was just what everybody came for.
Verse after verse, from ‘Legend Has It,’ to ‘Stay Gold’ and ‘Nobody Speak,’ Run The Jewels dropped a ridiculous amount of energy from the stage, and the feedback from the crowd was no less. Yet, it was ‘Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)’ that was an absolute highlight of the evening. As soon as the beat kicked in, it felt like the club was bouncing.
As the show came to an end, RTJ slowed things down a bit with ‘Thursday In The Danger Room’ and ‘Down,’ only to shake them up again with ‘Angel Duster’ during the encore. Duo looked highly amused on the stage, joking with the crowd, joking with each other, but still took the time to send a message of love, respect, and unity. Run The Jewels are a politically charged band, and not afraid to show it. They know where they stand, and how to deal with bullshit. And that’s precisely what the hip hop scene today needs.
