Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star. Photo Credit: The FADER.

When the Music TRaC attended the Mos Def concert on Saturday, I was completely thrilled and taken to a place I had never been, both literally and emotionally.  This show was one of the most amazing, cool, and fun things I have ever been to.  I have not been to many-well, any concerts, that did not include what would be considered a “classical” instrument.  Saturday night changed everything, I arrived promptly at 7:45 and then realized that everyone was running late.  Upon arrival we were told that we were “on the list.”  I thought that this type of thing only happened in movies; being thrust into shrouded world of exclusivity that I had never known before, I had now become part of that 1% that could say they were “on the list.”  We were simply let in, given a ticket and a wrist band, and told that we had full access to the complete venue.  It had never occurred to me that one slip of paper had separated our small group from hundreds of others in the crowd.

Once we were backstage, we just hung out and, for lack of a better phrase, it was very awesome.  The backroom was fairly quiet, and generically designed, a few couches, a closet to hang coats, and a fridge stocked with water, and classic Red Bull.  It wasn’t loud and rowdy, as I had expected.  As nine thirty came, and we heard Mos’ Black Star partner, Talib Kweli take the stage, we figured that we would go listen.  We walked through the narrow hallway that led to the stage and, standing in the small doorway we were practically on the stage, and in the performance itself.  We became fully immersed in the culture of the concert.  Yassin Bay, AKA Mos Def, finally arrived, bounded onto the stage and took control.  His presence was overwhelming and indescribable he owned his lyrics, and rhymed a smooth string of words, flowing and beautifully put.  With the crowd singing along and the adrenaline pumping, nothing could stop him.  He commanded the stage, and demanded people listen; in turn the crowd demanded more of him be given.

I recalled the day we watched the documentary Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Story of A Tribe Called Quest.  I was brought back to the feeling of family that the documentary conveyed paired with complete honesty backstage.  I knew it was possible for anything to happen, and that’s what made everything so real; the video was not one of a “perfect life,” they did not run on a precise schedule, or always get along.  Had it been done any other way, justice would not have been done to the true aspects of how we are as humans.  We do run late, get into arguments with our friends, or don’t follow the prescribed plans set for us.  Many times human nature, and human flaws are not embraced as it was last Saturday night, the air of self-awareness and confidence in one’s self permeated the air.

The Black Star concert was not a show I was just able to watch, and say I was there.  I was thrown head first into this mosh pit.  It was to become one of my best memories, something I will never forget.  Meeting people like Black Star along with all the other people there to support them, and witnessing such special performances, is a life altering and enlightening experience.  The next day family and countless friends bombarded me with questions of how the show was, and I truly was unable to respond, with anything but the cliché, “It was fantastic.”  How can you put something so mind-blowing and momentous into words?  People may not understand, but it doesn’t really matter.  What matters is that the night was real, and it happened.