Hopscotch Festival Photos f. 9th Wonder, Raekwon, Tortoise & More

So those of you following me on Twitter (all six of you reading this, I’m sure) know that I spent the past five days in North Carolina. While I traveled there mainly for a reason other than music, I did make it out to the Hopscotch Festival for two nights of awesomeness. For Friday night, we (yes, we) were supposed to catch Broken Social Scene and Panda Bear’s sets, but due to complications that kind of fell through. We then rushed over to Lincoln Theater, where 9th Wonder was putting on a showcase of artists both local and national.

Hit the skip to view a mini review and some photos from the event.

To say that everyone involved killed it would be a drastic understatement. I was particularly impressed with Kaze, Actual Proof, and Rapsody, who all had the crowd going insane while 9th Wonder manned the turntables. Also noteworthy was Apple Juice Kid’s Remix Project, which ran through a medley of Golden Age anthems. But, as expected, that energy was ramped up considerably when Skyzoo and Raekwon took the stage for their respective sets. The Clansman ran through a mixture of tracks both old and new, from “Ice Cream” to “House of Flying Daggers”, which sounded absolutely insane in a live setting.

The next night was intended to be filled with the sounds of the Bomb Squad and Public Enemy, but the rain put a nasty damper on things. Unfortunately my camera is not weather-proof so I had to snap a few quick shots before some random dude told us to put our umbrella away. We then again high-tailed to the Lincoln Theater, where Bear In Heaven, one of my partner-in-crime’s favorite acts, was playing. Turns out their blending of shoegaze, synth-based drone, and dance music is actually rather gripping. And it didn’t hurt one damn bit that their drummer didn’t just play by-the-numbers beats that are too often utilized for that kind of sound.

They were followed by post-rock pioneers Tortoise, whose electrifying set blended all the elements you would expect. Tracks bounced from latin-inspired jams to jazzy pseudo-dance  numbers and everything in between. Watching each member of the group walk from one instrument to the next to display his mastery on every piece of equipment was amazing, if not infuriating in the sense that goddamn these dudes are talented. I knew this prior to seeing them in a live setting, but you don’t fully grasp the precision of their playing until you see them in concert.