Stone, Bone Thugs kept up energy
Published Sept. 15, 2006
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony set the tone at The Blue Note Tuesday night by continuously asking where the weed smokers were and rocking the sold-out crowd with its mid-'90s hit and songs from its new album.
The show featured local rapper Stevie Stone and touring member Big Caz as openers. Alongside his dancers, Stone gave a shout-out to "CoMO" and "the 573," which warmed up the crowd nicely. Caz delivered as well with his hit "I Am," and with covers and mix-downs of T.I., 50 Cent and Tupac Shakur.
The buzz inside The Blue Note was focused on Bone Thugs. The DJ teased the crowd with three-second samples, asking, "Do you wanna hear some shit like this?"
When the time finally came for Bone Thugs to walk out on stage, there was a party on stage, on the floor, in the balcony and even in the bathroom.
Bone Thugs did a great job of keeping the crowd involved throughout the show.
At one point, the group members brought eight women on stage for a dance-off, and they also had performance cameos by DJ Ice and a freestyle rapper.
The trio, featuring Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone and Wish Bone, portrayed the energy of the music they have been making for the past decade and a half. Krayzie provided the most vigor. Layzie and Wish, on the other hand, dished out the attitude the group presents.
The set featured a couple songs off the group's new album, Thug Stories, but stuck mostly to the old-school rhymes, such as "Thug Luv," "1st of Tha Month" and "Weed Song."
The Cleveland-based group paid tribute to many former artists as well. Mentor Eazy-E, friends Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. as well as former band member Flesh-N-Bone, who is currently in jail, were all honored through song. Also, former member Bizzy Bone was absent from the group because of his pursuit to find God.
The energy never died throughout the set, even when Bone Thugs provided a variety of sounds. Whether it was a gangster rap, a quick and melodic delivery, or a slower "rap ballad" such as "Days of Our Livez," Bone Thugs had the crowd going the whole way through the concert. The excitement continued to grow to the point when Wish Bone invited the entire crowd back to a hotel party after the show.
Sure, Bone Thugs might not be the same rap group that won a Grammy in 1996 and might be two members short, but the concert was entertaining and loaded with enough liveliness to get you high - in case getting high was a problem.
Just before the show ended, fans were informed to drive home safely, but to not "surrender when you have a blunt in your car." So if you get lucky enough to see Bone Thugs, hold on, because it's a wild ride.