Right now, I am involved in a number of different performing projects which have been keeping me from seeing many live shows. However, I have made time twice this past year to get out and see Saul Williams perform at Triple Rock Social Club. Twice. The first time out, he was here with his band and they tore it up! But the most recent visit was a spoken word event promoting his new book, Chorus: A Literary Mix Tape, and provided a different, but no less compelling, glimpse of the performer.
The show opened with Dessa doing a rare spoken word appearance which was great to see. She was honest, compelling, maybe a little high on recent successes, but present and bringing the truth as she knows it. The road may not have been easy, or brief, but it is clear why her star is on the rise.
Then Saul took the stage, and even though he was without his band, he did not come alone. For this tour he invited spoken word artists who contributed to the book to attend the shows and perform alongside him. His willingness to give stage to lesser known - but stellar - performers speaks volumes. His new book which consists of a series of contributed poems, curated by Saul, with a secondary poem he created from within the whole, is pretty amazing. It is all over the map as far as topics are concerned but definitely worth a read to see where, culturally, America stands today. It's not always a pretty picture, but this chorus of voices rising carries on it hope. Hope that when enough voices join, they will finally be heard.
Back to the show. All the performers for the evening took the stage at the top and remained while the others performed in a kind of invited guest solidarity. It was a mixed bag of topics and performance levels, but on the whole impressive. Midwest, represent! Saul then claimed the stage with his raw and visceral way of performing that lifts one up while it refuses to let them off the hook. It quickly becomes clear that his body and his voice ARE his politics and to be in the room when he's on the mic is to be transformed.
Back to the show. All the performers for the evening took the stage at the top and remained while the others performed in a kind of invited guest solidarity. It was a mixed bag of topics and performance levels, but on the whole impressive. Midwest, represent! Saul then claimed the stage with his raw and visceral way of performing that lifts one up while it refuses to let them off the hook. It quickly becomes clear that his body and his voice ARE his politics and to be in the room when he's on the mic is to be transformed.
If you have a chance to experience him, GO!
