Sunday, October 30, 2011

Concert Reviews : Das Racist

[Relax Tour, Sons of Hermann Hall, 11 p.m.]

Things always seem to get a little weirder around Halloween, and Das Racist’s set at Sons of Hermann Hall was certainly no exception. The Brooklyn based hip-hop group led by Himanshu “Heems” Suri and Victor Vazquez (aka Cool A.D.) and hype man Ashok Kondabolu, or simply “Dap,” delivered a night filled with an impromptu “We are the world!” sing-along, a back to back performance of “Rainbow in the Dark,” multiple punk rock song interludes, and plenty of air horn. DR was all kinds of wasted on stage, but each member somehow delivered their rather intricate verses to perfection. And despite the heavily drugged out ambience, the show was surprisingly high in energy and constantly entertaining.
Most choice outfit: Dap’s Air Force jumpsuit
Number of Presidential Shout outs: one (to Ronald Reagan)
Best between-song stage banter: when the trio chanted, “It’s spooooooky time!” for about five minutes
Number of Guitar Solos played by Heems: at least five
Actual number of guitars on stage: zero– Mr. Suri rocked out during most of the show while air-guitaring on his microphone
Length of set: 43 minutes
Percentage of set accompanied by air horns: 30%