The Game - Live Music Review in Bristol
Posted on: 2016-02-12
Our rating:
His energy increased with every song played and with outstanding timing his DJ and the crowd would respond to his request to gee every song up. The backup band added to what was already a lively beat.
Living in Bristol is a blessing. We have the most complex road network that seem to continuously give us unadulterated issues with regards to traffic jams and one way networks. It is often so difficult to find a gem in its behemoth undertone. However, on the surface this may be true, but over the years, and recently especially, recently we have played host to a huge influx of impeccable talent from across the great pond with the latest being Jayceon Terrell Taylor, a.k.a The Game who played the O2 Academy on Wednesday 10 February 2016.
A rising artist in the 2000s, The Game was considered to be a driving force in bringing the West Coast hip hop scene back into the mainstream and competing with many of his East Coast counterparts, he was discovered by Dr. Dre who listened to the mixtape and signed him to his Aftermath Entertainment label in 2003. He rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album The Documentary (2005) and Doctor's Advocate (2006). The Recording Industry Association of America certified his album The Documentary double platinum in March 2005 and it has sold over five million copies worldwide.
This tour is for the sequel to his debut album, The Documentary, which propelled the Compton native to superstardom. The Documentary 2 epitomises the journey that game has been through. Whether it be from his childhood up to the fracas or turmoil with G-Unit.
As always, the procession into the venue was filled with great anticipation. Now this was not the case and this filled me with great intrigue and I pondered whether our superstar was LATE!!! The supporting acts consisted of different spots for intelligent talented DJ's and a hype man who unfortunately didn't get me or the crowd hyped as much and not once did he ask me if I was having a good time?!! That aside it was good to reminisce on some old skool hip hop.
Cometh the hour and with a huge splash of red, the incumbent adorned the stage and a rousing welcome from the crowd deafened the start of his hit El Chapo accompanied by his ever present hype crew who seemed dwarfed next to him. He immediately strolled through a series of songs that he aptly named 'a warm up', this was surely going to be an outstanding performance and surely it was.
His energy increased with every song played and with outstanding timing his DJ and the crowd would respond to his request to gee every song up. The backup band added to what was already a lively beat and called for an outrageous flow of quintessential hits from the past and from the present which geared up to an apt interlude. Not that he left the stage; he however he did begin to undress and reveal to his Bristol City shirt. This was met with a mixture of cheers and jeers based according to their affiliation. However, this was all forgotten when the timeless words were spoken...'Dre I see dead people'.
With that the crowd was sent into a frenzy bouncing to his hit 'One Blood...It's Okay' ultimately this was manufactured to ease the crowd back into what they came here to do and that was to have fun!! He swiftly followed this with his other club bangers such 'How We Do' and 'Ali Bomaye' and the everlasting 'Hate it or Love it'. This was all good to me however my biggest surprise and this doesn't often happen when I see an artist I truly enjoy; when they play your own personal banger and he dropped with such great subtlety the crowd had no chance to respond but feel great awe 'Put You on The Game' is an absolute classic!!
The Game interacted with the crowd imperiously acknowledging Ab Soul before the performance of 'Dollar and a Dream' and how their meeting coincided with his daughters’ trip to McDonald’s with him. His passion for the art is evident and he seems to be living out his dreams and I was left in awe at how much he loves Grey Goose. For me that was a little too much, however that didn't alter his performance on the night and it appears his career thus far. I certainly hope it won’t be another decade before we see him on these shores again. Jayceon, we salute you.
5/5
Reviewed by Alvin Dube for 365Bristol.com - The leading events and entertainment website for the city
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Article by:
Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
