Cursive, P.O.S. & the Berg Sans Nipple @ First Avenue

(P.O.S.)

(P.O.S.)

Omaha’s Cursive brought a “very special guest” along with them to their First Avenue gig, and the unannounced (but not so secret) performance by local hip-hop luminary P.O.S. proved to be the evening’s highlight, as the emcee stole the show from the headliners. It was a relatively light turnout for a Friday night show at the Ave, and P.O.S. probably played to his smallest crowd ever at the club, as the place was packed for his record release show over the winter, and any performance with his Doomtree crew usually sells out the place. But the crowd’s relative unfamiliarity with his music left P.O.S. to carry the show with only his rhymes, and he easily won over the sparse audience with his energy and superb skills on the mic.

(The Berg Sans Nipple)

(The Berg Sans Nipple)

Opening the show was the French/American Duo Berg Sans Nipple, who are signed to Conor Oberst‘s Team Love label. They play an inventive, percussion driven style of electronic music that made for somewhat interesting background noise for people still filing into the club. Their sound was a bit hit or miss for me, with the group often finding an interesting groove that would get my head bobbing, before ultimately changing gears a bit and switching up to something more dissonant. But all in all, the band created some interesting sounds during their set, and set things up nicely for P.O.S.

(P.O.S.)

(P.O.S.)

(P.O.S.)

People were still filing in the club as P.O.S. (whose real name is Stef Alexander) took to the stage with DJ Plain Ole Bill. And one of the first things he said to the scant crowd was: “If this is going to work, I need all of you people to move towards the stage.” Thankfully they complied as best they could, but the main floor was still about half-full by the time they all moved forward. So it was quite interesting and revealing to see P.O.S. perform without being supported by an adoring audience that could say all the words to his rhymes right along with him. He would have to carry the show completely on his own, along with the nimble DJing of Bill. And sure enough, he ruled the stage and showed why his new record Never Better is not only the best local hip-hop record of the year, but the best hip-hop record of 2009 period.

(P.O.S.)

(P.O.S.)

(P.O.S.)

It certainly wasn’t the smoothest set by any means, as Alexander often chuckled with the Plain Ole Bill over various in-jokes, telling him that he could do what the DJ was doing on the turntables, even coming over to the decks to comically prove that he truly couldn’t at one point. But the stellar tracks were what made the set memorable, and from the opener “Let It Rattle” onwards, it was clear that P.O.S. was on point and out to prove something to a crowd that perhaps was getting their first taste of his style. “Savion Glover,” “Goodbye” and “P.O.S. Is Ruining My Life” absolutely slayed, even without the large crowd that typically sings right along to the massive choruses. It was all on Alexander, and he took on the challenge and delivered his lines with an intensity that more than made up for the lack of crowd participation. “The Basics (Alright)” was fiery, and got the fans in the crowd involved, as did “Drumroll (We’re All Thirsty).” How could these beats and rhymes not move the crowd? And indeed they did. “Been Afraid” was a surprise to hear in the set, and is a vulnerable, heartbreaking tale of relationships, both good and bad, that Alexander delivered with a passion that was palpable.

(P.O.S.)

(P.O.S.)

(P.O.S.)

Alexander told a story about how he encountered a girl before his show in Milwaukee that had “Every Never Is Now” tattooed on her forearm, and how that made his year. He then insisted the crowd sing that line back at him every time he said it in the set closer “Never Better,” and the connection P.O.S. made with the crowd was solidified by his fervent rendition of this song. Hopefully he made quite a few new fans this evening, even though most of the audience was there to see the indie-rock stylings of Cursive. But for this reviewer at least, P.O.S. showed why he’s the most talented emcee in a city full of them, delivering a vehement set that was invigorating and intense, and would’ve ultimately stole the show no matter who the headliner was.

(P.O.S.)

(P.O.S.)

The floor was full by the time Cursive came onstage, and it was obvious that this was the band nearly all of the people in club turned out to see as they pushed towards the stage and sang along emphatically with lead singer Tim Kasher. The band tore through a good amount of the new record Mama, I’m Swollen, delivering impassioned versions of “I Couldn’t Love You,” “Caveman,” “From The Hips” and the title track. But their set drew equally from their past records, as well, with older tracks like “Dorothy At 40,” “Bad Sects,” “Big Bang” and “Art Is Hard” proving to be real crowd-pleasers. But I found their sound on this evening to be a bit pedestrian and routine, especially when compared to the sonic adventurousness of their records. All of that challenging musicality was lost during a live set that had much more of a straight ahead rock vibe to it than the somewhat experimental sound I’ve heard on their albums.

(Cursive)

(Cursive)

(Cursive)

(Cursive)

Perhaps it was due to be a bit of letdown when compared to the spirited opening set of P.O.S., or even the fact that the band was simply tired after two straight weeks of touring without a day off, or simply the relatively light turnout in the club. But whatever the case was, there was an energy that seemed to be missing during the Cursive set, which was unfortunate since I enjoy their recorded output quite a bit. But the night was saved by P.O.S., who delivered a stirring and memorable set that completely validated his label of “very special guest” for the evening, and hopefully garnered him some new fans in the process.

(Cursive)

(Cursive)

(Cursive)

(Cursive)

[Review by Erik Thompson, photos by Jon Behm.]

Cursive: Purchase | Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
P.O.S.: Purchase | Official | Twitter | MySpace | Wikipedia
The Berg Sans Nipple: Purchase | Official | MySpace | Wikipedia

Also: P.O.S. “Never Better” Review