On Monday, Sept. 23, Common and Pete Rock touched down at Blue Note New York for the first sets of a three-night, six-show run at the esteemed jazz club. For the final stops in The Auditorium Tour–celebrating the release of their duo album The Auditorium, Vol. 1, which arrived to widespread acclaim in July–the legends totally transformed the space into a love letter to the Golden Age of hip-hop, decking out the stage with wood paneling, records, a couch, a Bruce Lee poster and more. From the proverbial basement, the birthplace of all classic hip-hop, the hip-hop figureheads brought their storied careers into the future, mixing essentials from four decades of releases with fan favorites from their new album.
Among the entries featured were Common’s “Dreamin’,” “The Light,” “The Food,” “Testify,” and “I Used to Love H.E.R.,” as well as Erykah Badu’s “Love of My Life,” with boasts a feature from the MC. Beyond lying down some thumping beats and scratching live from behind the turntables, Pete Rock got the crowd to put their hands in the air for “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” and “Lots of Lovin’,” both drawn from Mecca and the Soul Brother, his iconic 1992 album with C.L. Smooth; after Rock finished his verse on the latter, common invited a fan to the stage and effortlessly freestyle about her in place of C.L.’s section.
Another highlight came earlier in the show when the duo (supported by DJ Dummy) cycled through tributes to some of New York’s greatest golden age tracks. In a rapid-fire barrage, Common and Pete Rock kept the beat rotating and rattled through quotes of Eric B. & Rakim’s “Paid in Full,” Audio Two’s “Top Billin’,” Run–DMC’s “Sucker M.C.’s,” Boogie Down Productions’ “The Bridge is Over” and more. From a sample of MC Shan’s “The Bridge,” the duo crossed over into “Wise Up,” a gleaming highlight from their latest project. The largest-scale tribute to the five boroughs landed later, when Common led a full-blown cover of Nas’ “The World is Yours.”
Get a look inside the show via the gallery below, courtesy of photographer Dino Perrucci. For more information on The Auditorium, Vol. 1 and The Auditorium Tour, visit commonandpeterock.com.
The post Common and Pete Rock at Blue Note New York (A Gallery + Recap) appeared first on Relix Media.
