(2006, 102 min) Sort of a kinder, gentler Wattstax (and also directed by an unlikely white dude), Dave Chappelle's Block Party boasts an all-star hip-hop lineup and an overt fight-the-power undertone. Yet as hosted by the affable Chappelle, it feels like not only could the revolution be televised, it could be done over pizza and cigarettes at the corner store.
At the September 18, 2004 concert there are the expected powerhouse performances by the reunited Fugees, Kanye West, The Roots and Erykah Badu (with and without an enormous afro), but it's Jill Scott who holds the audience most rapt with her tremendous voice and accompanying heavy guitars. The surprise of the show goes to Chappelle's fave Dead Prez, overtly political and conspicuously absent from the radio. All this takes place on a gentrifying corner in Bed-Stuy, where Chappelle and director Michel Gondry take the time to meet the neighbors and gently ad-lib.
It's also a love letter to Chappelle's hometown outside of Dayton Ohio, despite the racism simmering under the surface of that small city's 'burbs (and every small town for that matter). That's where he recruits many of the concertgoers, including a college marching band that's more ecstatic than the Three 6 Mafia's Oscars® appearance. They steal the show with their pragmatic optimism, and a killer cover of Kanye West's "Overnight Celebrity" that rivals anything onstage. Utilizing his newfound fortune, Dave Chappelle says "This is the concert I've always wanted to see"; afterwards, it's a good bet you'll feel the same way.
© TLA Entertainment Group
No comments:
Post a Comment