Run the Jewels Prove they are the Best With an Incredible Live Show

Last night was the night. I finally got to see one of my new favorite bands. This is the band I have not stopped talking about on podcasts lately, and I finally got to see Run the Jewels live, and it was spectacular.

They had three openers and they were all okay, Gangsta Boo, from Three 6 Mafia fame, was the standout, but the night belonged to Run the Jewels. My only beef with the show, there was a 35 minute set break in between the last opener and Run the Jewels. This is a small complaint, but it is still irritating. I know it builds up suspense, but we are all there to see them, so I want all headliners to come on stage ASAP. The stage was set up in about 5 minutes, so the fans all had to sit and wait for 30 minutes. It was frustrating, but that was the only problem.

When Run the Jewels, Killer Mike and El-P, took the stage, the next hour and 15 minutes was tremendous. They went through most of their new album, sprinkling in some "older" classics as well. They owned the stage during their whole set. The two of them have such a great rapport and friendship, and that comes across ten fold when you see them live. They truly love what they do, and they love doing it for their fans.

Killer Mike was incredible last night. When doing new songs off "RTJ 3", like "Talk to Me" or "Hey Kids", Killer Mike was the star. He is such a great emcee and you truly got a feel for that when seeing him do the stuff live. He was on time and on point in every verse. He was having fun while delivering his message. He was angry when he needed to be angry, goofy when that was needed and just being an elite emcee when that was needed. Killer Mike was awesome.

Same thing can be said about El-P. He comes off on some of the records and some of their interviews as a "second banana", but that could not have been further from the case last night. El-P was just as good, and dare I say, sometimes better than Killer Mike on some of the songs. When he was doing his thing on songs like "Panther like a Panther" or "A Message to the Shareholders" I was blown away at how good he was live in concert. I should not have been, but since I have been a Killer Mike fan since high school, and I only recently got into El-P, I was surprised at how great of an emcee he is. I always knew he was an exceptional producer and beat maker, but last night proved to me how great of an emcee he is. He slayed his verses. I was bobbing my head and moving my feet as much to his verses as I was to Killer Mike's.

These dudes are at the absolute top of the rap game right now. They have been on their world tour now for months, this was their 24th of 36 shows, and if anyone thought that they may be slowing down a bit, that did not happen last night. As I said, they went through a lot of the new album. They opened with "Talk to Me". It was great. They also played the songs I previously mentioned, as well as tracks like "Call Ticketron", which was a lot of fun, "Stay Gold" which was incredible and "Don't Get Captured" which was really good, among many other songs on the record. When they did dip into older songs, they did not disappoint. "Lie, Cheat, Steal" was phenomenal, "Love Again" was grimy and gritty and hilariously vulgar and when they did their encore, I was amazed at how great the two "older" songs, "Close Your Eyes" and their very first song, "Run the Jewels" sounded. First off, "Close Your Eyes", which is one of my favorites, was just a bass thumping, wailing good time. Both Killer Mike and El-P were tremendous on this track. The light show was just a flashing display of strobe lights. You could barely see the two of them, but you could definitely hear them. It was a banger, and I was so, so glad that they played it last night.

That would have been more than enough to suffice my appetite, but then they played "Run the Jewels" and my mind was blown even further. This was their first song. This was what got me into this awesome band. This was their introduction to the world, and to hear them play it live so many years later, it was just tremendous. Both guys again crushed their verses. Killer Mike completely stood out on this one. He owned the stage, with the lights shining down on him as he crushed his verses. El-P was great too, he always is, but Killer Mike brought a little something extra to close out the night.

The show was great and it only reaffirmed my love for Run the Jewels. I highly recommend going to see them if you get the chance. I drove 4 hours from Saint Louis to Kansas City to see them, so you don't have any excuse. Run the Jewels is one of the greatest bands ever, and now, they are one of the greatest touring bands ever. Great show by a great band last night.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He seen a lot of concerts. Hear about the good, the bad, and the Cubby in a classic X Millennial Man Podcast.  Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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