A Diverse Public's Enemy

At the last concert in their 20th year as the group Public Enemy – whose 1987 release Yo Bum Rush the Show was the first in a slew of genre-redefining albums – front men Chuck D and Flava Flav displayed more energy and intensity than lots of rappers one third their age. Averaging 47.5 years between them (Chuck is 47, Flav 48), they ran (and jumped) the stage throughout their two-hour set, the younger in Knicks shorts, black tank-top, black hat and black wristbands, the elder in a neon green polo shirt (then shirtless) with his signature clock pendant swinging from his neck.

On paper at least, the venue (the Warsaw in Greenpoint) was a treat, an intimate counterpoint to their previous night’s show at Manhattan’s Fillmore Auditorium. The culture mash-up of seeing rap pioneers take over a small Polish cultural center was potent, as was having to choose between spending money on a PE shirt or a plate of pierogi. Though the kitchen handled the show just fine, dolling out vast quantities of the Eastern European dumplings all night long, the Warsaw’s sound system wasn’t up to the task. That fine balance of booming bass, crisp drums and a clear enough system to hear the MC’s words clearly just wasn’t happening. Those in the audience who didn’t already know the Public Enemy catalogue by heart probably didn’t pick much up at last night’s show.

That said, it was hard to tell who in the audience knew the group well and who was just along for the ride. In fact, this might have been the most diverse rap show audience ever assembled: eighties, nineties and naughts hip hop fans, recently emigrated Greenpoint hipsters, some Greenpoint Poles, some yuppie Manhattanites, and some totally unclassifiable extras. All these different constituencies created a pretty fun environment, and testifies to Public Enemy’s enduring appeal (and energy). Even if their most recent album, this year’s How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul, won’t have the impact of 1988’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back, this show (and its eclectic audience) testifies to the group’s staying power and the continued relevance of their message.

A similar version of this concert review appears on the New York Press's Information Agent Blog, and can be read here.