A Tribe Called Red (ATCR) played at the Minneapolis Music Hall on Wednesday, November 1 – one of the stops on their A Tribe Called Red Tour. ATCR is a Canadian electronic music group, who blend instrumental hip hop reggae, moombahton and dubstep-influenced dance music with elements of First Nations music, particularly vocal chanting and drumming. A Tribe Called Red was formed in 2008 and are a part of a new generation of artists making a cultural and social impact in Canada. The group last released an album in September 16, 2016. The album titled “We Are The Halluci Nation” is their 3rd album.
The opening act Wednesday night was Tall Paul, a Twin Cities based rapper, along with DJ AO. Measuring in at 6’ 3”, it’s immediately obvious the origin of his name. Paul started his set with an a cappella rap that was well received by the crowd. He then was joined by DJ AO for a few songs, then a few songs later fellow rapper T.O.N.Y came on stage. The crowd especially loved chanting along to one rap, which involved our commander in chief and an act to be performed on him. It was all in good fun and it was obvious Paul, T.O.N.Y and DJ AO were as entertained as the crowd were during the set.
A Tribe Called Red took the stage and started with the title song from their “We Are The Halluci Nation” album. They really got the crowd dancing and the venue filled up quickly after they took the stage. The stage was spacious and adorned only with a single table for their equipment. One thing that I found striking was the diversity of the crowd. It seemed every race and age were represented at the show. One song blended into another, without break and the show turned out to be one long, infectious dance mix. During the show, a continuous projection was going on behind them consisting of clips of movies, cartoons, and performances on tv variety shows depicting clichéd and stereotypical Native American images. Periodically a pair of dancers came on stage, performing a mix of native dances or breakdancing.
It was obvious what the crowd’s reaction to the concert was. Much of the crowd danced the entire show with little break. An ATCR concert is definitely a unique show and one everyone should experience. The Minneapolis Music Hall was a great place for the concert, adding to an enjoyable night of dancing and music.
