First show Def Jam Tour in 88’
I was a bit pissed at missing out on the Beasties Licensed to Ill show a few months earlier
it was LL, Eric B and Rakim and P.E.
s**t was hype the energy from those shows was incredible. P.E. Had been spotted playing games in an arcade before the show, area was swamped with b boys it was all fat laces gooses and belt buckles. Cunts we’re getting robbed outside the show but I was with my boys over 15 deep
yo bum rush was out and P.E. Were on first but they performed Rebel Without a Pause and the place erupted, my rib cage was bursting from the bass, the crowd went nuts flavour ran along a 15ft high row of speakers and nearly broke his neck. They put on a show, probably one of the best I have ever seen. Chuck had on a white tracksuit and was destroying it, to a teenage me it was everything I wanted to see. The S1W were all uzi up and looked like they were going to fire over the crowd, they weren’t massively known compared to later but Public Enemy really delivered.
then a break
Breakers spontaneously started in the crowd, after 5 mins or so Paid in Full was on a loop Eric B strides centre stage in a full length leather trench and just stood there eyeballing the crowd. No Ra. Me and my boy were prolly 10 metres from the front, young and full of s**t we got frustrated with the stationary Eric and flipped him the finger demanding Ra come out. I swear he stared straight at us with that 1000 yard killer look, damn we s**t it….he is a big guy, suddenly we were very small. Don’t remember much of their set apart from after the hype P.E. One it seemed tame, Rakim was dope but they had way less energy.
next break. I had noticed earlier a big dread up front in a green goose. He had his hands on the barrier and as the crowd surged he would brace himself and push his back out knocking them back, then he would turn and offer to fight any one who had pushed into him or had a problem. I made a bee line for the guy and stood next to him, it gave me a nice spot right at the front. No f**ker pushed into us lol
Ll next, a huge beat box lowered from the ceiling with Radio booming, when it hit the ground LL burst out the front of it in a leather puma tracksuit red kangol spitting I’m Bad,crowd went nuts. He f**king knew how to rock a crowd, he gets mad sweaty in the end ended up shirtless but f**k he was dope
took a hour or two for my hearing to come back after the show those speakers were loud. Kept my Def Jam tour hoodie my mother used to rock it walking the dogs in her 60s until she died
damn it was a great show