By Simone Fohrman
Ishmael Butler, lead MC for Digable Planets, addressed a crowd at their performance at the Ogden Theatre last month with an intensity hard to come by in the current internet age. He scanned the entire audience, waving to the people on the balcony and every corner of the theater in an attempt to make eye contact. Butler thanked all the 9 to 5 workers who spent their hard earned money on the show. His genuine approach revealed his true desire to connect.
From the get-go, the band launched into tracks from their 1993 album “Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space).” Tracks like “Where I’m From” and “What Cool Breezes Do” swept up the audience into the Digable Planets unfaltering groove and style. In the second half of the set, they bounced around jams from their 1994 album, “Blowout Comb,” gracing the audience with favorites like “9th Wonder (Blackitolism)” and “Dog It.”
The triple threat– Ishmael Butler as Butterfly, Mariana Vieira as Ladybug Mecca, and Craig Irving as Doodlebug, had undeniable chemistry as they rocked side by side. Butterfly’s charisma was magnetic– everytime he took a verse he sauntered to the front of the stage, calm and collected, arms crossed in classic hip-hop fashion. Ladybug looked like she was in some ultra-chill trance. She shifted her feet steadily, her fists raised in homage to the beat. Last but not least, Doodlebug acted as the hype man, hopping on verses with a pep in his step and a rap flow that cut the beats like a blade.
The backing band was not only incredible in their musical technicality, but in their stage presence. The musicians wore bright orange jumpsuits as they grooved with the beat, carrying a stance akin to the soul and R&B groups of the late 60s/early 70s. The musicians seemed heavily inspired by Parliament and Funkadelic; their riffs built on fat basslines, soulful keys, and a lively horn section.
After all of these years, the Digable Planets haven’t lost a beat. When they played their Grammy winning “Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” it still carried much the same flavor as the original recording.
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