Murs - Road To Paid Dues Tour - Calgary, AB (02.27.11)
Posted by Bill Wannop on 03.11.2011
Murs continued on his road to paid dues, rocking a show in Calgary, Canada. Would his charisma and ability to work a crowd make up for a somewhat hit and miss song selection?
Murs has always been somewhat of a free spirit in the world of hip-hop. Really no one knows what he is going to do or say next. Regardless he continues to put out album after album, whether it be with his groups (Living Legends, 3MG), his collab albums (Slug, 9th Wonder, Terrance Martin), or his solo albums. With such a vast discography, it was a real question as to what is going to play at his live shows. I had the chance to catch a Murs show on the Road to Paid Dues tour when it stopped by Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The start of the show was a bit anti-climactic, as Murs basically walked out on stage checked his mic, said some words to the DJ and told the crowd to get ready. He then jumped right into one of his most popular tracks, 3:16 off of the album 3:16 the 9th Edition. This track really got the crowd moving and Murs the energy going by playing the title track off of his most recent 9th Wonder album Fornever. While the show started off on the right foot, it took a very sharp turn, when Murs ran through some of his more mainstream songs off of his only major label album, Murs for President. Songs such as Looking Fly, The OJ Song, and Dreadlocks (which didn’t even make the final cut of the album) somewhat threw off the momentum of the show.
After the brief trip into the land of mainstream, Murs kept focused on probably his most popular efforts, in the form of 9th wonder produced albums. He went through a bunch of hits from H-U-S-T-L-E, Freak These Tales, The Pain and Badman from 3:16, to L.A., Silly Girl, and Black Skin White Girls from Murray’s Revenge.
However what was missing from the show was the little extras and shout outs to the die-hard fans that have stuck by him throughout his career. He needed to play a couple songs off of his first albums, songs off of Murs Rules the World or The End of the Beginning, would have added that extra touch to the show and given the die-hard fans what they needed. While Murs did add some bonuses in the way of some new upcoming tracks off of his new album Varsity Blues 2, it was not enough to make up for the lack of early work. At the end of the show Whole Wheat Bread took the stage with Murs and they continued to play a set with his punk fusion band the Invincibles which again was a nice touch, but through a lot of fans off mainly due to the fact that they were not familiar with a lot of the tracks.
Throughout the show Murs was interacting with the crowd, and showed that he knows how to work a stage and audience, as he had a great stage presence which really added to the overall performance. However the song selection had its ups and downs. The lack of some throwback tracks really hurt the show, as did the inclusion of some less known mainstream tracks. The added end set with Whole Wheat Bread was a nice bonus touch, but is hard to judge having never heard any of their songs before. While Murs did play some new tracks from upcoming albums Varsity Blues 2, his extensive catalog really make it hard for listeners as he cannot please everyone. Overall it was a good show, but many listeners where left disappointed by the song selection.
The 411: Murs displayed his great ability to work a stage and rock a crowd, however his song selection had its ups and downs. The lack of some throwback tracks really hurt the show, as did the inclusion of some less known mainstream tracks. The added end set with Whole Wheat Bread was a nice bonus touch, but is hard to judge having never heard any of their songs before. Overall it was a good show, but many listeners where left disappointed by the song selection.
