Best show ever
Salt-n-pepa had Mile One rockin’ and lovin’ the ’90s
Mile One Stadium was vibrating on May 25, and not just because of the heavy hip-hop bass. Thousands flocked to the St. John’s venue for the Newfoundland instalment of the “I Love the ’90s” tour, with many concertgoers wearing outfits to match the decades represented onstage.
With a stacked lineup of hiphop, rap and pop stars from the ’80s and ’90s, the sets were kept short to accommodate the seven acts.
C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams kicked off the show, amping up the crowd with their hit dance songs. I was familiar with their set list, despite being a toddler when these tunes were topping the charts. The crowd was on their feet. We collectively abandoned our seats for the rest of the show.
Young MC was next to “Bust A Move” and spit some rhymes, including a track from the film “Justice Served,” his directorial debut. He noted that this was his first time “in this part of Canada,” and expressed excitement to be here.
Biz Markie was also on the “to-get-screeched-in” list, and after his set he’d likely needed a drink. Biz seemed to have communication issues with his DJ, appearing flustered at times. This didn’t prevent him from amping up the audience with his biggest hit, “Just a Friend,” or blowing our minds with a tribute to the late, great Prince.
You can colour me surprised by Color Me Badd’s performance — I knew more of their music than I had thought. The three-piece broke out a cover of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity,” which had me dancing in the aisles, screaming every word.
All the rules were abandoned, as the audience clamoured for the best vantage point.
All 4 One slowed it down with their romantic R&B ballads, like “I Swear” and “I Can Love You Like That,” but lit the place up when one of the members explained his connection to the province – he had grown up in Goose Bay, Labrador. Small world, huh?
Rob Base was tasked with setting the stage for the headliners, and he easily pumped the crowd up with classic hiphop beats and crowd participation. Base cheekily played a game of “Finish the Lyrics” with the crowd, to ensure we were truly ready for the main act.
And we were. After a short wait while the stage was rearranged, it was time for Saltn-pepa, with DJ Spinderella. All the rules were abandoned, as the audience clamoured for the best vantage point. I remained in the fifth row — the view was already fantastic.
DJ Spinderella greeted the crowd with a well-executed “Whaddyat, b’y?” and the stadium went up.
“This is not a show,” Salt warned the crowd, “This is a Salt-n-pepa experience.”
And it was. Crowd participation, backup dancers, choreographed moves, fog machines, confetti, masses dancing on stage — they had it all. Friendship and female empowerment were common themes in both their segues and lyrics, and the predominantly female audience echoed the lyrics back to the stage. Both their appearances and their tunes seem untouched by time, with “Shoop,” “Push It,” “Tramp,” “Whatta Man,” and “Let’s Talk About Sex” packing as much punch in 2017 as they did in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
With more than 30 years in the game, the “three queens from Queens” have rightfully earned their place in hip-hop history, and they just made history as “the best damn show I’ve ever seen at Mile One Stadium.”