As I crossed the threshold into the elegant Majestic Theater I heard the instrumental to Qualifiers, my favorite Open Mike Eagle song, queue up. Half kicking myself for my lack of punctuality and half giddy with excitement, I pocketed my ticket stub and worked my way into the crowd. The sold out show was working its way towards capacity, with the buzzing crowd already condensed shoulder-to-shoulder. I found myself in the thick of it and quickly realized that I was one of the few people not to be sipping on a Surly Doomtree, the perfect drink for the occasion.
Open Mike Eagle's live sets are known for their pragmatic nature, and this one didn't stray too far from that reputation. His minimalist stage presence was attributable to the lack of both a backing DJ and hype men. He showed no need for a posse though, with all of the beats controlled by Mike himself. He casually manned a laptop, drum pad, and synthesizer to create the backing tracks. “Casually” is the key word here. It was refreshing to see a hip hop performer occupy a stage alone with such comfort and ease, rather than relying on strength in numbers as so many other rappers do. He gave off the aura of a professional, and you could easily discern that this could be considered his day job. His set was full of tracks fresh off of his two most recent releases Dark Comedy and A Special Episode Of – EP. He worked the crowd well, splicing comedic voice breaks into his set and keeping things generally lighthearted. The role of opener was perfectly embodied. As the crowd packed in, his set gained momentum and became more involved. By the end of it, the combination of a great performance and great Minnesotan beer had the crowd loosened up and chomping at the bit for Doomtree.
The sound check's buzzing was broken every so often by a shout of “Bangarang!” from the crowd, an exclamation of excitement appropriated by the group ever since the 2011 release “No Kings.” The amassed hype finally exploded when Doomtree stormed the stage with the song Gray Duck from their recent release “All Hands.” Even though this show was coming at the end of the first leg of their nationwide tour, they showed no lack of gusto. They muscled through fatigue and lost voices and kept the energy unperturbed for the whole set. Members Sims, P.O.S., Dessa, Cecil Otter, and Mike Mictlan took turns absolutely spouting off over tracks DJ'd by Lazerbeak and Paper Tiger. This set was everything that Open Mike Eagle's couldn't be. Everywhere you'd look on stage was occupied by a body thrashing around and shouting into a microphone. They showed strong chemistry with their tag-team approach, often jumping in mid verse and finishing each other's lines. The night came to an apex with the crowd going absolutely nuts to the P.O.S. song “Get Down.” Boy oh boy, did we get down. Throughout it all, the energy that Doomtree brought to Madison was unmatched. Very few people left the Majestic that night without being sweaty, exhausted, and grinning like a fool. What else could you ask for in a night of hip hop?
If you fall into the unlucky crowd of people who missed out on this show, you're not completely out of luck. Doomtree is set for a triumphant return to Wisconsin this summer for the inaugural Eaux Claires music festival.
[Never make the same mistake twice]
Shout out to J Scott Kunkel for the photographs
