Lupe Fiasco And B.o.B. Live At Denver's Ogden Theatre Concert Reviews, Video & Photos

As reported by Greg Stieber at the Denver Post

As the house and stage lights went dim at the Ogden Theatre last night (Thursday, April 29), the crowd was in a frenzied state of anticipation. Opener B.o.B. had concluded his blazing set a few moments earlier, performing like a headliner as he engaged the crowd, joked around and even invited one woman on stage for a serenade.

The bar was set high — and Chicago-bred emcee Lupe Fiasco did not disappoint. As the crowd chanted “Lupe!” — which was a mainstay of the evening — Fiasco bounded onto stage and opened with the song “Shining Down” from upcoming album “Lasers.” The crowd erupted with cheers as a set of strobe lights silhouetted Fiasco’s movements.

With the release date of “Lasers” continually being pushed back, the crowd was anxious to get a sneak peak at his new material. Fiasco was in good spirits as his set continued to roll like a freight train, though he had to catch his breath momentarily between songs as the altitude was making him sleepy. His confessions of sleepiness came as a surprise as he bounced all over the stage the entire night. Fiasco’s showmanship and general appreciation for the Denver crowd were also evident when he thanked them for getting the venue sold out three weeks in advance.

Fiasco appeared cool and confident on stage as this tour represents what could be a turning point in his career. The upcoming release of “Lasers” has the potential to vault Fiasco into legitimate hip-hop stardom. Judging from the three to four songs he played from that album, it sounds like a winner.



Fiasco drew heavily from his album “The Cool” for the remainder of the set, including the songs “Go Go Gadget Flow,” “Hip-Hop Saved My Life” and “Paris, Tokyo.” He also squeezed in the skateboarder’s anthem “Kick Push,” and, after a brief break for his band, closed out the evening with the song “Super Star.” After seeing Fiasco perform, there is not a better word to describe him.



Concert review #2 reported by Quibian Salazar-Moreno / Boulder Weekly

The Laser Tour Denver show sold out about three weeks ago. With a tour that features B.o.B. who has the No. 1 hit in the country with “Nothin’ On You,” and headliner Lupe Fiasco who has two superb albums under his belt, the question comes to mind, who really sold out this show? Regardless if you came to see either B.o.B. (aka Bobby Ray) or Lupe, you were in for a surprisingly magnificent and energetic live show from both.

Bobby Ray was backed by a band and was effortlessly singing, rapping, and plucking away on his acoustic guitar. He’s a natural performer weaving in and out of songs from his debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, like “Don’t Let Me Fall,” and “Lovelier Than You” to his mixtape classics like “I’ll Be in the Sky,” and “Generation Lost.” How was Lupe going to be able to follow this? Like any up and coming rap superstar, Bobby Ray ended his set with his hit “Nothin’ On You” and a hype jam session with his band. Those that thought B.o.B. was just his hit song had their eyes opened wide.

Lupe Fiasco took the stage after a short intermission with his own band along with a band member behind a couple of laptops running what looked the electronic portion of the show. He commanded the stage from the outset running through fans favorites like “Hip-Hop Saved My Life,” “Kick, Push,” and “Superstar.” Although Lupe’s new album, Lasers, isn’t due out until later this year, he was happy to share a plethora of new tracks including his new single, “I’m Beamin’,” for which the video just hit the interwebs this week. He kept it light throughout the entire set, performing more of the crowd-friendly tracks as opposed to deep-thinking songs like “Dumb It Down” or “American Terrorist.” But for those who wondered if a lyricist like Lupe could truly rock a show, he definitely proved he could.

Photo link:
Boulder Weekly - Picasa

Lupe Fiasco Steppin Laser Tour dates:
Sat 05/01 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
Sun 05/02 - West Hollywood, CA - House Of Blues
Tue 05/04 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
Wed 05/05 - San Francisco, CA - Regency Center
Thu 05/06 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
Fri 05/07 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
Sat 05/08 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater

More fan shot video below.







(video courtesy of KrayDoesTheTube, Emoney & a2mNT)