Citizen Cope Solo @ 9:30 Club

I'm not afraid to roll to a show by myself. Shit happens, the show goes on. Had I not attended some previous concerts Han-Solo, I would not have the stories - or the pics to prove it - of me hanging out with Chuck Brown, watching a P-Funk show from backstage, or passing a lit bowl (I did not participate, trust me) to George Clinton in his green room. With that aside, I show up at the Citizen Cope Solo Acoustic show right on time, and after a delicious dinner at Ben's as you already know. Knowing the show is sold out, and knowing it is showtime, I do a double-take, as there are long lines outside the doors, and more comotion than what we experienced outside of the Wu-Tang rip-off tribute show. Apparantly, violence was not the culprit tonight - but underage girls getting their smash on sure was. The 9:30 club was not playing around tonight, and the paddywagon was outside to prove it.

Once inside, things are normal. I worm my way up to our Spot B (front right, in front of bar), since Spot A (front right, first row) was not an option. Not bad real estate at all...good view, arms reach for refills, far enough to enjoy the superb acoustics the evening provided, and right next to a very sweet and attractive Hokie Alumni. My only complaint at this point is that Cope is about 15 minutes late, most likey because of the lines outside, and that my Jeep probably has a boot on it or has already been broken into again.

I'm not going to write much about the actual show. It's 3am and I leave for Coachella in about 2 hours. But let me say this: Citizen Cope, with our without his band, will hands down sell out every show in the Philly/MD/DC/NOVA area. Citizen Cope, if playing at a Starbucks anywhere else in the country not mentioned, will not be able to charge a soul. Nothing against the guy; he clearly has established himself within his niche, he sticks to that niche, and he provides to that niche - and his fans love him for it. They knew every word to every one of his older songs, including a nice Marley cover, yet when he tried out some of his newer material, poor concert etiquette broke out like the plague. Was it worth 30 bones, after seeing some of the best shows of my life for 10-15 this year? At this point in the game, sure. Cope plays Apr 28 in Philly and Apr 29 in NYC.

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