It’s gonna be a gloomy night after a rainy day in San Francisco. I guess I’ll sit on the couch, get my popcorn ready — and catch a live concert with one of conscious hip-hop’s greats. Tonight (Tues/21) at 10:30 p.m. you can catch NorCal hip-hop duo Blackalicious for a live 30 minute concert for just three dollars.
Have you ever gotten mad at the fact that your favorite boy band or heavy metal group never plays in the Bay Area? Now these artists can come to you – er, on your laptop. That’s the concept of StageIt.com, a website that brings live shows and performances to your computer screen – at really, really affordable prices.
One of tonight’s headliners is Blackalicious, a group whose 2005 release The Craft continues to define feel-good hip-hop acrobatics. Founded in 1992 by rapper Gift of Gab and San Francisco native DJ and producer Chief Xcel, the group is representative of the DJ-rapper combo favored during the days of old school hip hop.
And not only are the duo’s tiny figures going to be rhyming and scratching in pixelated form across your stream – if you need to hear “Feel That Way,” touch a button and send in your request – there’s even an opportunity to chat with the artists. And if at the end of the show, you were impressed with how the two were able to overcome the weirdness of watching an “intimate” show online, you can even tip.
The site highly touts its ability to give fans the “behind the scenes” experience – in fact, as the StageIt website says, it’s not “about broadcasting concerts online. It’s about sharing the amazing moments that happen in between.”
For only three to five dollars per show — many of the artists allow fans to pay what they can – that’d be a real good bargain.
Blackalicious live from Beta Records
Tue/28 10:30 p.m., $3