After a short wait, Little Brother took the stage, dominating with style. Phonte put forth a very energetic character, with no shortage of smiles and gazes at the sold out crowd. [Big] Pooh was of course by side, but rather than being as enthusiastic as Phonte, he let his mic skills convey his worth.

“The Yo Yo” from The Listening found everyone involved, rapping along, but it was more apparent though that The Minstrel Show was the focus of the set. Nearly every song was accompanied by fans, but few as much as the single “Lovin’ It” which saw Darien Brockington and Joe Scudda assist in the very well choreographed performance. The spotlight shone on the four as they graced the front of the stage; when the needle hit the wax for “Lovin It”s beat, the group delved into a smooth finger snapping shooped dance while the artist’s took turns to perform their verses. The set overall felt fairly short, however it was worthwhile.

Dilated graced the stage soon after, making their presence felt immediately. Defari was meant to be present at the show, but unfortunately didn’t make it due to lovely border restrictions.

Evidence definitely made up for his somewhat simplistic lyrics with a charismatic live performance that rivals most I’ve seen. With a carefully planned out set, D.P. visited every album, but as with Little Brother, their focus was on their latest, 20/20, which also managed to come off much better live than on the recording. The highlights came through their renditions of “The Platform,” “Firepower,” “Worst Comes To Worst” and “This Way."

Outside of the album tracks, Evidence’s “10 Rules Of Live Shows” and Rakaa’s “War” went over seamlessly with the crowd, though Babu wasn't ignored. The world famous DJ exploded off a mesmerizing 10 minute set, lit up a massive joint and passed it into the crowd. Dilated finished the show with “Back Again” which, judging by their audience’s response will be a likelihood.

* All photos taken by GMan & Rizk. Not to be reproduced without consent.