Words by Dan Schaffel
New York – Sublime with Rome smoked out the shores of the East River with their gig at the Williamsburg Park waterfront on 8/24. Joined by Cypress Hill, the two groups tore through sets of classic 90’s nostalgia. Dan Schaffel reporting from Brooklyn…
www.sublimewithrome.com/
There was something noticeably honest about Cypress Hill at Williamsburg Park. Looking into the eyes of B-real as he observed the masses early on, all could tell his appreciation for the flood of NYC fan support and dedication to a solid performance.
Although some may have been hoping to see the inflatable Buddha that has stood two-dozen (or more) feet high on stage with Cypress in the past, they kept us engaged with live hip-hop artistry demonstrated through favorites such as “Insane in the Brain”and “Hits from the Bong”. This is a group with plenty of gas left in the tank. On this night, Cypress Hill proved that you don’t need to change a good thing when you’ve always been true to yourself.
“Keep Sublime alive”‘ is a phrase across a popular t-shirt sold at Badfish shows over the years. That phrase could not be more evident with Eric Wilson’s presence among the members of the reincarnated, Nowell/Gaugh-less version of the band, now led by Rome Ramirez.
Starting their set off with “STP” in a more polished, well rehearsed way than Bradley did once upon a day in Dominguez Hills, CA, Sublime with Rome proved how they wanted a phat night of covers with a dash of originality. A stapling of “Date Rape” into the set allowed most fans to cross it off their list of expected picks, followed by a cover of Nirvana’s “Drain you,” which the original three never would’ve done at the time being so near the grunge movement.
Original songs never stood in the way of the handfuls of covers played. For many it served as a come-down between the classics. Choice picks included “Right Back”, “April 29th”, and “Don’t Push”, but the unexpected shocker was “Slow Ride,” one that 2.0 has seldom included and whose studio version was stuck with Second Hand Smoke‘s B-side classics.
The drop of “Doin Time” to kick off the encore gave the crowd on the edge of the East River a chance to inhale and enjoy one of the last fresh breaths of summer 2012. Followed by a guest to play the acoustic guitar on “What I Got,” everything about the night culminated when the crowd in unison sang, “Lovin’ is what I got…I said remember that!”
Give credit where credit is due. Original bass player Eric Wilson having the right to tour under the band name, being the only one founding father remaining, and selecting great instrumentalists to stay true to the soul of the sound. And all-in-all it was a great feeling to have this music back in front of us, for it’d be a shame to let great music die with its maker.
www.sublimewithrome.com/
TheWaster.com | Brooklyn
08.24.12
