There was a buzz in the air. Adelaide's home-town heroes the Hilltop Hoods were back.
It's been three years since they last played Adelaide and the sold-out Entertainment Centre (24 September) was testament to them being more than welcome!Kicking off the evening was DJ Total Eclipse. He needed no introduction as he's been an honorary Australian for a few years now.
I'm sure he possesses a masters in hyping the crowd. Armed with two turntables and a microphone he dropped classic after classic, which got the crowd in a frenzy.
The first live act was Elsy Wameyo. I wasn't familiar with her, but my introduction to Elsy turned me into an instant fan. With an incredible live band, she was short in stature but posses a big, powerful voice.
If you aren't familiar, do yourself a favour and look her up. She's a powerhouse of talent!
DJ Total Eclipse held it down again while the stage crew prepared the next act. . . a culmination of Briggs and Adelaide's own Trigger Trials (of Funkoars fame) collaborating as A.B. Original.
I'd heard their music, but not seen them live before tonight. They certainly did not disappoint! Combining classic, heavy hip hop production with politically-charged lyrics, they tore the stage up with furious energy.
They dropped so much knowledge on the crowd ,which was so on-point. The messages they're speaking are so important in this country. They are just what the doctor ordered. I truly hope their messages are heard.
As their set closed, the almost traditional chant began: "Hilltop! Hilltop! Hilltop!"
I've had the pleasure of seeing the Hoods many times over the years, and the chant has been a staple. The crowd gets so hyped before the set and this was no exception.
The boys entered the stage, the crowd erupted. They were joined by Plutonic Lab on the drums and a three-piece brass section. DJ Debris was positioned atop a tall Hilltop Hoods logo statue. The stage was complete with massive screens and a couple of runways.
They smashed through an assortment of tracks, from classics like 'Chase That Feeling', 'I Love It' and their breakthrough hit 'Nosebleed Section' (complete with extended sample intro of Melanie Safka's 'People In The Front Row') through to their new single 'Show Business'.
The whole set was energetic, as I've come to expect from our home-town kings.
There were a few moments where emotion overtook energy, particularly when Pressure dropped his crooning classic 'Through The Dark', a beautiful, heartfelt track about his son. Lighters (or phone lights) were held high as we all felt the love and emotion.
Other highlights included when they dropped their banger 'Exit Sign', and brought Illy onstage to join them.
And their almost now-expected encore, which finished with an extended 'Cosby Sweater', which again saw Illy join them, as well as Elsy Waymeyo and A.B. Original.
The kings are back and no one's taking the kingdom anytime soon!
