Concert Review: Lupe Fiasco at Roseland Theater, 1/14

For a tour dedicated to his fans, the Chicago MC spent a lot of time onstage pleasing himself.

Forty-five minutes into performing to a packed Roseland Theater, Lupe Fiasco cut the music. "What I just did was a shorter version of my last album," he announced after running through eight straight songs off 2015's Tetsuo & Youth and declaring Act 1 over. "I really like that album, and I don't care if some of y'all don't."

That might seem like a self-indulgent way to start a show on what he's billed as "a tour for the fans." Tetsuo & Youth is a cerebral album deserving of careful listening. As such, Fiasco—his hair locked in cornrows, wearing Lennon-style sunglasses and a frayed denim jacket—initially stayed stationary on the dimly lit stage, confidently cutting through the marathon verses.

Act 2 is when the hits rolled, from "The Coolest" to "Hip-Hop Saved My Life," "American Terrorist" and "Kick, Push" to "Touch the Sky," the 2005 Kanye West single that introduced him to the world. The DJ introduced each track with a short snippet of random fans proclaiming their favorite song, distancing Act 1 (for Lupe) from Act 2 (for the fans). The crowd's energy unsurprisingly flipped at that point, reciting verses word-for-word, reliving the first time they heard the infectious hook of "Daydreamin'." Fiasco let go, too. No longer stuck to center stage, he hyped the crowd from floor to balcony, baiting them as each deep cut dropped.

It was undoubtedly a dynamic live show. But nine years and three records since 2007 breakthrough The Cool, it still feels like Fiasco is on his heels, reeling to win back the fans he started with. MATT SCHONFELD.

All photos by Dustin Tolman.

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