Milwaukee's Daily Magazine Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009
Today
Hi: 72
Lo: 46
Sun
Hi: 61
Lo: 50
Mon
Hi: 58
Lo: 41
Section Sponsor
Article Tools
Print this Article
Make text larger
Related Twitter Posts

  • RandaAmin:
    Even just for a while or not, i'm really enjoy it.. Happy.. That's what i feel link

  • kath624:
    Just watched bull fighting or rather freestyle on gma earlier..I'm not a big fan of this drama, just wanted to hear S.H.E song on Phil tv :)

  • AmorousEyes:
    @abalistar Do you cut your bread horizontal, vertical, both (squared), or diagonal? Personally I'm a strong supporter of diagonal cuts.

  • SuperTrav3000:
    I'm gone be the next diddy or jay-z ima create a cot damn empire


Follow us on Twitter ...
In Music Blogs
M.I.A. dishes up electric -- and loud -- Turner gig
Slang tang, that's that M.I.A. thang ...  
By Bobby Tanzilo RSS Feed Twitter Feed
Managing Editor
Photography by CJ Foeckler
E-mail author | Author bio
More articles by Bobby Tanzilo

What is a blog?  For us it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Published May 13, 2008 at 7:49 a.m.
Tags: m.i.a., egyptian lover, kala, arular, sri lanka, turner hall, old man malcolm, bamboo banga, arulpragasam

Loudest gig ever.

That the M.I.A. show at Turner Hall Ballroom Monday night was loud wouldn't be a big deal, in and of itself. But when the volume steals the words from the mouth of the star of the show and has even employees holding their ears and wincing in pain, something is wrong.

However, let it be noted that a very large portion of the sold out crowd -- in a great venue with a capacity hovering around 1,000 -- was so enraptured that the music could have been twice as loud and they'd still have been happy. Obviously, M.I.A.'s front-of-house soundman was in the room, too, so the levels were no mistake.

Veteran rapper and DJ Egyptian Lover chipped in a 45- or 50-minute set, spinning retro hip-hop and electro tunes before stepping out from behind the decks to pick up a microphone.

Although he had virtually nothing of value to say as a lyricist, Egyptian Lover, who -- curiously -- repeatedly pointed out that his biggest hit came out 25 years ago, slowly pulled in the crowd with his good-time show that wedded bumpin' beats to mantras like "Ain't nuthin' but a party, y'all."

Just after E.L.'s set, I ran into Old Man Malcolm, who was having a great time. "I used to breakdance to this guy's music. It's incredible," he said. And if anyone oughta know, it's Malcolm.

Egyptian Lover created a celebratory club vibe on the floor that nearly came to a full stop during a looonnng break. The youthful crowd -- clearly eager to see the headliner -- broke into a chant of "M-I-A! M-I-A! M-I-A" moments after the opener walked offstage.

But the masses would have to wait close to an hour for M.I.A's DJ to walk onstage and announce that the star wouldn't appear for another 10 minutes. He rocked some jams for 25 minutes before the stage lights dimmed and we were reminded why we were all there.

From the opening salvo of "Bamboo Banga" -- the first track from M.I.A.'s second disc, "Kala," released last year -- Maya Arulpragasam's charisma and energy was apparent, even if the roaring thunder of her wide-ranging, encyclopedic and potentially seizure-inducing sound drowned out her voice much of the time.

With her DJ and two dancers -- a female one also provided backing vocals and the male one had a certain Will Ferrell thing going on (they had a great series of moves that recalled Space Invaders characters!) -- M.I.A. offered a good overview of her two discs. In the process, we heard all the musical bits that set her apart from her hip-hop contemporaries.

There is the nod to The Pixies in "20 Dollar," the Jamaican-infused populist ragamuffin bhangra of "Pull Up the People" and "Bucky Done Gun" -- from the 2005 debut "Arular" -- the world beat of "World Town" and the interpolation of Jonathan Richman's Modern Lovers into "Bamboo Banga."

A fury of still images, animation and video illustrated the music on three square screens behind the 30-year-old Londoner of Sri Lankan descent.



More Information ...
Historic Turner Ballroom
1034 N. 4th St.
Milwaukee, WI 53203
(414) 918-8416

Post a comment / write a review.

Recent blogs/briefs by Bobby Tanzilo
What is a blog?  For OMC, it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Blue in the Face returns to celebrate Shank birthday
Tuesday
In 2006, Peter Jest convinced the band to do a reunion gig at Shank Hall. Now, the band ...

What is a blog?  For OMC, it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Classic Stones disc can still get yer ya-ya's out
Monday
The 40th anniversary box set of "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!: The Rolling Stones in Concert" ...

What is a blog?  For OMC, it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Happy to be of assistance, Mitchell International
Oct. 28, 2009
Milwaukee County annouced today that September was the busiest month ever at Mitchell ...

What is a blog?  For OMC, it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Rapid review: Palermo Villa
Oct. 27, 2009
Although it has changed a bit over the years -- especially notable was the addition of ...

Open Table salutes Il Mito and Ristorante Bartolotta
Oct. 26, 2009
Tosa takes the cake. Well, at least two Italian restaurants in Wauwatosa are the only ...

OnMilwaukee.com is part of the In Click Network. Other In Click sites include: 30RockReport.com | Behind The Scenes at OnMilwaukee.com | BetterRecipes.org | Bimmer Digest | Brain Brawn & Body | BrewCityBeats.com | Brewcitybigscreen.com | britneysnation.com | BritPop Rocks | Brooklynbanter.com | CactusLeagueReport.com | Caffeinateddigest.com | Culinary Piedmont | Cycling Chainring | Daily Lost Update | Daily Milwaukee News | Daily Spa | DannyGokeyMilwaukee.com | Dogs Blogs | EarthFueled.com | Edible Wisconsin | FanaticPhotog.com | Gadget Deals and Steals | GolfLinksWisconsin.com | H1N1 Alerts | H1N1 Blog | H1N1 Prevention | H1N1 Reporter | H1N1 Tracker | HogEnthusiast.com | Informed Runner | iPhone Daily Report | Man United Nation | Milwaukee Brewers Nation | Milwaukee Bucks Blog | Milwaukee Dad | Minnesota Wild Nation | MomMilwaukee.com | My Super Stocks | MyGayMilwaukee.com | MyHangoverHelper | News on Draught | NY Mets Nation | OnAtlantaGA.com | OnAustinTX.com | OnBaltimoreMD.com | OnBirminghamAL.com | OnBostonMass.com | OnBuffaloNY.com | OnCharlotteNC.com | OnCincinnati.com | OnClevelandOH.com | OnColumbusOH.com | OnDallas.com | OnDCmetro.com | OnDenverCO.com | OnDetroitMI.com | OnDoorCounty.org | OnFortLauderdale.com | OnGreenBay.com | OnHartford.com | OnIndianapolisIN.com | OnKansasCityMO.com | OnLakeCountry.com | OnLosAngelesCA.com | OnLouisvilleKY.com | OnMadison.com | OnMemphisTN.com | OnMiamiFLA.com | OnMilwaukee.com Cars | OnMilwaukee.com Metro Headlines | OnNashvilleTN.com | OnNewOrleansLA.com | OnNYCny.com | OnOrlandoFL.com | OnPalmSprings.com | OnPhiladelphia.com | OnPhoenixAZ.com | OnPittsburgh.com | OnPortlandOR.com | OnProvidence.com | OnRichmondVA.com | OnSacramento.com | OnSaltLakeCity.com | OnSanAntonioTX.com | OnSanDiegoCA.com | OnSanFran.com | OnSanJose.com | OnSeattleWA.com | OnSinCity.com | OnStLouis.com | OnStPetersburg.com | OnTampaBay.com | OnTucsonAZ.com | OnTwinCities.com | OnWichita.com | OnWindyCity.com | Packers Posts | Porsche 911 Fans | PriusFans.com | Roller Derby Network | SnuggieFans.com | SummerfestRocks.com | Swine Flu China | Swine Flu Reporter | The 24 Reporter | The Barack Obama Fan Club | The Brilliant Manager | The Comic Book Reporter | The In Click | The Office Fan Blog | TheHDTVReporter.com | TheNetbookBlog.com | TheNewParentBlog.com | Trueguitarheroes.com | Vintage Mets | VW Busses | WaukeshaWeekly.com | Weekly Media News | Wisconsincustomhomenews.com | WisWomen.com | Woodworker Digest