Eve @ Epic, Minneapolis MN (09/01/13) live review

The name of a 2001 classic by rapper/entertainer Eve can also be applied to her musical career as well, as it had been a 13-year absence since we saw her last in the Twin Cities. But, despite the long layoff, her brief 45 min. performance at Epic Sunday night quickly re-established her as one of the most skilled female MCs in the rap game.

GRRRL PRTY

The evening, billed as a Ladies Appreciation Night where all females were let in free before 10:30, still ended up being a mixed crowd of approximately 60% female/40% male, and featured a mostly female lineup. Hosted by Mr. Hooks, Niles Miller did a quick set, followed by the Lioness, then local favorites Grrrl Prty, an all-female-trio of 3MCs and 2DJs. DJ Dudley D (who has spun for Prince) and DJ Advance also kept the music moving throughout.

Finally, at just after 12:30, Eve took the stage to the beats of ‘Ruff Ryders’ Anthem’, an immediate claim to recapture her title as First Lady. Backed by a live keyboardist, drummer, and booth DJ, her short bleached hair had transformed into long blonde locks and she looked more ‘Hollywood’ than ‘street’, in a designer vest and sunglasses that never came off during the performance– perhaps a result of spending most of the last ten years acting in such things as the ‘Barbershop’ movies, her own UPN sitcom, and on ‘Glee’.

Her latest musical effort, the recently-released ‘Lip Lock’ (From the Rib/Sony RED) was over six years in the making and had finally seen the light of day after several stop/starts, record company issues, and unfortunate delays, and the new material was represented well in concert. The crowd responded well to the new songs, particularly ‘Make It Out this Town’ and ‘She Bad Bad’, but the older hits predictably drew the loudest reception.

The performance was a workout, as the entertainer never stopped moving from side-to-side, with spitfire verses and engaging the crowd in both the familiar and the newer songs. There was still some rust to be shaken off, as she intro’d a slower song earlier than expected, would look at her DJ a time or two to confirm what verse she was on, and drank copious water between songs (“I’m melting”, she mentioned from the heat she was emitting), but all was forgiven as her stage presence was undoubtedly intact after such a long layoff.

Towards the end, she invited several members from the crowd up and the set ended in an all-out party, no doubt encouraged by her younger brother’s birthday weekend, as he also joined the crowd on stage. This short promotional tour wraps later this week, but if Sunday’s performance is any indication, the return of The Ruff Ryders’ First Lady is only just beginning.