Last Night: N.E.R.D. at the Fillmore

N.E.R.D.
The Fillmore
July 21, 2008
Review and Photos by Edward Paik

Better Than: Traffic school.

Pharrell Williams must be the horniest rapper in the game. As if his constant hip-thrusts, swagger and rhymes that could form pornographic scripts weren’t enough, the N.E.R.D. front man had to call girls up onto the Fillmore stage Monday night. It was kind of like watching a spoiled kid at a candy store: it was routine and a complete cakewalk. Williams spotted a face in the crowd, pointed a finger and a groupie would ensure he’d get exactly what he’d ask for.

Now if the “rockstar” could have translated his enthusiasm for women into a longer concert, N.E.R.D. could have satisfied the packed house -- filled with many too young for the liquor bar. But that didn’t happen.

The crew ended up taking the stage 43 minutes late and clearly unready. When the lead guitarist broke his top E-string to begin the concert with “Anti Matter” it didn’t seem to matter, as the lyrics weren’t audible anyway. And the crowd of head bobs and arm waves was more fixated on the lead singer’s stage tandems, jumps and stiff marches anyway.

Since opening for Kanye West’s Glow in The Dark tour earlier this month, N.E.R.D. has taken its experimental roots of hip-hop and funk to greater instrumental heights. With a focus on a textured and layered tempo, the trio’s third studio album, "Seeing Sounds," was meant to be seen as a live show - a “visceral” experience.

But the crowd wasn’t seeing anything past the New Era caps, Bape clothing and Ice Cream shoes on stage to begin the concert; still its energy and faith never wavered. From the moment Williams' diamond-studded earrings first glimmered in the stage light, fans wend so crazy the floor undulated beneath their feet.

N.E.R.D. had to deliver. Gripping the ball of his mic, Williams asked his audience to “Take out your cells and call your ex’s.” As “Backseat Love” started up, the frontman took his eyes off the stage and into those of the women in the crowd.

Dousing the audience with bottles of Arrowhead water, Williams leaned over the pit to grab his first pick. Soon enough, a woman with black hair shared the stage, then a blonde with highlights. “How many girls in the crowd want to go with me?” Pharell asked. He waved his fingers like the strobe lights flashing on his back, and even the ladies at the back of the dance floor stretched out to reach them.

Remember, this is the same Pharrell and Co. that once promoted single "She Wants To Move," with a video set in the “rear compartment” of a female shuttle. It was natural.

With a repeated vernacular consisting of “baby,” “love” and “ugh!,” Williams milked the crowd of sweat, asking the audience to jump mid-chorus till you could hear the creep beside you breathe in heavy strides. Following an encore, the band’s latest hit "Everybody Nose" had an instant reaction, with the crowd filling “… in the line for the bathroom!”

By the end of the night the stage was flooded with women, most grinding on the artists, and many were eventually escorted backstage. Some 70 minutes since Williams' tardy appearance, he bowed with both hands clasped, raised his Star Trek hand sign and walked away too soon, presumably to please his bitches waiting in the wings.

Critic’s Notebook:

Personal Bias: Justine “Nagr-what-I-couldn’t-hear-your-last-name?” call me.

Random Detail: The title for N.E.R.D.’s latest album, "Seeing Sounds" was conceived while watching the Discovery Channel, according to Shay.

By the Way: Pharrell and his hip-hop, alternative fusion will continue touring in the U.K. beginning next month.