I debated writing this review due to being raised with the ethos of “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”… But after some reflection I figured honesty is the best policy so I’ll tell it like it was in my not so humble (musical) opinion.
First off, I’m a huge fan of Qveen Herby and have been for several years now. The Mrs. and our daughter are too. There is literally NOBODY like her. We’ve been waiting a LONG time for her to finally hit the road and do some live music, so when she finally announced a limited tour, we JUMPED! We were so excited for this show, more than many others we’ve been to recently. Seeing an artist you love for the first time can be such a thrill!
My daughter and I been to the Rickshaw once before and loved it. We were really looking forward to getting out there again. But something was really outta whack this time and we did not have the excellent experience that we did the last time around.
Things got off to a rocky start, right off the bat. The show was listed as “doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm. We got the venue at 8:02, and there was a line of people down the street and around the block… Not a good sign.
We didn’t actually step foot into the club until 8:45. Pretty bad for a show scheduled to start at 8! Anyhow, once we get in, I’m immediately drawn to the fact that there is essentially NO musical gear on stage. Just a table, center stage, and I can see some sort of device with a few protruding knobs and that’s it.
We stand around in the room that is getting increasingly packed and the next thing you know the “opening act” comes out at 9:15 – and it’s a freakin’ DJ. <Insert MASSIVE eye-roll here>. Good grief. The DJ proceeds to “perform” a 30-40 minute “set” of the most inane, generic disco night club crap you can imagine. About halfway through I commented to the Mrs.,”I find it odd that someone who clearly doesn’t like music chose to become a DJ…” It was absurd. As boring as watching paint dry. And certainly not something I’d ever expect to see at a concert.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, it was over.
Then we wait. Then we wait some more. Then we wait a little longer. And after just a little more waiting, the main attraction hits the stage at 10:10 with…no band. What. The. Hell?
Qveen Herby looked great and her voice sounded fantastic. Her singing is great and her rapping is as good as any rapper I’ve ever heard. BUT! There is only so much one person can do to fill a stage, no matter how talented.
Long story short, we ended up leaving early – we’d seen enough. Frankly, it was kinda like watching a music video. All the music, all the background vocals and harmonies were simply play-back tracks. Essentially the “band” is a laptop. That does not make for an exciting show.
All that being said, we’re still glad we went to see her. I was really happy to see her get a packed house on her first gig in SF and it was cool to see/hear darn near everyone in the building singing along, word for word. I’m happy that she’s getting the recognition and love she clearly deserves. She is very entertaining and unlike so many other performers these days actually has a great voice – it’s not studio gimmicks and trickery. She’s the real deal. But for my money, if you’re doing a LIVE show, you better have some musicians on that stage! Otherwise, you’re just selling tickets to a Karaoke night.
Qveen, we still love you and your songs, but you need to go back to the drawing board when it comes to a live show. Costumes and lighting and props are great for plays and musicals, but live MUSIC needs live MUSICIANS!! If you put the care and feeding into the live act that you do for your videos, you’ll be unstoppable! I hope to see you continue to grow as an artist, and I hope this won’t be the one and only time we get the Qveen Herby experience IRL!
And to the Rickshaw staff…I’m willing to give y’all the benefit of the doubt due to my initial visit to your venue, but last night was a DISASTER. Y’all need to get your shizz together to make these events more successful. Just sayin’…
Thanks for stopping by!
The Boring Old Man 