“1994 to 2024 is a dream. Thank you for bringing me here,” Nas told the Encore Theater crowd Saturday night (August 31) for the second of three sold-out shows at the Wynn Las Vegas as part of his Labor Day residency with Las Vegas Philharmonic. and AEG Presents, who provided accommodations for Bulletin board to be on the spot.
Most of the 1,400-plus on hand – including special guest Ceelo Green – for the intimate Sin City show got nostalgic as couples and groups of friends took a time machine back to the first time they hit play at Esco's Illmatic debut in 1994 as teenagers.
Nas took the stage shortly after 8:30 p.m. PT in front of the 25-piece live orchestra. Rocking a sleek black tuxedo, God's Son looked as timeless as his legendary debut. He hasn't aged a single day in the 30 years since Illmatic shook up the east coast and hip-hop landscape.
Esco sported his signature fade with braided bun-free gray hair and a hairline that hasn't dropped an inch. A few weeks before his 50th birthday, Nas' raspy and resonant vocals translated live with a stage presence that runs around half the rapper's age. There's no going back, guys.
New York was definitely in the building as many New Yorkers made the cross-country trip to support the hometown hero and the album that changed the way hip-hop records were made. West Coasters and a group of Las Vegas natives also rounded out the rest of the predominantly Generation X/Millennial crowd.
The Queensbridge rap prodigy kicked things off Illmatic opener “The Genesis” followed by a classic rendition of “NY State of Mind”. Nas took a moment to thank DJ Premier for collaborating with him on the album. It might seem obvious now, but at the time, beat maestros like Preemo and Q-Tip took a chance on the fledgling MC. “I was lucky to get these producers on the album like nobody's business,” he said, showing his appreciation.
Looking back, it's still amazing that Nas boasted this kind of deep perspective as a mere teenager while detailing the “bullet holes in the dashboard” of the unforgiving environment that raised him. “I just tried to see if I was good enough. Talk about the society I lived in,” Nash mused. “It came out raw – the language is raw – you have to be like that. This is rap. You have to say the things that people could relate to.”
The album's lone appearance was made by AZ, who stepped out in a sleek silver metallic tuxedo during the show to join his The Firm nominee for their collaboration 'Life's a Bitch', which once again brought the crowd to their feet of. Nas' father Olu Dara's sweeping trumpet was done justice by the Philharmonic.
The drums of Pete Rock's “The World Is Yours” were traded for a jazzier Philharmonic sound as Nas ran more Illmatic cuts like the lively storytelling of “Memory Lane” and the poignant letters written to incarcerated friends from the Q-Tip-assisted “One Love.”
Ahead of album closer “It Ain't Hard to Tell,” Nas called out Michael Jackson for clearing the sample for using his 1983 hit “Human Nature.” “I was happy and grateful that he cleared the sample,” he said. “That really put me on the map, because I think MTV played it.”
While the curtain fell on the Philharmonic, that didn't mean the show was over – as burlesque dancers briefly took to the stage. “This was a dream. life is good,” Nas said while taking in the moment. “I didn't know I'd still be making records until today.”
Nas and DJ Green Lantern then took fans on a subway ride through the MC's decorated catalog of many hits over the years, including “Made You Look,” “Street Dreams” and “If I Ruled the World”. Finally, they closed the 70 minute set up with Motionless “One Mic” anthem.
His celebration IllmaticIts 30th anniversary may not be over in Las Vegas, which Bulletin boardHis personal was ranked as the No. 1 best rap album of all time. Nash continued to tease while keeping the Sin City residency alive. “I could get used to doing this thing in Vegas,” he admitted. “I might extend it.”
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/nas-illmatic-live-anniversary-performance-las-vegas-review-1235765827/