Kevin Bronson on April 17th, 2010

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Who: Gil Scott-Heron at the Gobi Tent.
In 3 of Fewer Words: The revolution, energized.
I’ll Remember This Until There’s a Real Revolution Because: Scott-Heron, one of the most compelling voices of our time, is one of the forefathers of rap and deserved all the acclaim the surprisingly young crowd heaped upon him. The 61-year-old author/poet/songwriter, who this year added to his legend with a comeback album “I’m New Here” (his first release in 16 years), sang and talked in his imperfectly soulful voice, the one you’d swear has lived a thousand lives. His new material went down like the brilliant sun at the west end of the tent, and socio-political songs and pleas for peace cast the Mojave – home to hipster favorites most of the day – in a different light. “Alien (Hold On to Your Dream)” immortalized border crossers; “Blue Collar” was its bluesy best; and Scott-Heron obviously delighted in sharing the music that’s found new life elsewhere. “For those of you who didn’t know, I’ve been sampled,” he said with a grin. “Now it’s not as painful as it sounds. But the first thing you do when you get sampled is to go home and put your own record on to make sure it sounds all right.”
What I’d Tell a Friend Who Was at Lucero: Who’s Lucero?
– K.B.