It was with eager anticipation that I went to see Grandmaster flash at the Forum. It was two years ago when I first saw him play live at the Prince of Wales and I wasn’t disappointed on that particular evening. His entertaining skills are just as good as his turn-table. He was able to get the entire room dancing and jumping at will, giving us a lesson in hip hop history. I was eager to see if he would be able to repeat this feat at the Forum on Saturday night.

I arrived at the Forum, which is one of my favourite venues to see live acts, at about 10pm to find out that the event had been sold out (as I anticipated!). On stage was Dexter and I caught the second half of his set. I hadn’t seen Dexter live before and was highly impressed with his skill level on the decks!!! Dexter’s set featured everything from drum and bass, to Latin rhythms, Snoop Dog and to finish off a tribute to Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5.

Grandmaster’s production has stepped up a notch with twin screens on either side of the mixing desk for added visual effects. The Grandmaster Flash/Gordon/Queen needs to be seen to be believed. Grandmaster flash took us on a 3 level journey, starting with “level 1” – old school beats. Followed by “level 2” – 80’s to 90’s style and finally to finish the night off “level 3” which ranged from Nirvana to Destiny’s Child. Grandmasters ability to mix decades of music together is uncanny. Again his skills of keeping the crowd entertained are amazing, in conjunction with his DJ partner, he swaps turntables for micro-phone frequently and moves out in front of the mixing desk to engage the already frantic crowd.

Grandmaster regarded the night as a party, not a concert. It’s just a pity it is only a two hour party!? If you haven’t seen Grandmaster Flash play live before I suggest you be quick to grab a ticket next time he is town. It is well worth the entry fee for the skills as well as the show!