Girl at the Rock Shows

Rocktober is in full effect, and I’m feeling it. I feel like I’ve seen so many different kinds of music and have been to a lot of my favorite places in town lately, but something was missing. That something was the one and only Dakota in downtown Minneapolis. Sure, this place is much richer than what I typically go for. I love a good dive bar where the smell of stale beer is prominent, and there’s always a risk of getting a camera smashed, but I also love a night where you can sit at a table, enjoy a delicious meal, and be treated to truly world-class music. That’s what you get at The Dakota, and that’s what I was ready for on Thursday night.

The Dakota has historically been a jazz club, but lately its programming has expanded to include everything from world to rock, and all the way to rap and hip-hop. That last category is what I got to see on Thursday, but I wasn’t seeing just any rapper or hip-hop artist; I saw William Griffin Jr., better known as Rakim. One half of the golden age hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, Rakim is a legend, and I feel like that’s both understating it and putting it lightly. He paved the way for many rappers and hip-hop artists who came after him and was one of the first in the genre to show how perfectly crafted rap could be. It wasn’t just about rhymes in the normal sense; it was about rhymes within rhymes. He was rapping about a little bit of everything. Sure, he had raps about women and parties like every other rapper back then, but Rakim seemed to lean toward a more conscious style, which is what I gravitate to these days. He was one of the first, one of the best, and it was an absolute treat to see him work his magic on the Dakota stage.

As happens with a lot of acts I see at The Dakota– although I know I am watching a legend, something about the performance feels so understated and intimate. That was absolutely the case with Rakim. Sure, his DJ did a great job amping up the audience with throwback jams and plenty of “throw your hands in the air” moments, but when Rakim came out, aside from the audience cheers, it felt almost anticlimactic, but not in a bad way. I think this showed a sense of respect that only comes when you are seeing a legend take the stage. You wanted to scream and cheer, but at the same time, you wanted to be quiet and polite so you wouldn’t miss a single word he had to say. That was the vibe throughout the night. Sure, some people sang along to the hits, but for the most part, the candlelit room stayed silent as Rakim serenaded us with his timeless tracks.

It wasn’t just a musical performance from this megastar; we also got to see his personality shine. He seemed super laid-back and almost slow-moving in a way, with the way he talked. There was no sense of urgency to power through song after song before time was up and we were ushered out of the venue to make room for the second show of the evening; instead, it felt like complete zen. Was he going to play another song or was he going to chatter on about something? Either way, everyone was there for it. Personally, I loved to hear him talk. From his stories about past songs and experiences to little funny comments he threw in here and there, I felt like hearing from him outside the music wasn’t just inspiring; it was charming.

My favorite part of the night was when we were about halfway through the set. The DJ mentioned something about how it was time to start the show. Rakim stopped him and asked what he meant by “start the show” when the show had been going on for some time. After a short exchange, the DJ said something about Rakim playing the whole catalog, and Rakim quickly responded, “I don’t even know the whole catalog.” Not only was this a super funny, charming moment of banter, but I also feel like it really sums up Rakim as a performer and musician. There’s just too much there, and the audience couldn’t hear absolutely everything they wanted, but Rakim did a great job of playing a little bit of everything. We got the hits; we got the b-sides. We got super fast-paced, energetic songs; we got slower, calmer songs. We got old, we got new, we got everything you could possibly ask for, and it was perfect.

It wasn’t just Rakim and his DJ on stage; the legend was joined by a legendary local group – Room3 Collective. I’ll never forget the first time I saw this band at The Turf Club in January of 2024. I don’t like jazz music. I’ve said it once, and I will say it again. Blame it on my teenage angst that never went away, or on me continuing to try to rebel against my father (Mr. Jazz of the Midwest, if not the country, but that’s a story for another day); I just don’t like jazz. It doesn’t make me feel what punk and metal do, or at least that’s what I thought until I was introduced to this local group. They flipped the switch in me. Their creativity, mixed with their passion, was exactly what I needed to finally “get” it. Now I’ll go see this group any chance I get, and although I was excited to see Rakim live, I was equally excited to see Room3 Collective perform again.

Although I didn’t get to hear any originals from Room3 Collective, I did get to see them add their unique flair to Rakim’s set. They stuck to the script and definitely let Rakim walk away with the spotlight during this show, but there’s no denying the fact that what they brought to the stage really made Rakim shine. From intricate drum fills to gorgeous sax and flute fills to the way the bass and the keys held it down through every curveball that Rakim threw at them, this band was on point, and they were such a perfect fit for the assignment.

Rocktober continues tonight, tomorrow night, Sunday night– I’m seriously starting to think that there may be no light at the end of the tunnel and that my laundry will never get done and that my cats have forgotten who I am, but if I can keep on experiencing nights like I did on Thursday night at The Dakota, it’ll all be more than worth it.

Line Up:

Rakim

Room3 Collective

Venue: Dakota

Smell-O-Meter: The amazing food of The Dakota

Average Age of the Crowd: 47

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 0 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

My Menu For The Night – Housemade Cavatelli w/ Pesto; Focaccia (with butter and olive oil); Ice Tea

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Rakim – 0

Room3 Collective – 5

Show on Deck — The Menzingers / Hot Water Music / Weakened Friends

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