Last night, geeks and nerds from every greasy hole crawled out to populate the Spanish Moon (a hipster bar tucked under the interstate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the corner of “now THAT’s what I call a ghetto!” and “Delta Iota Chi Kappa 4 Life Braaaa!”) to see a concert drenched in Star Wars and videogame references; mc chris came to town and brought with him a bevy of other musicians passionate about laptop rap, heavy drum beats, and nerdy T-Shirts.

The crowd was energetic and in the mood for a fun night; The artists present certainly delivered.

Math the Band:

Math the Band

Sounding something like a computer reading through Internet memes, Math the Band just didn’t seem like it was for me. Overly dance-laden and filled with pop-culture references, their loud music and nigh-understandable lyrics just left me with a wrung-out eardrum and an even deeper wish to drink increasingly heavier alcohols.

While it seemed some of the crowd really enjoyed the music (it was quite mosh-pit worthy; energetic guitar riffs, a quick keyboard beat, and a -very- loud drum machine coupled with a large drum and cymbal) it makes me question not only my “geek sanity” but the culture in and of itself; if this band is what geeks and nerds are eventually going to evolve (or devolve depending on how you look at it) into I may end up needing to find something else that I can be passionate enough about to write. But a lot of people seem to like them (enough that they have a second album at least), so it’s possible that it was just me.

MC Lars and YTCracker:

MC Lars and YTCracker

I had heard a lot of different things about these two “nerdcore” rappers ranging from “huge gimmick” to “the best thing to happen to videogame music” and I’ve got to say that I certainly had a good time while they performed. A live band mixed with the typical “laptop rap” that most of these artists use was a breath of fresh air and certainly gave more energy to the show. Mix that with YTCracker’s power glove and the group’s Powerpoint presentation and both of these artists certainly left a great first impression in my head.

Certainly more videogame focused than mc chris, Lars and Cracker brought an ample supply of rhymes to mix with songs ranging from Mario to file downloading. It was a fun show that showed both artists really enjoy what they do and are passionate not only about the music but the culture itself.

mc chris:

mc chris

The hobbit has grown a beard, but that didn’t stop the usually baby-faced wonder from bringing down the Spanish Moon. Showcasing songs from his newest album mc chris Goes to Hell (which is a remixed and remastered collection of the three parts of Part Six and the reason for the tour), Chris also brought his usual showing of videogame inspired rants, zombie audience killing, and showcasing those devoted fans who come dressed to impress (this tour is featuring a “Nerd Shirt” contest, where fans compete to see who is wearing the nerdiest shirt of the night).

As always, Mr. Ward rocked the house, hung out with his fans, and then escaped into that good night with a full bucket of donations towards the charity he passionately champions (his nephew, diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, has caused Chris to dedicate a lot of his time and talent towards raising funds to help find a cure).

These guys will be on tour all through the United States throughout the year, so if you can go see them do yourself a favor: Get some tickets, get your favorite geek-chic shirt, and while you’re there drop some cash in the CF bucket!