Date: Aug 17th, 2011
Line up: Slightly Stoopid, Rebelution, and Shwayze & Cisco Adler
Location: Pier 6 Pavilion. Baltimore, MD
What: Seedles Summer 2011 Tour
Every Baltimore reggae lover knows that with an end to every summer comes one of the most anticipated shows of the season; that’s right, were talking about Slightly Stoopid once again at the Inner Harbor Pier 6 pavilion. Hailing from surf town Ocean Beach (San Diego) California, Slightly Stoopid’s unique blend of punk, reggae, hip-hop and blues captures a diverse sound that attracts a variety of music lovers to their shows. This year, accompanying the band on the 2011 Seedless Summer tour were the melodic reggae vibes of Rebelution and the chill hip-hop beats of Shwayze with Cisco Alder.
I arrived to Pier 6 at around 5:30pm only to be greeted by a severe rainstorm while walking through the gate. All the fans early to the show were getting drenched as the wind blew water in almost every direction. Fortunately the thunderclouds soon passed to reveal a lovely sun-setting sky over the surrounding Pier harbor. People were hoarding through the gates completely filling up the lawn and seating areas; it was a perfect scene.
Shortly after 7pm Shwayze and Cisco stole the stage opening with the feel-good summer hip-hop track “Butterflies”. A hoard of screaming girls (although not allowed by the venue) flocked to the pit area to get up close and personal 
with the lyrical duo. Both Shwayze and Cisco were very in-sync on stage, delivering a raw musical energy and stage performance. From hand waves to jumping up and down, these boys wanted the audience to have a great time as they were performing. Soon after, major hit song “Corona and Lime” filled the pavilion as Cisco belted out the catchy chorus. When this song came on everyone was ether singing along with the duo or just dancing and having a great time, it was a great summer vibe. It was impressive how much liveliness there was throughout the whole performance. Some other older tracks such as “High Together” and crowd favorite “Buzzin” were played as well. Overall, Shwayze and Cisco rocked the place.
Shortly before 7:45pm, the event staff at the Pier 6 Pavilion were setting up, placing a marijuana tree on the stage right in front of a giant green and black banner. It was time for Rebelution. I had reviewed Rebelution earlier this summer at the All Good Music Festival and noticed that the two performances were quite similar. Rebelution has taken somewhat of a newer sound, trading in the traditional reggae vibe for a jazz influenced energy, which was amazing. It seemed like everyone in the crowd knew all the words to all of Rebelution’s set list, playing many of their popular tracks, “Otherside”, “Green and Black” “Attention Span” and “Feeling Alright”.
My favorite moment was when frontman Eric Rachmany introduced lead singer of Slightly Stoopid Kyle McDonald out on stage for a short freestyle during “Bright Side of Life”. When McDonald came out on stage the crowd went absolutely insane as everyone was singing to the melodic chorus. During “Out of Control” the Santa Barbara boys put a lot of energy into their performance, you could definitely see the band having so much fun with the song during the main chorus line. Saxophone player Khris Royal totally rocked the venue during his solo in “Running”, adding a much fuller sound to the performance. Having him as an addition to the group really makes a difference, giving the songs some jazzy pizzazz. Rebelution ended their set with a dub leading into popular crowd favorite “Safe and Sound”. Bassist Marley Williams led the audience through a hand wave while the Pier filled with the voices of everyone singing along to the tune.
As the time got closer to 9 o-clock, the venue was going absolutely wild; everyone knows that the Pier 6 annual Slightly Stoopid show is always a party. The audience was screaming when the band came out showered by the blue and purple stage lights. Slightly Stoopid opened the night with upbeat track “The Fruits” which had everyone in the crowd rocking back and forth to the good vibes. There was a different atmosphere in the lawn then there was the actual seated venue. The lawn was where more people were partying while the seated area was more of a mellow place to enjoy the music. Tracks “Aint got a lot of Money” and “Digital” were two songs in particular I remember to really have the crowd swaying to the chill reggae groove.
During “Baby I like you” the fans in the seated section were clapping in sync to the beat of the song. While playing “Closer to the Sun”, the opening guitar rift of Miles Doughty filled the whole Pier with a familiar melodic vibe that had fans excited to sway too. One highlight of Slightly Stoopid’s set was when Don Carlos accompanied the band on vocals in new track “Mary U Wanna”. Don Carlos had the audience members in the pit swaying their arms back and forth to the beat while he himself was lively dancing on the stage. It was also a pleasure to watch song “We Don’t Wanna Go” and Bruce Springsteen cover of “I’m on Fire” which turned the classic rock anthem into a soft reggae ballad. My favorite moment from the show had to be when frontman Kyle McDonald yells to the audience, “Who’s ready to get high!?” followed by the start of crowd favorite, “2am”. It was such an exciting moment to hear the entire audience roar in screams. Overall, Slightly Stoopid delivered a great show that left the fans chanting the entire hour and a half set. We can all agree that the Summer Seedless tour was slightly amazing that made Baltimore, MD just a little more stoopid.
– Article & Photos by: Ashlee Wells
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