My sister wrote this review, I was with her and couldn't have said it better.
Ice vs. Hammer...who wins?
If any of you missed the Event of the Century on Friday night, otherwise known as Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer reunited...STOP, collaborate and listen.
LOOK: all black attire and full sleeve tats on each arm. I have to admit...I have a thing for the sleeve tats (I KNOW!), so he had me at "Hello UTAH!"
LOOK:
There I was, driving down I-15, when all of a sudden: "MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice!" says the UVU billboard. "What is this nonsense?" I think to myself. "Surely two of the (humor me here) biggest names in rap history could NOT be reuniting and gracing Utah Valley with their presence!" Or could they? Turns out, they could and they DID. And apparently, this is their one and only stop, which completely blows my mind...they must have A: owed someone at UVU a favor, B: got paid the "big" bucks (really, how much does Surreal Life on VH1 pay anyway?), C: become Mormon and wanted to place themselves in Mormon Capital of the World, aka Utah Valley. But, I digress...onto the big event.
Location: McKay Events Center. The crowd: a sea of 20-30 somethings, a large majority dressed in 80s gear and Hammer Pants that were obviously home-made. I've dressed 80s for Halloween enough to knowthat the D.I. does NOT have any of those left, so I appreciated their creativity and craftiness, having taken on a few sewing projects myself. Also, to my delight/amusement/horror, lots of spandex in a variety of colors for my viewing pleasure. I guess Hammer and Ice really bring out people's confidence.
Round One: Vanilla Ice.
LOOK: all black attire and full sleeve tats on each arm. I have to admit...I have a thing for the sleeve tats (I KNOW!), so he had me at "Hello UTAH!"SET:
*blow-up skeleton arch from Walmart: CHECK
*900 water bottles to throw over the audience and drench them: CHECK
*scary a$$ dancing clown in a Santa suit: CHECKKKKK
PERFORMANCE: His performance was pretty short. Ice is sporting a harder, edgier look and music style. His songs are much more rap than "Ice Ice Baby" ever "was", but he only played about 4 or 5 of them. Rumor #1 that we'd heard: Ice refused to play his bit hit. Just when I'm starting to think that the rumors were true and he was only playing new songs, Ice says "Do you want me to go OLD SCHOOL?" Crowd goes wild. And then there's that familiar little beat...granted he did change it up a bit to be slightly more edgy to reflect his new style, but the crowd loved it. Did he stop there? No way Jose. How could you call yourself Vanilla Ice and NOT sing Ninja Rap? I never saw a more content crowd singing, "Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO!" Ahh..perfect way to say goodbye, singing about the Ninja Turtles.
HIGHLIGHT: You'd think that with his reputation, he'd have been dropping 'f' bombs left and right, but that wasn't the case. No, Ice used words like "crap" "dangit" and "heck." Heck? He's Mormon for sure.
Round Two: MC Hammer
LOOK:*blood red silk shirt and matching tie: GOT IT
*black leather Harley Davidson vest (that's right): HAD IT
*black Hammer pants: YOU KNOW IT
SET: uh...what set? After Ice's crew took down all his props, Hammer's didn't put anything up. Maybe he was going for less is more? (But FYI, Hammer, it wasn't.)
PERFORMANCE: Rumor #2: Hammer was bringing a choir. I'm thinking--okay, their shiny robes will be backdrop enough so maybe that's why there's no set? But, alas, no choir. But he did have a group of back-up dancers that were really good and fun to watch. But WTF Hammer? Must you end the song and run off stage, leaving us all in the dark for 2 minutes between EACH SONG? People went from chanting "Hammer" in excitement before he began, to wailing "HAMMERRRRRRRRR!" waiting for him to come back on each time. I'm thinking--are they changing costumes? Setting the stage? Deciding what song to play next? Get on the stage already so I'll stop smelling the delicious nachos the couple next to me has and thinking of a polite way to ask if they'll give me one.
HIGHLIGHT: Pumps 'n a Bump. That's right, just when you thought this lyrical genius couldn't bring you anything sweeter than "2 Legit to Quit" and accompanying dance moves, he goes and writes a whole song about his love for girls with big butts in a pair of pumps (or 'heels' as we now call them in 2009). Gotta love the Hammer.
And the Winner is...
Okay, so...who won? Duh. Vanilla Ice, aka Robert Van Winkle. Yeah, he has more of an edge, and he's always going to be remembered for "Ice, Ice Baby." But he definitely has talent and really tried to have a good time and put on a good show. He was very nice to the crowd and seemed really thankful for all the support. He even showed his softer side when saying goodbye, telling us all that family is the most important thing in this world, and started chanting "FA-MI-LY! FA-MI-LY!" I know, I know. I was in shock myself. But then I remembered that he's Mormon.
Word to your Mutha
