Finally, The Foreign Exchange Came to Texas!
I honestly never thought I would see the day that The Foreign Exchange would come to Texas. I figured it was a privilege to have Little Brother come as often as they did. When I got the chance to see LB in ’07, I was content because I could squash the idea of having to one day make a road trip just to see Phonte and Pooh on stage. The eventual dissolution of Little Brother gave way to Phonte’s evolution as part of The Foreign Exchange, and as their second album, Leave It All Behind, became my favorite of 2008, the thought of driving to North Carolina to see a show began to tempt me again. Now, I needed to see The Foreign Exchange live. I emailed, posted on Facebook, posted on the FE website message board, trying to do my part in hyping up the Lone Star State as being worthy of a visit by this great band. Other fans did the same, but chances looked bleak as the two year mark since the album’s release approached and the closest city that the group had played was Atlanta. Finally, toward the end of summer the announcement came – FE would play a weekend in Texas, one night in Dallas and one in Houston. The timing was perfect, one week after my birthday, and the tickets were cheap at $20 a piece. No matter what else happened for, on or around my birthday this year, I knew that I would be happy if I could just make it to that show.
That long narrative intro hopefully illustrated the true excitement I felt in anticipation of this concert. I’ve never been more amped to see a show than I was the night of September 18. All of the fans were ready, and so was the band because FE tore it down at The Door in Deep Ellum. I have to especially shout out my fellow music lovers who were in the audience that night – this was one of the best crowds that I’ve been amongst. People were friendly, interactive, serious music fans, and genuinely eager to see FE. The show was classy but unembellished – in fact, the vibe was not the posh “grown and sexy” stereotype that some may have expected. Dress code was in effect and the age range was mostly 25-35, but the attitude was chill. Truthfully, The Door as a venue is not all that. This was my first time being there, and it reminded me of those scenes in 8 Mile of B. Rabbit battling at The Shelter – it’s just a wide-open space with a bar at the back, couches and tables flanking, and a stage at the front. There is no intentional aura, no thematic decorating, visuals or color schemes, no state-of-the-art technology – it’s just a concrete building. But the simple design limited distractions and pretensions, maintaining focus where it needed to be and uniting the audience through the music. J-Clip warmed us up spinning classic hip-hop joints mixed with contemporary neo-soul jams. Then, a stirring, bluesy opening performance by local crooner Soul Blackman whetted the appetite for the FE entrée. When the band hit the stage, they wasted no time taking us higher, opening up the set with “House of Cards.” Vocals from Phonte, Darien Brockington and Sy Smith (no YahZarah this trip) were on point, Nicolay and Zo! worked magic on the sampler and synths, while the drummer and bass player held down the beat and the bottom with effortlessness. Their set was fluid but completely unpredictable – according to Phonte, with each show they ad-lib and go where the feeling of the music takes them, and they certainly seemed to do just that more than once during this show. They did a reggae remix of “I Wanna Know,” a cover of the classic “Written All Over Your Face” by Gerald Levert and the Rude Boys, as well as freestyle R&B interpolations of “Turn My Swag On” and “I Invented Sex.” (Yes, you read correctly – Solja Boy and Trey Songz. You know Phonte had to be silly and bring back his Percy Miracles persona.) After almost two hours of music, FE exited the stage. The audience proceeded to raise the roof in praise, so an encore that included three more songs pushed the show until a quarter past 1am.
I left The Door feeling simultaneously exhausted and rejuvenated. I believe it was an unforgettable experience for both the audience and FE, as Phonte told us that Houston had their work cut out for them if they were going to top the energy and the love that Dallas put forth. Every time I start feeling that D/FW’s music scene is disappointing me, a show such as this one comes along and reminds me that good music permeates all areas – it can’t be stopped. Phonte has said before that sometimes we have to work a little harder to find it, but the truth is if you are not listening to good music, it is your own fault. So, if you’re reading this and feeling a musical void in your life, consider this blog an official suggestion to check out The Foreign Exchange if you haven’t.
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