Hometown poets flawless flow gripping Hi-Dive

The Flobots are Denver’s favorite lovechild, and if we could create a prolific quintuplet to pass on our genes to represent us in the future, it would be the Flobots. This concert review was almost aborted before it was conceived because of a computer glitch with ticket sales that had fans lining up around the dingy brick and mortar that is the Hi-Dive.

Packed to the gills, the crowd was spilling onto the sidewalk hoping beyond reason they could get a chance to see the show. The bouncers were in full regulation mode, keeping the queue in line. Not only was there a ticket sales fiasco, but Soda Jerk Presents—who set up the show—should have found a bigger place like the Ogden Theatre to hold the crowd that showed up on Friday night.

Minutes prior, a jovial chattering crowd waited for the fab five to make their way to the stage with ‘FLOBOTS’ stenciled on their equipment cases. One of the two MCs, Jonny 5, wearing a shirt branded with ‘#OccupyEarth,’ which is a track off their new album The Circle In The Square, opened the show with a long-winded, “Hooo!” Their energy was infectious from the get-go.

Along with Jonny 5, MC Brer Rabbit occupied the center of the stage like an ADD kid on a sugar binge walking up and back, impulsively crouching down, and then springing back up to jump to the rhythm to new songs like “Circle In The Square,” which made its live debut in front of a Denver crowd. Whenever he needed to really belt out an “Ah whoa ooo whoa,” he would lean ever so gradually back until he was practically in a limbo stance. His right wrist had several old and new over-21 wristbands as pieces of flare.

A unique custom violin with a shiny wood finish that looked like a carefully crafted caveman club held up violin femme Mackenzie Gault’s chin as her violin gently wept to another new track called “Loneliness,” which was one of the occasional slower songs that night.

Other band members loved their bandmates’ lyrics so much they were spotted mouthing the words along with both MCs. Creative word use perpetually flowed from both MCs throughout the night that would get the crowd pumped quicker and keep them there better than Reebok Pumps from the 90s.

It’s a good thing that many people still got the chance to see the show because the Flobots energy mixed with socially conscious lyrics makes a person want to run straight out of the Hi-Dive into the world to make a difference by tackling big issues and problems the world faces.