Tupac Shakur: Live at the House of Blues in 1996

Tupac performed at the House of Blues on July 4th, 1996, and here we are, near the twentieth anniversary of that date, and no rapper has emerged who possessed the magnetic passion of Tupac Shakur. The DVD of Tupac’s performance at the House of Blues opens as the concert opens, wasting no time and fading in as the curtains open. 

On the first song, “Ambitions Az a Ridah,” from his album, “All Eyes on Me,” Tupac starts the show with his usual blend of charisma and undeniable energy. On the mic he sounds almost as good as he does on records; most rappers don’t even come close, sounding almost unrecognizable in live performances. But Tupac avoids this familiar pitfall for rappers, infusing each sing with clarity while maintaining a cocky swagger. 

The second song is “Shed So Many Tears,” which he cuts off early to get to what at the time was a brand new song, “Troublesome.” He introduces the song by calling out Nas, Mobb Deep, and Bad Boy Records. “They talk a lot of shit, but that’s after I’m gone. Cause they fear me in the physical form.” Even when he wasn’t trying to talk about his own death, he still was, evident from such lines as: “Afraid to sleep, having crazy dreams,” and “I ain’t begging for my life.” 

The next song is “Hit ‘em Up,” which he performs with controlled rage, bad-guy charisma, confidence, arrogance, and just plain joy. He follows that song with “Tattoo Tears,” a song where he flexes his ability to connect with the audience. He raps to them; “They don’t understand what we go through,” with a look on his face that makes you feel his pain, his desire to relate to you, support you, give you solace and also seek solace from you.