In September 2004, US stand-up superstar Dave Chappelle decided to host a free gig in Brooklyn, outside Biggie Smalls’ old primary school. To populate the crowd he headed home to Ohio, handing out golden tickets to old friends, complete strangers and an entire college marching band. Back in Brooklyn, word of mouth filled out the rest of the ersatz venue as Kanye West (backed by the ecstatic band), Mos Def, Erykah Badu, the specially-reformed Fugees and others played their hearts out to the rain-swept street.
Chappelle is the perfect host, effortlessly improvising before and between acts. And while few music movies convey the vibe of the actual event, after watching Michel Gondry’s footage you won’t just wish you’d been there – you’ll feel like you really were.
