Arrested Development in Fukuoka

I plan on writing a summary of the rest of my trip to Shikoku and Kansai but I have been busy lately. In the meantime, I'll talk about the concert I went to a few nights ago in Fukuoka. I was able to see one of my favorite bands, Arrested Development, in a venue of less than 200 people. I was so pumped because I have been a fan of their music since high school. For anone that is curious, yes concerts are very expensive here in Japan, I paid about $80 for my ticket to the show. The band played a nice 2 hour set with a mix of songs of the new album and the classics ("Everyday People", "Mr. Wendel", Tennessee", and "Ease my Mind". I was right on top of the stage and was able to give Speech, the band leader, some high fives between songs. After the show, I drank a few beers and talked to the band about life in Japan and music for about 15 minutes. I snuck in my camera but was halted from snapping shots after only getting a few. I was hoping to post some great photos from the show but this one will have to do. I highly recommend checking out the band's new album, "Among The Trees", it is far better than 90% of hip hop being put out these days. In the spirit of the kick-ass concert, here is a top-5 list of my favorite artists/bands in Hip-Hop music today.

1. Jurassic 5 - Simply the best. I have never heard a band with lyrical skill that tops them.
2. Immortal Technique - Peruvian-American lyricist with unbelievable skills and intelligent rhymes.
3. Tribe Called Quest - What can I say, I'm old school.
4. Arrested Development - Keeping it positive....
5. Andre 3000 - The better half of Outkast, this guy defines "innovative"