Cypress Hill Raps And Rocks In Tour Opener

07/12/2000 5:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(7/12/00, 5 p.m. ET) - Cypress Hill kicked off its stint as the support act for Limp Bizkit's Back To Basics tour Tuesday night (July 11) at the State Theatre in Detroit in front of a capacity crowd of 3,000 fans admitted for free thanks to a reported $1.8 million in underwriting from Napster.

After a set by local band Broadzilla, Cypress Hill took the stage for an hour-long set that showcased its familiar hip-hop stylings with slamming, full-band rock material from its latest album, Skull & Bones. During the set, the group's Sen Dog, whose side band SX-10 joined Cypress Hill to play the rock songs, switched between a bucket hat for the rap numbers and a baseball cap for the rock selections.

Performing in front of a backdrop that featured the quartet's picture on a $100 bill, with DJ Muggs situated in a large skull, the group started on a hip-hop tip and got the crowd swaying to "Insane In The Brain." They continued for a few numbers before bringing on the guitarists and lighting into a short set of rockers that included the Primus-y "Can't Get The Best Of Me." Returning to rap, the group offered the dope anthem "Hits From The Bong" before closing its portion of the evening with the raging "(Rock) Superstar."

-- Gary Graff, Detroit

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