Souls of Mischief – 93 ’til Infinity, 30th Anniversary Tour
Ft. Abstract Rude, Breakbeat Lou and The Architect
Hollywood Theatre, Vancouver, BC – 08.03.2023
Photos: Ronan Considine @soundflashphotography
Words: John Zee @johnzee23
Special acknowledgment: Jay Swing and Main Event Shows.
Souls of Mischief were recently in Vancouver to perform back to back shows at The HollyWood Theatre to celebrate the milestone of their classic debut album ’93 ’till Infinity turning 30 years old. This comes at a time when collectively, fans of the genre and the culture itself are celebrating the 50 year anniversary of Hip Hop as well.
The show was opened up by LA rap veteran Abstract Rude, who has a longstanding history with Vancouver as he’s been coming here for over 20 years to perform and record music, and was once a member of Vancouver’s own Battleaxe Records and Code Name: Scorpion, which included Moka Only and Prevail (Swollen Members).
Nostalgia was thick in the air, along with fans adoring Souls of Mischief bucket hats and Hieroglyphics t-shirts as the popular Hollywood Theatre was sold-out in attendance for this show. All four members of Souls were present (A-Plus, Opio, Tajai & Phesto-D), along with Domino who has been a lifelong friend, producer and manager for the group. Joining SOM on stage was Breakbeat Lou and The Architect, who both warmed up the crowd with classic 90’s Hip Hop slaps and MPC beat machine loops and routines.
Seasoned in live performing and tour life, Souls of Mischief have an uncanny way of making every show they do seem incredibly personal and unique. Performing cut after cut from their ageless debut album, along with sprinkling in several classic Hiero songs, it’s wild to think they were roughly only 16/17 years old when they recorded many of these songs. Aging like fine wine, the crowd drank it all up and were waiting eagerly for their nightcap which of course is the timeless, and arguably one of the best Hip Hop records to ever be recorded, “93 ’till infinity”. No matter how many times we’ve all heard and enjoyed this incredible song, it never seems to lose its spirit and pizzazz. As soon as the first two bars of the beat dropped (produced by A-Plus himself), the Vancouver crowd went crazy and sang along to every word with sentimentalism and flashbacks from our youth when we heard it for the first time.
Souls of Mischief closed out the show with praise for the Vancouver audience, and even made sure to thank the venue staff, including lighting and sound. This group of legends really are consummate performers who are of the highest tier of their craft. It’s been a pleasure following them for 30 years, and we look forward to following them for another 30 years to come.
Stay tuned to our HHVtv Youtube channel for an exclusive interview with Souls of Mischief before they hit the stage in Vancouver.
