Can I Kick It? No You Can't.

Show Season, Round 5. Man, it's been a bad week for shows in the Nation's Capitol.

We saw A Tribe Called Quest last night at Love the Club. I don't like to dwell on nightmares, so I'll resort to list journalism to explain why this was one of the worst show-going experiences I've ever had.

1. Way too crowded - a sea of humanity crammed together like books on an overstuffed shelf.

2. Way too invisible. I couldn't tell if Tribe was on a stage, but it didn't really matter. With hundreds of fans and 4 load-bearing, view-blocking pillars in front of me, I probably wouldn't have caught a glimpse of my favorite hip hop group anyway.

3. Way too short. To say that Tribe played for an hour is a generous estimate. Yes, the group did rock most of its classics, but they probably did it all in 45 minutes or less.

4. Way too not the 930 Club. How much better would this show have been at the friendly confines of that old warehouse on 9th and V? Bash it all you want for its commercialism - that place knows how to host a kick-ass show. About the only redeemable quality of Love the Club is the incomparable photo gallery on its website.