If you listen to Miami-based hip hop duo Social Club, undoubtedly you’ll hear “Social Club is the best” before a few songs – notably “Coogi Sweater,” which is always a crowd favorite. But after rocking a “Pizza Party” (a Social Club concert experience) with them at Zeke’s in Ames, Iowa, I firmly believe that Social Club IS the best.
I have three boys (twins who are 7th graders and a 4th grader) who love Social Club and can recite most of their lyrics. So naturally I had to bring all three of them to the show on Saturday night. And my buddy Justin.
This was my first visit to Zeke’s which brought back lots of nostalgic memories of attending many Christian concerts at The New Union (now Club 3 Degrees) in Minneapolis. But Zeke’s is much smaller which makes for a significantly more intimate setting. After several local artists warmed up the crowd, including Echo and Words Taylor, F.E.R.N. (Fern), Marty Mar (Marty), and Mickey Holm took the stage.
“Wait…I thought you said Social Club was a duo, Erik?” Mickey plays the drums, starts the loops, manages Social Club, and owns STRT TRBL – a record label and apparel company.
From start to finish, Social Club gave everything they had. And their fans equally responded…dancing, singing and rapping along with Marty and Fern. But what impressed me most about Social Club boils down to a few things:
- Marty shared an incredible Gospel message from his heart. While, both Marty and Fern have completely different paths to Jesus, their stories are equally stirring and important for concert-goers to hear.
- These guys are GROUNDED. While this certainly wasn’t their biggest concert ever (it was probably one of the smallest, actually), they stuck around until every selfie was taken and bro-hugs were exchanged.
- They aren’t above Iowa. Any artist would probably shake their head at a booking agent trying to talk them into playing a gig in Iowa. Not Social Club. They go where their fans are…including Iowa. And the fans show up. I read on Twitter that one fan drove 4 hours last night to attend the show.
- I love Social Club because my boys love Social Club. It’s important to them so it’s important to me. When I introduced my boys to Marty, Fern and Mickey, I thanked them for their music ministry. That kind of music didn’t exist when I was growing up but Social Club is writing God’s truth into the hearts of my boys and many, many fans.
Saturday’s show made me a fan for life. I’ll drop what I’m doing to take in another Social Club concert in a heartbeat. And I’m sure my boys would be happy to join me.
Here’s a few photos I snapped during the show. I hope you enjoy them!
