“Come on Bay Area, make some noise!” said Flavor Flav, wearing all-white, with his signature baseball cap tilted to the side. Chuck D joined him for “Harder Than You Think.” Then came “Don’t Believe the Hype,” nostalgic songs like “Can’t Truss It,” “Welcome to the Terrodome,” and “Shut ‘Em Down.”
The pioneering band played over two dozen tracks from its lengthy discography, also shouting out Bay Area rappers E-40, Too Short and MC Hammer.
“The Bay is the ingredient for hip-hop mastery around the planet,” Chuck D said, pointing out that though Public Enemy’s songs originally addressed U.S. political and social discourse in the late 20th century, their themes apply to modern times.
The group criticized President Donald Trump a few times, including performing the anti-Trump song “State of the Union (STFU).” And “911 Is a Joke” and “Bring the Noise” had fans way up on the hill of the natural amphitheater jumping.
Ending with “Fight the Power,” Public Enemy encouraged everyone to speak out and fight against injustices.
“With peace and togetherness, we would all have so much power if we all stuck together and built a wall of unity,” Flavor Flav said