Groundbreaking ‘Hip Opera’ & Pantera’s metal mayhem

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Opera Grand Rapids’ first-ever ‘Hip Opera’ unfolded at Meijer Gardens the same night that heavy metal icons Pantera revved up Van Andel Arena with Lamb of God and Child Bite. Recaps, photos.

The Opera and Rap Connection: Meijer Gardens hosted the first-ever ‘Hip Opera’ on Tuesday. (Photo/Joshua Tufts)

SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO GALLERIES FROM BOTH SHOWS

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Quite literally, Grand Rapids has never experienced an evening of music like this.

On one hand, concertgoers at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on Tuesday reveled in the debut of Opera Grand Rapids’ “Hip Opera,” a singular melding of opera and hip hop, complete with rap rhyming, a string section and dancers.

Pantera (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)

On the other, less than eight miles away, those Texas “Cowboys from Hell” – aka, members of heavy metal’s Pantera – rattled the rafters at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena with thunderous classics such as “Cowboys from Hell” and “I’m Broken.”

It was a night to remember for fans of three distinctly different genres, to be sure.

All those dichotomies aside, fans certainly got an earful, starting with that “Hip Opera” that unfolded as part of Meijer Gardens’ “Winter Nights” series.

THE FASCINATING, GENRE-MELDING “HIP OPERA”

Although the origin of opera music predates hip hop by a few hundred years, the two share more similarities than one might think.

The debut of “Hip Opera” opened with a rendition of The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” the track that brought rap and hip hop to mainstream audiences for the first time. A narration by Ramona Wright followed that energetic opening, explaining the origins of each genre and how they gained popularity.

The narration continued throughout the duration of the evening, giving the audience additional context about the song choices as well as fascinating facts about both hip hop and opera.

Dance-Enhanced: Part of Tuesday’s production. (Photo/Joshua Tufts)

During the front half of the show, hip hop and opera were depicted as if they were battling against one another, represented symbolically by two dancers, one dressed in a ballet tutu and the other in a letterman jacket.

Songs from each genre were paired together based on certain categories that marked significant turning points or celebrated iconic trailblazers of each genre.

Those included: “Queens,” a discussion about the delayed inclusion of women in both genres; “Villains,” which included a nod to Michigan hip hop with a performance of Eminem’s “Slim Shady;” “Here To Party,” which determined that opera is anything but stiff and boring like it is often perceived to be; and “Rivalries,” which compared the infamous feud between composers Mozart and Salieri to the rivalry between Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.

By the show’s conclusion, hip hop and opera tracks became less separated and instead incorporated together like mashups, proving just how well the two styles can complement one another. Even the ballet dancer ended up in a letterman jacket during the closing number – a unique, hip hop-infused track inspired by the popular opera, “The Barber of Seville.” – By Holly Holtzclaw

PANTERA, LAMB OF GOD AND CHILD BITE

As for that Van Andel Arena metal assault, the evening kicked off with sets by Detroit’s Child Bite and Lamb of God before the current iteration of Pantera delivered the groove/thrash salvos that fans have come to expect (even without band founder Dimebag Darrell, who was shot and killed on stage in 2004).

Lamb of God (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)

Fans were hyped from the onset, with Lamb of God’s energetic set sparking the usual crowd-surfing verve.

Moments before the lights went down and the massive Pantera curtain dropped, Pantera guitarist Zakk Wylde surprised fans by running through the photo pit wearing a silly mask, high-fiving and greeting fans.

The crowd went insane, screaming “Pantera” over and over as the curtain dropped and the band exploded into its career-spanning set that included “A New Level,” “Floods” and “Becoming.” – By Chelsea Whitaker

PHOTO GALLERY: “Hip Opera” at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Joshua Tufts