Real People

So the hip-hop stars, no matter how big and no matter how many squillions of records they've sold, tend to cancel their shows, like, all the time-never really caring about how many tickets have been sold, giving no explanations, just . . . cancelled. But good news: Common isn't like any other rapper-and he really is still playing the House of Blues this Wednesday night. Born and raised in Chicago, Common is no stranger to critical acclaim, receiving rave reviews from the press since his first album in 1992, Can I Borrow a Dollar? One feud with Ice Cube, multiple awesome collaborations with artists such as Kanye West and Lauryn Hill, 11 Grammy nods, and several spots in advertisements for the Gap and Lincoln Navigators later, and Common is still as respected as ever, having managed to keep things fresh by experimenting with electric rock music and electronica-influenced tracks. But, uh, don't blame us if he really does end up not showing. We're just sayin'.
Wed., Feb. 13, 8 p.m., 2008