Phillyist Playlist: Saul Williams at TLA

Really, so your plan was to spend your night off in between World Series games at home, resting your liver and your wallet? Well think again, because there is a tour rolling into Philly on Friday that takes crazy to a whole new level. Tell your checking account that everything will be okay, but trust us: Saul Williams is definitely worth going into overdraft for.

Those who recognize his name but not his face probably know Williams (MySpace) as slam poet extraordinaire of the late-1990s. He was huge on the New York City scene and was featured in the old HBO show Def Poetry Jam alongside other brilliant wordsmiths like Beau Sia and Black Ice. He also wrote and starred in the 1998 film Slam, which won mad indie awards and gave Williams international recognition.

But don't get it confused; Friday night at the TLA is not going to be turtle-necks and finger-snapping. This is not the Saul Williams you know from ten years ago. Hell, or even from six months ago. Around the time of Slam's release, Williams began to seriously pursue a career in music, still delivering his poetry but in a more frenzied fashion, powered by the music in a way that is neither 100% hip-hop MC nor 100% poet. Williams has since performed with such varied acts as Allen Ginsberg, KRS-One, Nine Inch Nails and the Mars Volta.

The relationship with NIN mastermind Trent Reznor is what defines Williams' most recent musical efforts. Reznor co-produced William's 2007 album, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!, and his fingerprints are all over it. Tardust is Williams unleashed, his vocals just as manic as the industrial tracks that Reznor has created behind him. In fact, this Phillyist feels that the amazingly loud and melodic sound on this album is the best musical creation of Reznor's this side of the Lost Highway soundtrack. Just sayin'.

Niggy is Williams' alter-ego, as Ziggy was for David Bowie, but that's not the only similarity between the two works. The album is textured as well as thrashing, with clear purpose and rhythm in the madness. As Bowie did with gender, Williams breaks down barriers of race to bring us into his world, one that is haunting though also powerful. A very clear example of this sound is Williams' bone-shattering cover of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday."

Williams' genre-bending and commanding stage presence are the primary reasons for his success, and he is constantly evolving his onstage persona so every show is a new experience. Williams hit the Electric Factory on a similar carney-filled tour with Primus frontman Les Claypool earlier in the year, but this weekend, he arrives at TLA as the headliner for the Afro Punk 2009: The Niggy Tardust Experience. Taking the stage with him include local favorites Black Landlord, eclectic rockers American Fangs, and Brooklyn DJ CX KiDTRoNiK.

Those off to Halloween parties later that night need not worry; Williams will surely have the craziest costume in the place, so don't be shy about donning your fangs and horns.

Afro Punk presents Saul Williams (with CX KiDTRoNiK, Black Landlord, and American Fangs)
Theatre of the Living Arts (334 South Street)
Friday, October 30, 9pm
Tickets: $18