Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if my dad was a militant slam poet who used eardrum shattering electronic beats and industrial hip-hop to communicate his message of individualism, anti-conformity and transcending the shackles of racism that have affected him so deeply.

Now I know.

It was a family affair Friday night at TLA when Saul Williams (MySpace) brought his Afro-Punk 2009 tour through town. Granted, it has been a motley crew of genre-defying musical acts all tour long, but Philly's stop featured a guest appearance: Williams' 13-year old daughter, Saturn. It isn't uncommon for Saturn to perform with her father, decorated in identical face paint and head-feathers. Within five minutes of Friday's show, Williams pointed emphatically into the crowd, motioning for Saturn to join him onstage for "Convict Colony," the first full track he played from his 2007 album, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!. One can't help but wonder if she knows the full meaning of what she's singing (a song her father wrote about his struggles living in a world in which he feels he doesn't belong) but when you have such a socially conscious artist as your dad, it probably comes with the territory.

The night was full of antics that went against the traditional concert metric, which surely was Williams' intention, as he encouraged the audience every chance he could to abandon their preconceived notions. Williams was immediately preceded by two BMX tricksters who cleared the floor to make room for their gravity-defying moves on their bikes. Also, there was an artist scrawling on canvas in the corner of the venue throughout the entire show, creating what appeared to be an animal version of Williams' alter ego, Niggy Tardust. And, well, we had a rock star (Williams) enter on a unicycle, and a DJ with a mohawk. Oh yeah, this was gonna be good.

Williams also encouraged us to dance, because "if you just wanted to listen, you could do that at home." And dance we did. It was impossible not to, as the tracks spun by DJ CX KiDTRoNiK (MySpace) literally shook the TLA floor like we'd never felt before—we're talking Earthquake-like pulses. And no recording could prepare us for the power of Williams' voice live and in the flesh. He doesn't quite sing, doesn't quite rap, but his channeled aggression and vulnerability is incredibly gripping. His yells are melodic, and we got chills each time he killed a rhyme. No audience energy could ever reach the intensity that Williams brings to the stage on his own, and we thank him for sharing that experience with us.

Williams was physically and emotionally all over the place. He was standing on the speakers, sitting across the barricade (at one point encouraging the audience that "barriers like this are meant to be broken"), atop the DJ table, and dancing amongst the crowd. When he entered the crowd, a circle formed around him of fans eager to be near him, yet respectful enough not to interfere with his moment (and personal space) too much. It was an interesting sight, as most fans reach for any piece of rock star flesh they can get their sweat-dripping hands on.

Oh yeah, and the music was awesome. If you closed your eyes, you might have confused Williams for Trent Reznor at his early 1990s Nine Inch Nails finest, only Williams lyrics are much more thoughtful. The crowd was mesmerized by Williams' poetry, so much so that they didn't seem to care too much for a singalong when he played his haunting cover of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday." They wanted more Williams original material, which they got, as he transitioned into "Banged and Blown Through."

Finally, he ended his set with "List of Demands," he song he is likely best known for because it was featured in a Nike commercial in 2008 (sampled for the awesome beat, not the reparation-themed lyrics). Saturn joined her father onstage once more for this song, which sent the crowd into a dancing frenzy. Every time Saturn picked up a stray lyric that her dad missed because he was dancing and panting so hard, Williams beamed, smiling from ear-to-ear as he watched his daughter take the spotlight. The two embraced as they walked offstage, seguing into a set by CX KiDTRoNiK that kept the party going into the wee hours of the morning.

Filed in Arts & Events and tagged Afro Punk, concerts, DJ CX KiDTRoNiK, music, Niggy Tardust, Phillyist Playlist, Playlist Rewind, reviews, Saul Williams, TLA, Trent Reznor