Live Under The Dome: An Experience Like No Other
There are too many words to describe what I experienced during Cliff Notez’s “Live Under The Dome” show last night at the Museum of Science, but a few of them I would choose are raw, immersive, and a prime example of Boston’s Black Excellence. As we (the audience) were filing in, the band was settling themselves around the projector inside the dome, also known as the Charles Hayden Planetarium. There were horns and brass instruments (including a saxophonist), there were string instruments such as guitars and a violin, and a very talented singer by the name of Stephanie McKay. All of these elements created a sonically rich and thought-provoking experience for those in attendance. Cliff Notez was the conductor of the show, performing his selection of music while occasionally playing his own guitar, and he worked the crowd by engaging with the audience throughout the entire performance. Before every song, he gave us the synopsis of what we were getting ready to experience, and at times there were some crowd participation that enhanced the show. Cliff Notez really captured the beauty of combining the aspect of both visual art and audio by using the Planetarium as his canvas. Thematically, it was a confrontation of trauma and a journey towards healing. As he performed his music, the audience was able to take the journey through this incredible, artistic realm simply by looking up and around. There were times we were in space, times we were traveling along the ocean waters, and other times where we were surrounded by the Boston city skyline. Every visual that was shown correlated with the music that Cliff Notez chose to share.
written by JB
photos by JB
Cliff Notez is an assistant professor at Berklee College of Music and his mastery and expertise was on display last night. One particular song that tugged at my heart strings a bit was “Avoid Contact”. Cliff Notez talked about how he dealt with grief and heartbreak simultaneously, which led to him avoiding all relations with people. He mentioned how a great deal of therapy allowed him to heal from that and continue on his mission to create. “Good Riddance” was the last song he performed and when you looked up inside the dome, it was like you were letting go of a balloon that carried all of your problems, watching the word “Good Riddance” fade into the distant skies. A cool addition Cliff Notez added to this show that got the audience involved was the scavenger hunt. There were artistic drawings of characters that appeared on the dome, and before we entered the space, we were given a piece of paper that gave hints and clues to help find these characters. If you were able to find all 6, the instructions were to take a photo of them when they appear, and post them on your Instagram story, making sure to tag related accounts. (Unfortunately, my phone was dying so I couldn’t participate.) The winner of the scavenger hunt would receive free merch delivered to them and free passes to the Museum of Science. I thought this was an excellent way to keep the audience engaged and to give them a chance to win something, all while enjoying this artistic performance.
In his interview with us, Cliff Notez mentioned how he doesn’t fit the label of being a “hip hop artist”, and he was able to prove just that. Not only does his music proves this, but artistically, his vision is far beyond that of your average hip hop artist. His art encapsulates so much more than just one genre of music and it’s elements. That’s not to say he doesn’t represent hip hop, but more so that you can’t put his work in a box and categorize it as this “one thing”. Cliff Notez represents all Black artists, whether that’s through visual or audio components. His music has a great range of sound and depth to it and his art is abstract enough to carve out it’s own lane. With the continued support from local, national, and global art enthusiasts, I can see Cliff Notez getting even more recognition and solidifying his place in the world of expression. Follow Cliff Notez on IG.