For a man with such fire and energy in his performance it seems an oddity to have the name Common because his stage presence and his music are anything but. The Chicago House of Blues featured Common for three nights last week, from February 27th through March 1st. Common’s hometown reminded him that Chicago is where he belongs. Each show was a complete sell out. Despite the congested standing room only conditions, the crowd was beyond amazing. Collectively they could breathe life into any artist and inspire that artist to give a great performance. Common’s fire matched with the crowd’s vigor made for an exceptional show. Common opened with the album titled song “Be.” The presentation so moving that I am certain I was not the only one to leave the concert feeling a weight lifted as I resolved to let all my worries just “Be.” Following “Be” were several songs from the same album and snippets from “Like Water for Chocolate”, “One Day It’ll All Make Sense,” “Electric Circus,” and “Resurrection.” We were then blessed with the words of Talib Kweli and Mos Def when Common performed clips of their popular works as a tribute to his fellow hip hop greats. Common also took a time-out in the middle of the performance to showcase his breaking talent. Did you know Common had skills? In his younger days he could have lead the hottest breaking group. However, Common has become an excellent hip-hop icon and he is an excellent and vibrant performer. The show was hype. I just have one question “Common, when are you bringing the fire to Boston?”