There's no doubt about it: M.I.A. is a going to be huge. Well, huge-er. The Sahara tent was at its most packed for her inconsistent performance Saturday night. This was definitely a "get to know your neighbors" set, with thousands crammed into the tent, trying to to get a glimpse of the blonde-haired Brit rapper. People were literally climbing the tent's side supports to see the stage. The video screens were no help as they were showing pre-recorded video clips and were often blocked by security guards (who definitely had their hands full with the chaotic crowd). The problem was there wasn't much to see.

M.I.A. was backed by a small troop of dancers and MCs, and she brought at least 100 crowd members onstage during one of her songs (she only played maybe 5 songs in her hourlong set). The DJ uses a cool gunshot effect for songs like her hit "Paper Planes," but he used it incessantly, making it sound like someone was watching a John Woo movie backstage. The diminutive MC also fully stopped her performance for at least five minutes as she asked the stagehands to turn off the lights. She kept shouting the request over and over, and added to the constant refrain of automatic gunfire sounds, the show took on a comic, even surreal, effect.

What she did play sounded great. Sassy Brit hip-hop meshed with reggae, Latin beats and whatever else you got. From her debut, M.I.A. played "Galang" and "Hombre", while her latest LP provided "Boyz" and a sloppy reading of the stellar "Paper Planes."

Posted by David Lewis.