It was another one of those nights at the House of Blues, with a mixed bill and therefore a mixed crowd. Ponytailed white guys in Levis bumped shoulders with suavely dressed Caribbean players. Long blonde hair and braids abounded, as the show began in what was almost a timely fashion.

The Mexakinz are among west coast hip hop's best kept secrets, two Latino lyricists with skills and creativity in abundance, held down only by their own allegiance to subject matter based upon the status quo. Nevertheless, unbilled and unheralded they came with some completely new stuff last Wednesday, backed up by a metal minded band. Approaching some excellent rhymes with a newfound energy and sound, they delivered a set that would have turned on anyone prepared and open enough to hear it. But the crowd at the House of Blues that evening were in the mood for what some people there called "reggae for beginners" from the Jamericans, and were polite enough but never gave true respect to the Mexakinz.

The undercard act, the Long Beach Dub All Stars, had about as much charisma and stage presence as wet socks. The music was passable enough, as was the vocal presence of the Latino lead singer, but somehow their average-ness was overkill. Having a large white guy with a dog precede them with a song reminiscent of early Quiet Riot or Scorpions didn't help, and was never fully explained to the audience (several sisters cried out during said song,"Who is this guy?"). Their set dragged on, as they did song after song greeted by bare attention and considerable side conversations.

When the Jamericans finally took the stage, they were a treat for the patient crowd. The two core members -- a tall dark skinned dancehall rapper and a shorter, lighter traditional vocalist - leapt onto the stage with great enthusiasm. Both are excellent performers, most notably keeping the audience moving with the title track of their last album Yardcore and some spirited improvisation, but the singer truly stole the show. With a smile that could melt chocolate at thirty paces and a strong, playful voice, he lilted over his parts and served as the calm center for the revels of his more brusque voiced partner.

Once all was told, the mood had shifted more times than tectonic plates, but the crowd left sated. The promoters made some decidedly unusual choices in setting this card up, but in today's Lollapalooza-dominated concert promotion scene, perhaps this is what we can expect -- some of the show for some of the people some of the time. In their own scenes, both the stellar Mexakinz and the lackluster Long Beach Dub All Stars could have made better performances, but the fan support wasn't there. The night was one for Jamericans, and would have been better off without so much fanfare.