Positive vibes from Common

Common is, above all else, a lover man. And not just in the romantic sense, although that side of him came to the fore when he brought a woman named Lydia up from the audience at the Worcester Palladium, the better to serenade her with "Come Close." The rapper extends his love to all people everywhere, and the social consciousness of his hip-hop drove Saturday's sold-out show.

Whether it was that hopeful brotherhood or the confidence that comes with not only being practically an elder statesman in a genre that traditionally isn't kind to them but still being relevant (the recent "Finding Forever," his seventh album in 15 years, was his first chart-topper), Common performed like a man at ease. He rapped about murder ("Testify") and the limiting effects of race on one's options in society ("U, Black Maybe"), but his approach was one of comprehension and positive change, not anger. His band helped, with two keyboardists offering variations on '70s jazz-funk electric piano.

That provided the wounded optimism. But it was Karriem Riggins's live drums that provided the fire in numbers like "Drivin' Me Wild," where Common fed off of his popping, thwamming beat. By contrast, the few songs that relied primarily on a drum machine sounded less inspired. When Riggins finally kicked in on "The Corner," so did the song.

Some moments weren't so successful. Caressing Lydia during "Come Close," Common's hand briefly and boldly wandered. And his including Michael Vick in a "Misunderstood" list alongside Malcolm X, Kurt Cobain, and the Jena 6 was simply baffling. But mostly, from his Boston-centric freestyle to his medley of Nas, Boogie Down Productions, LL Cool J, and others over a mellow, broken-clockwork beat, Common's positive vibes were hard to deny.

Common was preceded by Q-Tip, who - considering the lackluster DJ set from 88-Keys immediately beforehand - had the challenge of starting from almost nothing. But he managed to take a cold crowd and turn it into an audience almost instantly. That was no small accomplishment, considering the Palladium sound captured the snap of the beat but muffled the more delicate touches of the live guitar and keyboard.

Q-Tip's set generously mixed new songs and cuts from his lone solo release, "Amplified," with favorites from his days in A Tribe Called Quest. Neither of the two fans invited to join him on "Check the Rhime" knew quite as many of the lyrics as they claimed, but Q-Tip and the audience remained good-natured as he sent them on their way. And when the crowd went nuts at the start of "Award Tour," he stopped it cold after a few bars in order to do it all over again.