Kool Like That.

Scenes From Last Night's Kool A.D. and Fat Tony Show at Bryan Street Tavern.

Last night's crowd at Bryan Street Tavern was hardly the biggest the venue has ever seen — this, despite the fact that the venue was actually triple-booked.

In the main bar, Wanz Dover DJing and spinning classic funk and soul tracks. Out back, a jazz band was performing on the patio stage. And, in the main performance room, Houston's Fat Tony and one half of the Brooklyn-based Das Racist, Kool A.D., performed in support of Kool A.D.'s April-release 51 mixtape.

As the night wore on the the regular barflies drifted out the front door, it was that last show that served as the night's main attraction. A couple dozen fans bunched in tightly by the stage to take in the performance that had only been announced a week prior.

What this show lacked in promotion and audience, however, it made up for in spirit.

Fat Tony opened the night with a punchy offering of surprisingly dance-inducing material, seemingly oblivious to the crowd's lackluster response, which hardly matched what the rapper's offering merited.

It was clear by the time Kool A.D. took the stage, though, why this crowd had showed.

For his set, the room was far livelier. Kool's on-stage antics and banter — his show is as much a comedic offering as it is a musical one — no doubt helped matters, specifically in regards to his “backing performer,” a guitar player that thrashed about and sweated his way through the entire set, despite his instrument never being plugged in or mic'ed up.

It was a fun bit, and, in the end, it took nothing away from Kool's performance. The showman worked his crowd admirably, at one point even joining them in the crowd to cheer on his phantom guitarist.

Whether intended as much, that move in particular seemed fitting. If nothing else, this show was deserving of at least one more audience member, no doubt.