It's hard to fight the power when you're cashing checks signed by VH1, a reality that Public Enemy [ tickets ] made particularly clear in West Hollywood Sunday night (12/10).

"It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" ignited the mainstream hip-hop community in 1988, with Public Enemy's chaotic sonic assault forming the foundation for Chuck D's politically-charged lyrical rants. Nearly 20 years later, the frontman's politics are just as volatile, even if significantly tempered by the inane celebrity of his "hype man," Flavor Flav.

Once the comical oddity of the outfit, Flav's renewed celebrity via his highly-rated VH1 reality show has resulted in a noticeable shift in the band's audience and demographic. As was evident at the Sunset Strip House of Blues, that shift has had a profound impact on the band's performance.

A strong opening that featured the band's slave ship voiceover and crossover hit "Bring the Noise" demonstrated early that the reunited Public Enemy--featuring Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and the choreographed martial artistry of his S1W Nation of Islam guard, DJ Lord replacing the retired Terminator X, and a four-piece live band--could be formidable in the new millennium, but the proceedings proved more of a mixed bag than a return to form.

It was no surprise that Chuck D would take advantage of his podium to pronounce his hatred of the latest Bush regime, but given the lack of fluidity between D's politics and Flav's inarticulate ramblings, one had to seriously wonder if the reunion was intended to resurrect Public Enemy's career, or just give D a timely political opportunity to voice his tirades to Flav's newfound Middle America celebrity.

Over the course of the two hour show, D spent less than half the time performing classic Public Enemy material; 30 minutes were spent introducing the band and allowing each member a respective chance to shine, while another 30 minutes were spent with DJ Lord and Flav alone on stage, the sidekick delivering three solo cuts, as well as a lackluster drum solo that a beginning player could replicate. It started as laughable, and quickly became tiresome.

To put the debacle in perspective, if Chuck D could be compared to a prize fighter of esteemed legacy in the annals of hip-hop, enduring Flav's mid-set solo offering was akin to having to endure six rounds of Don King sparring before a Mike Tyson-headlined main event.

That said, Public Enemy's abrasive fusion of funk and hip-hip was as jarring as ever, as the performers showed minimal signs of visible aging since their peak more than a decade ago. Hits "911 is a Joke" and "Fight the Power" and classics including "Don't Believe the Hype," "Shut 'em Down" and "Rebel Without a Pause" proved as incendiary and, unfortunately, pertinent as the day they were written. In a fitting nod to Public Enemy's influence, father of funk George Clinton joined the band for the closer, a rousing, funkadelic rendition of "Thank You (4 Letting Me By Myself)."

Chuck D stole headlines when he declared Public Enemy "the black CNN" in the early '90s. That was then, this is now. Unfortunately, even the most seminal of outfits shouldn't be expected to bridge the gap between VH1's reality and that of CNN. Public Enemy would be better served to stick to the latter.