Girl at the Rock Shows

I entered a whole new world on Thursday night when I walked into The Fillmore for the Lil Yachty show. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done rap shows before but something just felt a bit different about Thursday night. The atmosphere was a bit more electric, the audience members were a bit younger, and I felt a bit more out of place than most nights. I don’t quite know why. I’m comfortable in large crowds (obviously) and attend many shows where I feel my age a bit more than normal but something was just a bit different on Thursday night.

Things moved fast when it came to the opening acts. First up was Stoop Lauren. This Atlanta-based rapper hit the stage and the microphone hard giving the sold-out audience everything he possibly could during his quick set. I found it interesting that, between songs, trying to get the audience to cheer was a bit like pulling teeth yet, when performing, the audience quickly turned into a sweaty mess of a pit. Stylistically, Stoop Lauren’s music was as intense as his performance. There was something almost threatening about some of his lines but, at the same time, he presented each of these lines with an undeniable sense of heart making him an easy act to get captivated by.

Following Stoop Lauren was the collective Concrete Family. This set started with just one rapper but, by the end, there were a couple of them on stage. I didn’t catch all of their names but I can say that each of the people on stage brought a different vibe to this second set creating a dynamic, albeit confusing, set. I only say that it was confusing because I had no clue who was who which has me a bit frustrated this morning as I try to write this review, but, had I just been there to experience the night, not cover it, I would have loved the variety I was getting within just one set.

The final opener for Thursday night was Nick Hakim. His set hit a little differently than the previous two sets but it hit me the hardest. Instead of focusing on an intense rap vibe, Nick and his two-member band focused on the more tender side of things with an emphasis on a more soul and jazz influence. I liked his set a lot because it stood out but it also felt a bit more up my alley with jazzy beats and just a bit more of an approachable sensibility. That being said, rap is not my bread and butter (surprise, I know) so this just felt a bit more accessible to me when compared to the previous two acts.

I loved that each of the openers had something different to offer. Whether that difference came from their sound or their performance, I just loved that, even though the headliner hadn’t even taken the stage yet, I felt as if I had more than gotten a show for the night. I got the feeling that the audience was feeling the same way but, at the same time, they were clearly ready and anxious for headliner Lil Yachty to take the stage.

Miles Parks McCollum is Lil Yachty and he has created such a buzz and such an empire that I would honestly be a bit surprised if you don’t know his name. At only twenty-six years old, this Georgia born kid has created waves in the scene but, prior to Thursday night, I honestly knew very little about this man. I knew his song “Minnesota” because, well, I live in Minnesota but, beyond that, I had no idea what to expect. What I do know is that what he gave me and the way he and his live band (that’s right, he had a LIVE band behind him) kicked off the set had me sold. Lil Yachty is more than just a rapper. Don’t get me wrong, there were segments of his show where it was just him rapping along to tracks which definitely was not my favorite part of the performance, but there were other moments where he had a bit more composition to his songs and I was left completely captivated by not only the talent in his voice, but the talent of his fabulous band.

If you can’t tell, it was the band that had me super hooked on Lil Yachty’s performance on Thursday night. Not only did it catch me off guard as I was expecting him to just be singing along to tracks, but the members of his band are truly stellar. Yachty took the time to introduce each of the musicians behind him which spoke volumes to me. He didn’t have to do that and there are so many other acts out there that wouldn’t have given the time to do that but he did and I loved the respect that showed. Unfortunately, I was doing photos at the time of the introductions so I didn’t catch any names or the name of the group that he referenced when introducing the band. My apologies to all of the players up there but, seriously, that band was the MVP of the show.

Although I was captivated by the band, everyone else in the sold-out audience was clearly captivated by Yachty. When he said jump, that entire audience was jumping to the point where I swear I could feel the floor move. When he said mosh, the entire audience would mosh turning into a swirling mess of limbs and sweat. It was a pretty remarkable thing to witness from the outskirts of the audience. As mentioned, I wasn’t a huge fan of the songs that were just Yachty and some tracks but I was the minority in that. Those were the moments where the audience would freak out just a little bit more and really add an exciting ambiance to the room.

My goal this year with concerts was so step out of my comfort zone. Seeing Lil Yachty on Thursday night at The Fillmore definitely did that but I loved how, even thought I felt like I was in a whole new world, there were moments that I felt comfortable and the night felt no different than any other show.

Line Up:

Stoop Lauren

Concrete Family

Nick Hakim

Lil Yachty

Venue: Fillmore

Smell-O-Meter: Weed- Straight up Weed

Average Age of the Crowd: 18

Crowd Surfers- 7 Counted But There Were Probably More

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 8 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- 0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Bodies/ Clothing/ Drinks

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out Kids- 9

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 2

How Irritated I Was With The Audience – 3 out of 10

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Stoop Lauren– 0

Concrete Family– 0

Nick Hakim – 0

Lil Yachty – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score –7.8 out of 10

Show on Deck — Del Water Gap / Kristiane

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