Favorite Live Performances I've Seen This Year (2021)
Erykah Badu at The Hollywood Bowl
My first live show of the year was also, my first time at a Badu show. I walked into the sprawling venue just as the opener, Steve Lacy was closing his set. After finding my seat, maneuvering around people to buy drinks & returning to my seat; the Mothership touched down. The show opens with tribal energy; deadheaded, shirtless drummers & ambidextrous pianists in lab coats churning out notes as if they’re throwing coal on fire to get the engine started. More instrumentalists, backup singers & dancers appear on the stage, all dressed in similar white coats dancing through 80’s & 90’s hits. Badu appears. Statuesque, regal & ready. She approaches a small stand with a drum machine on it & begins to tap out notes to thunderous applause.
After a groovy interlude, she officially opens the set with “Hello”. For the next hour & a half, Erykah took us on a trip to ‘Badubotron’. Playing classics from, ‘Baduizm, Mama’s Gun, and Worldwide Underground’, it was very heartwarming to feel surrounded by a community & great music again. The highlight of the night was Badu talking to a woman in the crowd & making it seem like she was getting a ‘word’ that she needed to tell her.
“There’s just something in my spirit I feel like I need to tell you…” Badu says over a hushed crowd. “You’ll probably never hear it put this way again.” A pause. “When I met you last night baby…!” Badu sings as the band immediately begins to play ‘Aint No Fun’ as the crowd erupts into cheers & laughter.
Day N Vegas at Las Vegas FairGrounds
Rico Nasty:
It was very refreshing to see how energetic & jovial she looked despite all of the awful hate she’s been getting while on Playboi Carti’s tour from his attendees. After ending a song, she jokingly booed herself & laughed it off saying, “fuck them wack ass niggas” to a crowd of cheers. She premiered Money, which features Flo Milli, who due to covid, was unable to perform this year. The show ended with Kenny Beats coming out to surprise her & hug her.
Isaiah Rashad:
Isiah’s set impressed me. He’s one of the very few performers that I saw the entire festival that didn’t rap over their vocals; his breath control & mic handling are in peak condition. He played hits from his catalog, showing off his range while not alienating his audience by who found him via which song. Rashad’s stage presence exuded the energy of someone who’s been waiting to perform for ages & if you know the arduous journey his recent album has been on, it makes sense why he’s giving it all he’s got.
Thundercat:
I feel as though people go to a Thundercat set with different intentions on how the sound is going to be. Most of the Thundercat fans aren’t aware of (or don’t pay attention to) his experimental side. His set was amazing, don’t get me wrong but there was certainly a handful of people who walked away during his teeth gnashing, two-minute-long solo during ‘I Love You Louie Cole’, a song that’s already a kaleidoscope of sounds. ‘Them Changes’ live was like being in a wave pool of inebriated people. ‘Funny Thing’ felt like jumping on Jello. The highlight of the show was a breathtaking 8-minute tribute to the pioneers of experimental jazz.
Earl Sweatshirt:
Seeing Earl live was like seeing a cousin you haven’t seen in a long time. He came out on stage sluggishly but brightened up once he caught a glimpse of the crowd. He played mostly new music; a fun moment happened during ‘East’ where a pit opened up & moshed during the song. “You niggas is fucking r*tarded.” Earl laughed. As a tribute to Mac Miller, Earl performed his verses for “Polo Jeans” & “New Faces v.2”.
Tyler the Creator:
Continuing his run as one of the most entertaining rap artists out, Tyler’s set was immersive, hilarious & enthralling. Coming out on stage, luggage in hand, a boat docked, Tyler was prepping for his close-up. He opened up with ‘Corso’ & cascaded down his catalog, hitting Goblin. He tested the endurance of the audience with high-energy songs back to back. He’s still bitter about the Cherry Bomb reception, “You motherfuckers killed me for that album!” He ended the set with ‘Yonkers’ & ‘She!’, respectfully.
Kendrick Lamar:
This was something special. This was essentially Kendrick’s swan song for his life at TDE. For those unaware, Kendrick Lamar is leaving longtime label TDE, to pursue his creative venture in his new company, ‘PgLang’. Kendrick & TDE have both been adamant that this decision was not based on anger or malice & was simply the next stepping stone in Kendrick’s career. His vegas set was the culmination of his work from Section.80 to DAMN. Each album is broken up into title screens (chapters) that explain Kendrick’s mindset & intention for each album. Kendrick appeared messiah-like, dressed in all white, hair shoulder length tucked under a white knitted beanie. Each song had immaculate choreography that Kendrick & dancers used to tell a story for each album. The show was also filmed incredibly well for a live show. It gave me the impression that the footage is going to be released at a later date due to the high production value that went into it. The highlight of the night was Kendrick bringing out his cousin, Baby Keem to perform Range Brothers & Family Ties. Very surreal experience.
GumShow LA - CatchOne
Dirty Bird (aka Gum) is a talented djay & producer who made his second stop to Los Angeles on his GumShow tour by popular demand. I was lucky to get tickets after the first set sold out in minutes. The venue was a perfect setting for the heavy drums and sample chops; intimate & hazy. DazexGod opened up the set with Bird on his side jamming out & seemingly helping with technical dealings. After Daze’s set, the crowd continued their cheers for Dirty Bird. Dreds covering most of his face, Bird’s head hung low, nodding up & down as he made the place feel like a 90’s club. As the set continued, the crowd became more packed, again, giving me a warm feeling of being in a crowd after being in the house for a year and a half. The energy was expressive & secure; a safe place to dance the night away.