A$AP Rocky w/ Tyler, the Creator, Danny Brown, Vince Staples
WaMu Theater, Seattle, WA
11.11.15
The sold out crowd swarmed forward toward the stage as one, a body of water converging in on itself in a sweaty, vibrating mess. And then the show started. In the huge, dark room, scantily clad girls and guys in every variation of skinny pant are dancing, arms up, bouncing to each heavy beat, having the time of their lives.
Opening the show, Long Beach, CA rapper Vince Staples – denim cuffed and shirt tucked in, rocking the current normcore nerd trend – delivered both brutal reality and bravado. His blunt take on life and enthusiastic chantings of “fuck the police” and “put your hands in the air” bolstering the crowd into a frenzy.
Next up was Danny Brown, the unique Detroit rapper with his crazy hair and ass hanging out of his pants. There are tracks about drinking and smoking and sex, and it seems to be working for him. The crowd was bouncing right along.
Then it was time for the co-headliners, Tyler The Creator being up first. He shocked the crowd by his sudden appearance screaming on the dark stage, outfitted in overalls and a striped shirt, in front of giant models of kids toys. He made a bombastic start with “Deathcamp,” it’s wild aggression leading into the fucked-up funk of “Tron Cat.”
TTC’s voice is deep and growly, and his banter is frequent, though it’s hard to tell if he’s being friendly or rudely sarcastic with the crowd. By the third song he takes out his in-ears due to not being able to hear and “IFHY” had the crowd singing “I love you” right back. He closes that track with “That was so beautiful, let’s get fucking nasty Seattle,” and proceeds to run through old and new tracks, splitting the crowd to sing this year’s “Fucking Young.” While there’s no doubt about TTC’s controversial tunes, he’s got a clearly dedicated fan base.
By the time A$AP Rocky took the stage, we had watch several overenthusiastic fans be dragged out of the crowd on the edge of passing out. There was no lack of heat or prevalence of hydration, and by then, the crowd was thick all the way to the back of the room. The curtains dropped from the stage and three levels of rafters were revealed, A$AP Rocky climbing them along with his two DJs and three hype men.
He bantered about mosh pits and Macklemore (who was rumored to be hanging backstage), legalizing weed, and then delved into “L$D.” “Jukebox Joints” saw the stage lit up like a 50s diner, and then he asked “Can we play some music that we like to listen to?” With audience approval (was there really a question?) he performed House of Pain’s “Jump Around” and then Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” By that point, time had run out on the venue’s curfew and he closed the show out with “Electric Body” and “Wild For The Night” which were probably the perfect two songs to kill it with.
Watch for more tour dates here.
Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini
A$AP Rocky
Tyler, the Creator
Danny Brown
Vince Staples
