OPENERS AG CLUB AND JEAN DAWSON BROUGHT HIGH ENERGY TO SOLD OUT LA SHOW

Every time I’ve seen Florida-native rapper Denzel Curry perform, it’s been one hell of a show. The first time came in the form of a half hour set at 2017’s Camp Flog Gnaw. Songs like “ULT” and a newly teased “Percz” at the time had the audience hyped so much, one ended up in a tree continuously jumping on a branch before security came to escort him out. The next time, Denzel was performing at the same venue he was playing tonight: The Novo at LA Live in Los Angeles. That was the TA1300 tour, where he split the show into three acts similar to the album (which is his strongest work in my opinion). With a new album, it’s only natural to want to perform newer tracks to get the audience into them as well as purchase the record if they haven’t already, and Denzel did this again for his latest concert.

There was a bit of a line to get through security, but I was able to enter swiftly and also was on the VIP guest list for Mr. Curry so for that, I want to thank him and his team. He’s one of my favorite rappers to ever play the game, with strong albums like Imperial and TA1300. He brings this fierceness and intensity as well as catchiness and that’s hard to juggle, especially in the age of pop rap. I arrived sort of late into the first opener’s performance, so I grabbed a spot in the VIP area and watched from the sidelines. AG Club brought this BROCKHAMPTON-inspired group music, with both rappers ignited the audience into a frenzy. Many of the people holding onto the barricade were familiar with their music, with members of the group jumping into the crowd to get the mosh pits started. It was a perfect opening act for the show in my opinion, and I’m sure the group will thrive in the more semi-hardcore niche that the boyband rap group is leaving behind.

I was definitely interested in catching the follow-up musician, Jean Dawson because without listening to much of his music, he’s appeared on my radar numerous amounts of time. From his Tijuana born upbringing to making a pop-punk track with Mac DeMarco, Dawson is on the forefront of rap mixing with punk in the modern age. Now in the photo pit with about 14 other people, Dawson backed by a full band began jumping around in an oversized coat, yelling out “I make rock music!” This sort of confused the audience, who was here for hard-hitting hiphop from Denzel, but I was in awe of him. He ditched his signature ski-mask for a hat, performing “MENTHOL” and latest single “PORN ACTING*.” I’m looking forward to his career, as it will be promising especially with cosigns from both rap and rock artists alike.

The crowd was rowdy at this point in the concert, chanting “DENZEL” minutes before he took the stage. The lights came down, and a screen on stage lit up the room, showcasing a desert setting before flashing the name of his latest album. It was an interesting moment, with Curry walking on stage to his single mic stand, beginning with “Melt Session #1” rapping as if he was in the studio coming up with bars. With all the flashiness and hype surrounding most rap artists today, it was a nice change of pace to have a well-known artist be in his element before going berserk.

Curry ended up performing up to song eight on his latest release, “Ain’t No Way,” before acknowledging that the fans wanted “some older shit” too. He looked back at his DJ, Jasiah, asking if he should play some older music. They jokingly debated it, with fans shouting song titles they wanted to hear. Curry said they looked ready so Jasiah dropped the beat to “This Life.” Everyone began losing their minds, moshing and rapping along. From then on, it was a greatest hits compilation with TA1300 cuts “Sirens” and “Black Balloons” as well as a few ZUU tracks like “WISH” and “RICKY.”

Due to the show taking place in LA, Curry treated the fans to two other openers on other parts of the tour, PlayThatBoiZay and Mike Dimes. They both performed tracks of their own, although the mic cut out and didn’t sound as loud as Curry’s. Denzel finished strong with favorites “Ultimate” and “ULT” before finishing his set with the latter half of Melt My Eyez See Your Future. The night was a great musical experience besides an incident that occurred right as Curry went on, where an audience member was being taken over the barricade into the photo pit and fell down to where he seemed pitch-black knocked out for at least two songs. Curry asked for some medical assistance but the four members of Novo staff really seemed unaware of what to do in the situation. It make everyone very uncomfortable and obviously took attention away from taking photos which is fine, but many agreed that the staff handled it poorly. Fortunately, the fan was escorted by medics to the sidelines where he was treated. After that took place, it took some time to get back into the vibe, but Curry’s intense art brought everyone back in. Check out the set list here!