@thekidlaroi on Instagram
The Kid Laroi gained traction into the music scene with his 2020 pop rap song “Diva” featuring Lil Tecca. He would soon follow this up in 2021 with his smash hit “Stay” featuring Justin Bieber. These viral anthems would establish The Kid Laroi into the mainstream after consistently putting up top charting hits on the Billboard during the span of these two years.
This was my first time seeing The Kid Laroi perform in person. I attended the June 15th date of the First Time Tour in Washington D.C at The Anthem. The venue was nice. There were no bad areas to watch The Kid Laroi perform. The general admission standing room gave the concert an intimate feel because you were close to the artist. The venue did not feel too small because it could fit thousands of people as there was barely any breathing room while attending the concert. The balcony seating was perfect for those who wanted an aerial view of the concert and wanted to enjoy the concert without having to worry about bumping into someone in the general admission standing room. I was fortunate enough to have the perfect spot in the middle of the general admission standing room so I could have the best of both worlds. I was able to see The Kid Laroi up close and could observe my surroundings as the concert unfolded.
The concert experience was fun and amazing. The audience was full of diehard The Kid Laroi fans that brought the energy as soon as he walked across the stage. The Kid Laroi fed off the crowds’ energy throughout the show which enhanced my concert experience because it kept me engaged throughout the concert. There were some fans that knew every single lyric from each of his songs that he performed. This was impressive within itself as there were moments where The Kid Laroi would let the crowd sing his parts and the crowd would always respond well to his challenge. The stage visuals were simple but aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. The lights matched the vibe of each song The Kid Laroi performed. For example, if he was performing a more emotional song then the lights were red. If the song was more chill, then they turned blue.
The Kid Laroi kicked the concert off with more of his hype songs. This would include songs such as “Sorry”, “What’s the Move”, “Diva”, and to the crowds’ surprise “Tragic”. Although “Tragic” is song from an older album from his catalog, The Kid Laroi wanted to be inclusive to the fans that appreciated more of his rap songs as he explained before performing the song. The energy was unmatched during this point of the show. There were huge mosh pits throughout the venue where everyone participated. It was so loud that I could not hear my own voice during this part of the concert. It was great way to start the concert and get the crowd involved in he show.
During the middle portion of the concert, The Kid Laroi performed more of his chill songs. This would include songs such as “Girls”, “Go”, “Nights Like This”, and “Bleed”. Personally, this was one of my favorite parts of the show. The combination of the quality stage production, aesthetically pleasing lights, and The Kid Laroi’s breathtaking vocals made me watch in awe. I could only appreciate and soak in the concert experience at that point.
At the time, “Girls” was an unreleased song that The Kid Laroi had been teasing on TikTok for months. He announced during the concert that he would be releasing the song in about two weeks. This was an exciting part for the audience as we got to listen to the full song live before the rest of the world. “Go” included a Juice WRLD tribute before the song which rallied the crowd while he performed the song with emotion. There was a beautiful transition from “Go” to “Night Like This” as fans got an opportunity to listen to the extended version of the song. When I thought that this song could not get any better, I was proven wrong. The song outro of the extended version was beautiful. The crossover between the EDM sounding synth chords transitioning into the airy Drum and Bass drum pattern blew me away. This version got me to appreciate “Nights Like This” even more. The Kid Laroi gave a nice gesture to the fans with the extended version of the song, rewarding his core audience.
As The Kid Laroi moved towards the latter part of the concert, he sang more of his emotional songs. This would include songs such as “Love Again”, “Without You”, and “Thousand Miles”. Although this part of the concert was more a slow pace, the energy did not go down from the crowd. The heartbreak anthems got the audience to passionately sing the lyrics louder and louder during this stretch of the concert.
“Thousand Miles” is one of those songs that sounded even better live than the studio version. I would say it was one of The Kid Laroi’s best performances of that concert. Coming into the show I always thought that “Thousand Miles” was one of his more underappreciated songs. You could really feel the raw emotion in every lyric he sang. As the song progressed, The Kid Laroi kept feeding off the crowd which I noticed gave him a burst of energy while performing the song. This encouraged everyone to sing with him as the concert neared its’ end.
To close out the show, The Kid Laroi performed his biggest song “Stay”. Before performing the song, The Kid Laroi showed his appreciation to his mentor Justin Bieber for making the song with him. “Stay” was one of the most fun parts of the show since most people knew the lyrics to the extremely catchy song. After he performed the song, the audience begged for an encore which The Kid Laroi would eventually grant. For his encore song, he performed his Soundcloud exclusive song “Hatred”. This was the perfect song to close with because fans were sent off with a hype song that lifted everyone’s spirits.
My impression of the concert is that I had a stellar experience seeing The Kid Laroi. Although he did not perform with a live band, this did not take away from the experience at all. The Kid Laroi sang his heart out and gave the audience maximum effort while performing. His DJ was also amazing during the concert which gave us top-tier production with the songs like “Nights Like This” and “One Thousand Miles” as I stated earlier. The Kid Laroi had great stage presence and crowd control, which is very impressive because he is only twenty years old as he will only continue to improve in those areas in the future. This was one of the better concerts I have been to recently.
Overall, I would highly recommend people to watch The Kid Laroi live. The amazing vocals, detailed stage production, and the energetic audience are all reasons why The Kid Laroi concert experience is like no other. If you are looking for a fun, high quality concert that is not too expensive then this is your sign to go to a future concert.
Written By Major Taylor
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