American Rapper, Anderson .Paak: A Live Concert Experience

Overall, the  performance of Anderson .Paak was damn near perfect, both times that I saw it. One moment, he’s evoking soul, and the next I’m feeling funky and grooving the beat of the music. Other times, he’s rapping his heart out, as I was screaming the lyrics along with him, and lastly Anderson .Paak ended both concerts with his emotional Mac Miller tribute, leaving the crowd in tears. This legend deserves more credit in the music industry, and I feel confident that he will achieve this recognition.

I have always enjoyed Anderson .Paak, and was able to recognize him as a talented rapper/artist. However, seeing him live evoked a whole new feeling within my soul. The first time I saw him was May 20th, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. My good friend Courtney gifted me this ticket, as I was reluctant to purchase one myself. Upon his first act, I knew I was in for a hell of an experience.

As the purple hue of his lights filled the crowd, and the audience rose to their feet, I was instantly captivated. The Free Nationals began playing chords that touched me. My seat wasn’t front row, but that didn’t matter. The music was all around me. The iconic drum set slowly emerged from inside of the stage. Then it happened. Anderson .Paak disrupted the calm aura of the venue, and lifted the energy with the sound of his drums. The dancing started, and wouldn’t end until Anderson exited.

On his 2019 tour, Andy’s Beach Club, he was accompanied by Mac Demarco, Thundercat, Earl Sweatshirt, NoName, and plays each venue alongside the band, Free Nationals. He never failed to make each member of these groups accompanying his tour receive well- deserved recognition from the crowd. He was selfless in the way in which he was constantly thanking them, and demanding applause from the crowd for their talents.

There were even moments when  he allowed Free Nationals to play songs that excluded Anderson. He gave them their moment to shine, and I felt nothing but gratitude seeing an artist with his gracious gestures. It is not often in the music scene that you see an artist concerned so much with other people’s success.

There are plenty of artists I enjoy simply for their sounds. However, to find an artist you enjoy for who they are personally are very few and far between. To me, Anderson is one of those artists. Of course, I’m gathering this solely from attitude he kept during his performance, but the behavior in which an artists presents themselves speaks volumes to me. He kept the crowd engaged by transferring his eccentric energy to us. I felt his shows were each personalized to the varying crowds, giving every performance a whole new experience.

During both of the shows, he walked through the crowd while rapping. I was seated towards the back of the venue for both shows, and each time he came within arms length.

After I had seen him in Cleveland, I returned to Atlanta knowing I had to experience his music again. So, I attended his show at Chastain Park, on June 7, 2019. I brought along a friend of mine who was in the same position as me in Cleveland- not necessarily being a big enough fan to purchase a ticket.

Everything was executed so flawlessly in Atlanta, the same type of energy, he brought to Cleveland. Free Nationals played REAL instruments with REAL background vocalists, much different from  the electronic music we are all so used to hearing today. It was refreshing as a consumer who appreciates the sounds of live bands. I would give a million dollars to anyone that could resist dancing during his performance.  

If I have any readers that are not currently Anderson .Paak listeners, these are the songs I most enjoyed listening to live: 6 Summers, Tints, Reachin’ 2 Much, Might Be, Suede, Come Home, and of course, Dang! My favorite performance would have to be Suede, simply because I was the most energized. The entire crowd was screaming the lyrics in unison along with him. Although there was a crowd with tens of thousands of people at both concerts, during the song Suede, we were holistic.

On top of being such an energetic and raw performer, Anderson .Paak also plays the drums himself, and that is actually where his music career began. As if the music and performance given by Anderson .Paak and Free Nationals wasn’t enough, his sets were so visually pleasing I often got lost in them. 

In his final performance, he dedicated it as a tribute to the rap communities beloved Mac Miller. He performed their song ‘Dang’ which appeared on Mac’s second to last album, ‘The Divine Feminine.’ This album was one of my favorites that Mac released. We were in tears during this performance.

I urge you not to make the same mistake I almost made by being reluctant to purchase a ticket. Go! Do yourself a favor. Genuine talent such as his isn’t common. He returns to Atlanta in October of this year for AfroPunk! I better see y’all there!

Yes Lawd!