“Boston, make
some noise!” That was the sentence shouted after every song at Paradise Rock
Club on Wednesday. We were making noise but the opener P-Lo and
headliner Skizzy Mars constantly wanted more. So we gave it to them.
Skizzy Mars, born as Myles Mills, is a notable, self-created rap and hip hop artist from Harlem, who at a mere 22 years of age has collaborated with impressive names like Logic, G-Eazy, and JoJo.
Mills played a sold out show last April at Cambridge’s Middle East, a fairly small venue, so this year Mills wanted to play a bigger venue. And ended up selling out that venue too. Skizzy Mars fans are undoubtedly loyal to him. The night of the concert was unseasonably cold but that didn’t stop diehard fans from waiting outside the venue for hours before the doors opened. On a warm day that would seem like nothing, but on a bitter cold day it was something fans would do to prove their loyalty.
Skizzy Mars, born as Myles Mills, is a notable, self-created rap and hip hop artist from Harlem, who at a mere 22 years of age has collaborated with impressive names like Logic, G-Eazy, and JoJo.
Mills played a sold out show last April at Cambridge’s Middle East, a fairly small venue, so this year Mills wanted to play a bigger venue. And ended up selling out that venue too. Skizzy Mars fans are undoubtedly loyal to him. The night of the concert was unseasonably cold but that didn’t stop diehard fans from waiting outside the venue for hours before the doors opened. On a warm day that would seem like nothing, but on a bitter cold day it was something fans would do to prove their loyalty.
P-Lo, a part of the rap “collective”
Heart Break Gang, was rather striking, in terms of openers for rap concerts go.
In a day and age where anyone can call themselves a rapper, this San Francisco
native earned that title. He was able to get a restless crowd (who was chanting
Skizzy’s name before P-Lo's appearance) to jump and dance to his music, in which
most of the crowd was unfamiliar.
P-Lo’s most notable act of the night
was bringing out Boston-based rapper Gio Dee to perform his most popular song
“Mind Yo Business” (I have actually met Gio Dee, read that here). P-Lo quickly wrapped up his set after the guest performance
and the eager crowd cheered on each performer, anxiously waiting for who they came
to see.
Mills, mostly popular among high
school and college-aged students, was able to turn a Wednesday night that
should have been spent studying into a night where everyone felt carefree
and happy. Mills played exactly for one hour, coming back on stage for a
two-song encore, totally 18 songs for the evening. He played his hits “The City” and “Monica” that energized and excited the crowd for what was coming. He even played
a teaser from his then unreleased new album, which created a different kind of
buzz within the crowd.
Mills created an experience that
Wednesday night. He truly cares about his fans and what they think about him. Mills
interacted with the crowd and told us about his day in Boston. He applauded
Bostonians for their legendary devotion to sports and said he saw everyone
wearing Red Sox hats (this is Boston and it’s baseball season after all).
Overall, the show was great and each performer was extremely skilled. A Wednesday night spent not studying and feeling carefree and happy was a Wednesday well spent.
Overall, the show was great and each performer was extremely skilled. A Wednesday night spent not studying and feeling carefree and happy was a Wednesday well spent.