Lil Tjay And Crew Stay True 2 Themselves At First Avenue Last Night

The doors to First Avenue were surrounded by groups of younger fans scrambling to buy last minute tickets to the show. Those without tickets and those who’d apparently left their ID behind were desperate to get past the doors, just another reminder that it doesn’t take all that long in the modern day to become a rockstar. This is a crowd that definitely skews younger, as evident not only by who  was in front of me In line and but all the X marked hands I see waving back and forth on the floor. However Lil Tjay himself is only 18 years old so naturally his music resonates with the youth. Not that I’m all that far removed from my own youth, I still felt my age. With that being said an early show like this couldn’t ask for a better turn out. The floor is packed already. 

While the evening is of to the races a bit earlier than usual all the same excitement and enthusiasm  that comes with a show starting an hour later was present. The Barricade staff was already put to work the second music began to play. Making sure everyone was comfortable and safe early on could only set them up for a successful evening down the line, right? Sicko Mode, a crowd favorite since it’s release got everyone chanting and ready for someone to touch the stage. With the first act set to take the stage at 7, the minutes crept by. 

The DJ took to the stage promptly at 7 and his initial words were met with a resounding excited cheer. His mix of some of today’s most popular and hype tracks got the crowd to literally scream back at him. Safe to say they were ready. A rapper by the name Big Havi was first to the main room stage Thursday night. Rocking out songs about love drugs and everything in between the crowd sustained themselves off his energy and hype I have never heard oh him personally he appears to have been at it long enough to be more than comfortable and it shows. A brief intermission for what side of the crowd is most excited led its way into the final track for Big Havi. He was one side of the stage to the next, the crowd was fluid and security ran into the crowd. A riotous end to an otherwise well behaved show. 

The Kid LAROI, a rapper I’d become aware of recently was up next and the DJs return made sure there was no cool down for this crowd, just parts of the show that were less rowdy. Fittingly the track ‘Nonstop’ by Drake was what he chose to play in n this moment. I spent a good chunk of my day listening to the three songs he’s got on Spotify and wondering how he’ll fill a stage set. What The Kid LAROI lack in quantity he makes up for with quality. His tracks are infectious and clearly he’s already got a devoted fan base as the crowd knew Mehta sounded like every word to his set. He was lightning the whole time running back and forth and his brief time onstage And I’m convinced the few who didn’t know who he is already  will have left a fan. A new guy on the scene he’s definitely got a bright future ahead of him. 

The moment had come. LAROI made sure to hype everyone with mentions of Lil Tjay up next and security was once again at the barricade. Post Malone’s ‘Rockstar’ played over the speakers. A second coincidentally fitting track as the Rockstar Lil Tjay was getting ready to step on stage in minutes. A little 20 minute impromptu DJ set never hit anybody right? 

Lil Tjay hit the stage at about 20 minutes past 8 and the bass he brought with him could register on the Richter scale. Before launching into his set Lil Tjay asked for a moment or silence for his friend And fellow artist Pop Smoke. Pop Smoke was shot and killed just yesterday in California. Rest In Peace Pop. Despite his young age Lil Tjay is already a seasoned performer and his more melodic style lends itself well to the more low key kind of show he performs. The audience seems to almost out pace Tjay at times, that is until they were asked by the hype man if they were ready to turn back up. Pop Out the collaborative effort between Polo G and Lil Tjay took everything up a notch. The passion in his crowd was obvious. The second every track started playing a resounding and deafening scream emerged from the crowd. Lil Tjay and his performance were a treat to watch and his accomplishments at the age of 18 stand to show everyone in the building that the sky is the limit to what you can achieve. The fans are more than familiar with this music and it makes the experience that much more impressive. While this fact is no surprise, I’m here because this music also resonates with me, it never gets old to hear, see or feel. Because trust me you can feel this Bass blocks away. 

Asking the crowd what song they want next Lil Tjay began to toss water bottles into the crowd instructing the crowd to let them loose once the beat drops. His hit F.N. Began to build and the floor erupted with Kirkland brand geysers. He thanked the crowd briefly and then quickly left the stage. A rapid exit only to return less than a minute later for this me more song. Tjay was definitely in his zone by the time the show was through and unfortunately for the crowd and myself the show was over.