Earl Sweatshirt Commands Sold Out Cabooze With Ease

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If you have yet to catch on, I will go to literally any show. Doesn’t matter if it’s my cup of tea or not or if I even have a clue as to what I’m getting myself into. A show is a show and as long as there’s live music around me, I will be in my happy place. Was going to check out Earl Sweatshirt my first choice? Probably not. With Swervedriver playing just a couple of miles away, it was a tough decision to make but one that had to be made. I based my decision solely on the fact that I had never seen Earl Sweatshirt before, knew very little about him, wanted something different, and I had a friend going. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, my friend and I landed at The Cabooze and instantly got lost in a haze of excitement.

The line was ridiculous. I mean, I probably shouldn’t complain about a line after what said friend and I stood in for The Jonas Brothers on Saturday but for The Cabooze, the line was ridiculous. Wrapped around the block, we decided time would be better spent catching up in the car. After running out of things to catch up on, we moved our conversation to the bar located directly next door to The Cabooze. The bar was empty which was a stark contrast to the line of people just on the other side of the door but the all age nature of the show quickly helped me understand why. My friend and I were clearly out of place but not just due to our relaxed demeanor vs. the excited fury that everyone else seemed to be in but also our age. This crowd was young. Like super young and we couldn’t help but laugh as we watched kids piling out of their parent’s minivans on the corner. We spoke about how we actually missed being dropped off by our parents and all of the embarrassing things they inevitably did to us while doing so. Another drink down the hatch and the line had finally died down. We made our way into the Cabooze and I instantly found myself in my happy place.

The Cabooze was absolutely packed so after some quick thinking, we snuck through the patio to get a spot in a back corner where people just never seem to end up getting to (this is a long and shallow venue that always seems to bottleneck with people about half way through leaving an entire side empty– the trick is just getting to that side). Unfortunately, the slow moving and seemingly endless line left us a little late to the party but thankfully we were there in time to catch majority of Bbymutha’s set. I was instantly struck by the fierce energy that Bbymutha (born Brittnee Moore). Although fun-loving and clearly music that made you want to dance and drink, there was a sense of aggression and honesty to it that I fear may have been lost on the young audience. It definitely wasn’t lost on me and reading up on this powerhouse of a rapper this morning made it all come to light.

Bbymutha has been through it. With two pairs of twins to raise as a single mother, this woman has so much power and strength within her that it comes through clear as day through her music. Hailing from Tennessee, her rap style definitely had a little Midwest charm to it. What do I mean by that? Well I really can’t put it into words but you know it when you hear it. Maybe it’s the whole honesty thing or maybe it’s just the energy put behind lyrics instead of beats. Regardless, Bbymutha may not be what I typically listen to but she definitely had me sold on what she was putting out there. Even when she left the stage and walked past me, there was this sense of power and confidence that radiated off of her and left her absolutely impossible to not fall in love with.

The set change-over was ridiculously quick and within just minutes headliner Earl Sweatshirt was taking the stage to a roar of applause from the clearly ready and willing sold out audience. Being only 25 years old, it’s truly amazing what Thebe Neruda Kgositsile (better known as Earl Sweatshirt) has done. Considered a true prodigy in the rap scene, he has both a stage presence and lyrics that instantly command any audience regardless of how well they know his material or not. You may know Earl Sweatshirt as that one guy who did a lot of Tyler, The Creator in the hip-hop collective known as Odd Future but Earl Sweatshirt is truly coming into his own and turning heads as he does so.

Although the audience was young, they out screamed any older audience I’ve ever been part of. Lines of lyrics were flying by faster than I could understand majority of it but the audience was right there screaming along to every single word. It was quick amazing to watch and hear and there were times where it felt as if even Earl Sweatshirt and his DJ were shocked at the support. That support translated into a sense of energy that had me eating up every single beat from the first song to the very last. I may have not been a “fan” when walking into the show but I definitely left a fan at the end. The night was quick and, with a curfew since it was an all age show, there was a sense of disappointment when it ended from both Earl Sweatshirt and the audience. The creativity and energy that Thebe has on stage was absolutely stunning and something that I hope to see and feel again in the very near future.

Go. Just go. Close your eyes, pick a show, and go. Let the energy, lights, and sounds take you over. It’s crazy what it can do to your spirit. I definitely woke up a very happy lady (and very well rested being that I was home and in bed by 10:30 due to the curfew).

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