I don’t know about you but my Friday was spent still in a bit of a food coma after Thanksgiving and loading up online shopping carts only to abandon them when I realized how high I had gotten the total for said cart. Having to leave the house to go to The Armory Friday evening honestly probably saved me loads of money because I had run out of time to pull the trigger on some of the carts I had filled up online.
The lines to get into The Armory were long– really long– but that’s to be expected for a sold-out shout at this hangar-like structure with an 8.400-person capacity. Although it took me a bit longer to get inside than I had anticipated, I made it inside just in time to catch the tail end of DJ Tiiiiiiiiiip. Born Taylor Madrigal, DJ Tiiiiiiiiiip is a local staple but it has been a while since I have been able to see him grace the stage so I was more than thankful for this chance and all of the chances I would get throughout the night to see his talent shine. Not only a stellar DJ, but Taylor is also just an all-around amazing human. From the way that he watches the crowd and alerts security if he sees anything happening to just his infectious smile and chill yet super fun dance moves, I’ve just always thoroughly enjoyed seeing him perform and seeing him on such a large stage in front of so many people was truly heart-warming.
DJ Tiiiiiiiiiip definitely had the crowd warmed up when it was time for the show to really get into it. It started with a flurry of local performers including P. Will, Enzy Rose, and a personal favorite of mine, J. Plaza. Each of these artists was only on stage for the blink of an eye but they each did their best to catch the excited audience with their own distinct sound. They were all great but my eyes were definitely stuck on J. Plaza. He was a staple of the local scene but it has been a while since I have seen him on local event calendars so this was a bit of a homecoming of sorts in my mind and he did not disappoint. Although he had a little bit more time than the other two locals, it felt as if he was leaving the stage just as he had started but I hope this means we can expect to see him a bit more in the near future!
The first of the stacked touring package was KayCyy who is actually also from Minneapolis. I know I’ve mentioned this before but it can not be overstated- Minneapolis has an amazing hip-hop and rap scene. I was never into those scenes when growing up but quickly fell in love with them when I moved up here and it’s because of the crazy talent we have here that was put in the spotlight as KayCyy played through his set. There was a very militant feeling to his music that I felt slowed his set down a little bit but the amount of energy he had was more than enough to keep the vibe high throughout the venue. I didn’t notice many people rapping along to his songs but it was clear that everyone was enjoying his set which was followed by a loud roar of applause and cheering.
Following KayCyy was the final opening act- Terror Reid. Everyone who had graced the stage before Terror Reid was great but it was Terror Reid’s sound that had me falling head over heels. It had a very old-school vibe and that could be from the old-school samples that he used in his music but there was just something instantly classic about his sound that I could not get enough of. Although he was allotted a little bit more time than the previous openers, I still felt it wasn’t enough to really get into the meat and potatoes of his sound. My eyes are on Terror Reid’s calendar because the second he announces another show in the area, I will be clearing my calendar.
The anticipation in the air was ripe as Terror Reid left the stage and DJ Tiiiiiiiiiip took back over on the turntables (and computers because, you know, 2022). I appreciated the mix of music that he was spinning which included everything from Panic! at the Disco to Pitbull. It was the perfect party music and made it clear that he was the best man for the job of getting the audience hyped up for the headliners.
As soon as the co-headliners took the stage, the audience erupted into a frenzy of movement. Both Yung Gravy and bbno$ (pronounced as “baby no money”) were spotted on stage to begin and honestly, it was game over after that. The audience never really stopped unless they were forced to by DJ Tiiiiiiiiiip noticing something happening and halting the show so security could get to someone and/or pass out water. Other than that, it was a few hours of pure energy and fun that was absolutely infectious. I may have really only been there to see Yung Gravy and hear just a few of his songs on top of that but by the time the two men really got into their set, I was sold on both of them.
The night was split into different “parts”. It started with both men on stage, followed by just bbno$, which was followed by just Yung Gravy, and then the two would take the stage together again. Wash, rinse, repeat. I really liked the way they did this. I felt like it gave you an opportunity to really see the individual personalities of both acts while also experiencing how well they work together. I honestly can’t tell you what songs either of them played or what song belonged to who as it seriously all sounded about the same to me but I can tell you that that wasn’t the point of the evening and their lengthy set was truly full of fun for everyone in the audience whether you knew what you were dancing along to or not. After the stress that holidays typically bring with them, Friday night was absolutely perfect for those who just wanted to let off some steam.
The night was not without its flaws and I promise not to bash the performers, venue, or audience because, seriously, it was such a fun night but a few things that I think need to be brought up:
I loved that DJ Tiiiiiiiiiip stopped the show the second he sensed something unsafe happening in the audience. I don’t know if it was someone puking or people passing out (both would be very probable with the number of drinks being slung at the bar and the very young average age of the audience) but when did this become a thing? It’s just a bit weird to me. I remember growing up and passing out at multiple shows. The show wouldn’t stop and, instead, other audience members would carry me to safety and make sure I had what I needed before returning to the show. Do we really live in a society these days where people are so blind to what is happening around them? Just a little sad and a trend that I have seen happening a lot at these larger shows.
All in all, last night was one of those shows that was not “my show” but I still left with a smile on my face. Sure there were some flaws and some things that made me wonder if I should have opted for a different show to spend my Friday night at but, when push came to shove, I woke up Friday morning with a sore face from all of the smiling I did and that’s what really matters.
