Now I know how the people who attended Woodstock must have felt; there are thousands of us who can now say, we are a part of hip-hop history. “The scene was so thick”… ha! If you’re a real Outkast fan, you caught that, but yes, the scene was very thick – over 20,000 people strong on Saturday.This weekend was one of the best weekends and it’s all because of Outkast! I will admit, I was a little bitter as one of the many purchasers that bought tickets to the first sold-out show, and later realizing that our group did not get to be a part of “grand finale”. However, “clever” fans took part in the finale festivities anyhow. 🙂
Saturday’s show was dope, they kicked it off with 19-year old ATlien, Raury. This guy put on a great performance, he is definitely one of those artists you can’t really describe and would be a fool to put in a box. His style was hip-hop meets rock n’ roll meets soul. I have never heard of him, but loved his eclectic sound, accompanied by his live, head banging band. Raury is in a lane of his own, but sends the same messages in his music regarding being young, living free and doing what you want to do. Of course, everyone’s favorite part of the show was his rock n’ roll rendition of Gucci Mane’s, “I Think I love Her”.
Next up, Childish Gambino came out and blazed the crowd with a ridiculous set. Before he even came on stage there was this heavy, pounding, life altering base coming out of the speakers by the stage, which was a prelude to his entrance. For those of us in the VIP area, it was a sound that almost seemed like it wasn’t from this earth. The base from this sound system vibrated even your voice box as you tried to hear yourself. Gambino in his tiny shorts and button down shirt looked like he had recently hopped out of bed and cruised on down to Centennial Park to perform. He definitely gave the crowd life. I had recently listened to an interview he did with The Breakfast Club a week prior, and was pretty impressed by his intellect, and was just as impressed by his performance.
Kid Cudi, who recently passed out at a performance was there, and I will say, it was OK, but it definitely seemed like he was ready for the performance to end. Cudi’s performance was mediocre and it seemed like he did not perform in the same allotted amount of time as the other artists. I think he did his best, but it was obvious he wasn’t at 100%. Reddit user fs200vids had this to say, which is from a Cudi fan perspective:
“Hey guys, I was there Saturday night for this show. I saw Raury, Childish Gambino, Kid Cudi, and Outkast.
I’ve been a huge Cudi fan for the longest time, and this…pissed me off.
The thing is, right before his set, he said something along the lines of “Hey guys, I’m Kid Cudi. I bring only positive energy and am here to open for Outkast. I’m not the main act; I’m just here to warm ya’ll up!”
Then, as he was playing, he slowly got more and more irritated. His first comment was a sarcastic “Thanks to my five fans that are here!”
Then he stops playing his part in Memories (David Guetta) in the middle and says that nobody’s feeling him, and that he was going to stop and just play Pursuit. Then this s**t happened when he changed the lyrics…Disrespectful and whiny…He can’t expect everyone to know his music when he is an OPENER. Not a main act.
There was a different generation there. Not everyone knows who he is, and he needs to know that.
On a side note, Gambino put on a hell of a show.”
Now, I was a little worried because we have been reading in many blogs Andre 3000 has been showing up to concerts during their tour, looking like he didn’t really want to be there. Well, I don’t know how he performed in YOUR city, but in Atlanta, they turned it all the way up. Outkast PUT ON A SHOW. They looked like they were actually having a great time performing for the Atlanta crowd, they were dancing, the band was dancing, and it was amazing. I can’t think of one song they did not perform, and they really seemed appreciative of the crowd, even Big Boi acknowledging the fact that Saturday’s ticket holders, were the first set of buyers and that we can stop cursing him on Twitter. As real fans, we couldn’t have asked for a better event, Lloyd was in the building, Sleepy Brown performed, Big Gipp in his all white and nicely laid pony tails came out and performed “Sky High”. They ended the show bringing out the entire Dungeon Family, which is what the people who bought the tickets on the first night wanted to see. This show gave us LIFE!! Amazing is all that needs to be said. Thank you Outkast for twenty years of timeless music.
Before I forget, shout out to the city of Atlanta. The fact that 20,000 + people can gather in one place for a hip-hop, and there is no beef, no fighting and no shooting is beautiful. On the finale night, which was Sunday, fans that could not get tickets were lined up all around Centennial Stadium on the streets outside of the park, on top of hotels, rooftops of bars, and balcony’s of apartments dancing, singing and enjoying Outkast – drama free. In some cities, we can’t even gather at a small party without drama, so Atlanta really proved its love for music and for the artists from their city. So again, Thank You Outkast –
“When the record player get to skipping and slowing down, All yall can say is them niggas earned them crowns”
Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion
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