Following the release of his fourth major project, Love Lasts Forever, Atlanta rapper Destroy Lonely embarked on an extensive, multi-leg tour across the US. I had the opportunity to see him at the House of Blues in Anaheim.
Waiting to enter, one could observe fans displaying a sort of camaraderie between strangers that can only come from consuming the same niche online content. The backdrop of an upscale suburban mall one block away from Disneyland was sharply juxtaposed with a seemingly never-ending line of teenagers clad in baggy black jeans, metal band tees, and upside-down cross necklaces.
Just as Destroy Lonely and his Opium label peers have integrated metal and punk aesthetics into their identity, so too have they inherited the high-octane crowd dynamics of those scenes. Moshing, shoving, and general chaos have become intrinsic to the experience. Having thoroughly enjoyed my time in the pit at Ken Carson’s Riverside show last November, I expected this to be a calmer affair; after all, Lone’s music is significantly more atmospheric and reserved than Ken’s. However, from the moment that oft-derided DJ and producer Lil 88 began his opening set, it became clear that I was sorely mistaken.
Lil 88’s set consisted of the standard Opium repertoire: Playboi Carti and Ken Carson tracks punctuated with extremely liberal soundboard use. Unsurprisingly, these were songs near and dear to the hearts of the attendees, a fact which was physically manifested into what can only be described as sheer rabidity. “Rockstar Made”, “H00DBYAIR”, “Lose It”, and “ss” (to name a few) are fan favorites that are best enjoyed communally, especially by an audience filled to the brim with energy, eagerly awaiting a chance to finally catch a glimpse of their favorite artist. By the conclusion of Lil 88’s set, I was completely drenched in sweat, and almost none was my own.
After a brief intermission during which the in-house bar scrambled to distribute free cups of water to the dehydrated masses, it was time for the main event. Coinciding with the end of the lengthy spoken-word intro of “SYRUP SIPPIN” (the most popular song from his recent album, and–in my opinion–one of the better cuts), Lone casually strolled onstage just in time for an electrifying beat drop. This was undoubtedly the high point of the concert. All the anticipation of the prior few hours was transmuted into pure energy and–though I thought it impossible–the crowd managed to both compress and vitalize even further, aided by Lil 88’s battle cry of “Anaheim, wake the fuck up!”; a truly comical demand to give to one of the most animated groups of people I have ever seen.
The rest of the hour-long set contained a good mix of the more memorable songs from Love Lasts Forever (e.g., “SAY THAT”, “CADILLAC”, “HONESTLY”) interspersed with some of his beloved classics from what most consider to be his superior albums (e.g., “how u feel?”, “NOSTYLIST”, “NEVEREVER”). I might’ve preferred for him to dig a little deeper into his older discography for songs like “F.U.N” (my personal favorite from him), but overall, I have few complaints about the setlist. Even the songs I previously didn’t like sounded good when blaring at ear-damage-inducing volumes.
Lone’s stage presence was typical for an Opium concert. Rather than being front-and-center for the majority of the show, he was shrouded in smoke atop a multi-level industrial structure, manipulating the focus of the show back toward the crowd itself. Occasionally, he stepped down from his precipice for a song or two at a time, still veiled by oversized sunglasses (or maybe ski goggles?). Perhaps due to the young demographics of the attendees, the pit hardly waned in energy until the very end of the show and, upon its conclusion, the crowd still somehow seemed hungry for more (there was no encore).
After returning to Claremont, I took an extremely thorough shower and found myself shopping for shoes with sturdier toe boxes: an indication that, as rough as it was, I remain drawn to this type of experience and hope to have more like it in the future.
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