The Long Beach rapper made his return to Montreal alongside Buddy and Armani White for the first leg of his extensive North American tour in support of his latest project, FM!
By: Sun Noor
Vince Staples has always managed to capitulate his audience through his high-energy and aesthetically pleasing sets. Nevertheless, it is always the great selection of vibrant opening acts that appear to play on each of his tours that makes his shows worthwhile.
The Philadelphia-based rapper Armani White was the first to perform last night. Despite only playing for about 25 minutes, Armani and his crew managed to get the audience pumped up with a high-energy set. As the room began to fill up quickly and Armani’s set was about to culminate, the rapper began throwing fruit snacks towards the crowd as a gesture of appreciation for catching his set.
Compton’s Buddy was up next, bringing his groovy and sounds. The rapper jumped onto the stage by kicking off his set with a handful of upbeat tracks to keep the intense energy in the crowd. As he began to warm up and play his soulful tracks, he uttered “Let me take y’all to Compton,” right before delving into “Trouble on Central,” which was quite the highlight. Buddy’s upcoming record is due later on this year.
The audience was immediately taken back as soon as the lights went out and the non-existent backdrop quickly changed to a gigantic illuminating black and white camera pointing directly towards the audience. Vince Staples commenced his set with FM! opener “Feels Like Summer,” immediately shifting the energy of the crowd and setting the tone for the show. Staples then played “Don’t get Chipped,” before playing some fan favourites such as “Lift me Up,” and “Street Punks,” creating quite the nostalgic vibe.
Although Staples’ set was FM!heavy, the rapper incorporated tracks from all four of his albums and singles such as “Get the Fuck off My Dick.” Halfway through Staples’ “Big Fish,” performance Buddy unexpectedly decided to join him on stage and momentarily stole the show while dancing around the stage. Staples undoubtedly has control over his crowd as they appeared to be quite engaged throughout his performance.
Staples culminated his set with “Yeah Right,” before exiting the stage for a screening of the late Mac Miller’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert. As well, this uplifting show served as the perfect end to Black History Month.
Staples was also joined by Compton rapper Buddy who
Staples’ setlist consisted of:
“Feels Like Summer”
“Don’t Get Chipped”
“Lift Me Up
The “Smile You’re On Camera” tour is due to culminate at Pomona’s Fox Theatre on April 3rd. Following that Staples is due to play a few festivals including New York’s Governor’s Ball Festival this Summer. There have also been numerous rumours surfacing regarding the release of a full length record which seems quite promising, given that he has been consistent with record releases since 2014. Staples will also take on another film role, starring in an indie film called Punk sometime this year. Click here to keep up with all things Vince Staples.
Watch the video for “FUN!” below:
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