This past weekend University of Colorado at Boulder saw the return of their annual concert series put on by their Program Council along with Prime Social Group, this year featuring electronic super star RL Grime. Having previously played host to artists like Kygo and Chance the Rapper, Boulder is no stranger to having chart topping performers grace their stage and with RL being joined by rapper Ty Dolla $ign and up and coming rapper/performer Blackbear the CU crowd was once again far from disappointed.
To start off the night Colorado native SoDown opened the show up in classic CO style combining his heavily trap influenced beats with his touch of rhythmic saxophone for a unique experience that sets this young star apart from the rest of the electronic crowd. The funky vibes combined with a home town crowd for the Boulder based artist meant the show got off to a rowdy and energetic start.
Next came the G-Eazy meets Hoodie Allen tunes of Blackbear, a leader in the next wave of genre bending R&B/Rock rappers. The tattoo covered artist played a varying set of original songs, that a surprising amount of the crowd new by heart, combined with several interesting rock covers of popular rap tracks during which scores of water bottles where thrown on the crowd getting the CU students slightly soaking and even more hyped for the acts to follow.
The last of the openers was R&B rapper Ty Dolla $ign who brought his generally over sexualized songs to a packed college crowd that from the get go where jumping to every bass pounding beat the a artist performed. From the full length fur coat entrance, to the primarily shirtless performance, several minute long bass solo, and finally a stage rush by the females of the CU campus the hour long performance held every drop of swagger a solid rap concert should have. Ty performed his classic hits like Or Nah, Shell Shocked, and to cap it all off the popular Louis the Child remix of Blaisé. The performance was the perfect combination of lavish style with a touch of classic rap hype and just a pinch of aggressive bass that made Ty’s set the perfect transition from more relaxed tunes into the heavy hitting sounds of RL Grime.
Finally as the clock struck 10:20 the stage went dark and a single spotlight illuminated the young figure of Henry Steinway, aka RL Grime, as he took to his CDJ’s and proceed to lay down a set that almost blew the CU speakers out of commission. Starting off with some of his most popular tracks from his VOID album like Kingpin, Vallhalla, and Core, RL made it well known to the crowd that even though this event was much smaller than those he normally headlines, he wasn’t gonna hold anything back. While giving the crowd all the electronic bangers they could ask for RL Grime also kept with the college party vibes of the night dropping some Chance The Rapper beats, Work by A$AP Ferg, and personal/crowd favorite Boss Mode which is the perfect track for cranking the energy to 11. In the end young Henry seriously brought the heat to Boulder during one of the coldest days of the winter, making the trip through the snow well worth it for fans and students alike. This show proved that yet again CU’s Program Council knows how to throw an amazing concert and we look forward to the next installment in their annual series.
