Vince Staples unleashed at the House of Blues
On a frigid Monday night, a dedicated and excited crowd made the trip to the House of Blues to see Vince Staples’ Smile You’re On Camera Tour, which has seen the 25 year-old rapper supporting his latest release, 2018’s FM!, a quick and focused EP built around a nostalgic radio motif.
Despite a hiccup during opener Armani White’s set (an unexplained fire alarm that caused the venue to evacuate everyone outside), White and his crew joined the crowd outside and hyped everyone up. The House of Blues warmed up significantly as the trio of vocalists threw fruit snacks and their bodies into the crowd.
Second opener Buddy was a perfect preface to Staples’ set, boosting the crowd with his high energy movement, clever lyricism, and ability to play to a crowd. Buddy’s best known repertoire is collaboration heavy but his 2018 album Harlan & Alondra enables the artist to deliver a performance showcasing a wide range of talent and emotion. Closing out his set with his A$AP Ferg collaboration, ‘Black,’ was a decision that resonated as both celebration and warning. Both Vince and Buddy pull no punches, refusing to cater to the white presence at their shows. It’s a lesson in listening and one that would do Boston well to learn.
Buddy kept the crowd on its toes
Tearing through track after track – each to an elated response from the crowd – Vince capitalized on the energy that openers Armani White and Buddy had built up for him. Vince performed a generous cross-section of material from his catalogue – which is a pretty impressive output; despite having three albums, two EPs, and four mixtapes under his belt, it still feels like just yesterday that 2014’s Hell Can Wait came out. And while Staples has never been afraid to change up his sound (compare the psychedelic trap of Summertime ‘06 to the silky, synthy electronica of Big Fish Theory), no song in his set sounded out of place.
Big Fish Theory, and the subsequent FM!, has catapulted Vince onto a of level success that has left fans feeling more space between themselves and the rapper. The House of Blues stage felt expansive as Staples shifted around on stage; beats blaring, hoodie pulled up, gaze unflinching. The distance suits Vince, he stays cool and unbothered while the crowd below him is a scene of chaos, aggression, and demands. His videographer swept by the barricade, capturing the ensuing madness as it broadcast to the TVs built into his stage backdrop. The crowd is all background noise to Staples, as deadpan during his set as he is in every cherished interview he gives.
In lieu of an encore, Vince left the stage while a video played Mac Miller’s Tiny Desk Concert in full, a touching tribute to the late rapper that garnered an enthusiastic and emotional, albeit confused, response from the audience. Those less aware of the connection between the rappers may have been confused but it was a wonderful, respectful send off from one artist to another as the curtain closed.
Check out our photo gallery from the show below.
