Lil Yachty at House of Blues, 9/30/23
"This should be fun,” I said as I stepped off the SMFA shuttle. I had to stop by to grab a lens for my camera and make sure that I had everything I needed before heading out to House of Blues. I nervously checked over my set up FOUR times before leaving, taking out and putting back in different lenses and other accessories before finally deciding on my final inventory. As I got to the House of Blues, I couldn’t help but notice how long the line was, and as I got closer to the front the more I felt both nervousness and excitement build inside of me.
After meeting other media members and other concertgoers, I was able to relax a little before the show really started. The DJ did a great job of getting the crowd hyped, and people pressed against the barricades, with the crowd full of energy. At around 8, the Concrete Boys came out to perform. Their members include Camo, Dc2trill, Karrahbooo and Draft Day. The crowd really seemed to enjoy their set and I did as well, with Draft Day as the standout performer. Draft had some great songs lined up from his discography, and displayed great breath and crowd control.
Next on the block was Nick Hakim and his band. Nick had production and co-writer credits on “Reach the Sunshine,” but I had not heard of him and his band until the show. I enjoyed their music and it matched the vibes of Lil Yachty’s latest album Let’s Start Here, very mellow and sort of soulful. Unfortunately, that didn’t sit well with the crowd at first. A rowdy group kept chanting “WE WANT YACHTY, WE WANT YACHTY!” before the set, which was disrespectful as hell. The lead singer had a good voice, and his band members played with great passion. The crowd flipped and actually ended up enjoying the set, and you could tell how much people were paying attention during the last two songs in particular. People were singing along, or trying to at least, and swaying their bodies in tune with the rhythm.
After a short break, it was finally time for the fan favorite Lil Yachty to take the stage. The lights went out and the screen started to fill with psychedelic visuals. I was in the press pit with two media members who shared my giddy excitement as the show begun. We were all in the front yelling “LET’S GO” and listening to the crowd chant “YACHTY, YACHTY, YACHTY!” His all-women band came out and set the tone for what to expect. It seemed otherworldly, looking up at the stage and seeing it filled with smoke and white lights. Soon after, Yachty himself came out and introduced each member of the band to the audience, allowing us to recognize the musicians doing such a wonderful job in each of their roles. Boat started off his set with five songs from his latest album Let’s Start Here, and my favorite performance was “the ride-.” You could tell how much passion Lil Yachty’s band had when they played, especially from the bassist and lead singer. Fans were also very into it. A cover of “In the Air Tonight” transitioned us into his older works, consisting of songs like “SOLO STEPPING CRETE BOY”, “Slide,” “Get Dripped” and more. Hearing his older works live felt so surreal to me because I remember getting put onto Boat in 2016 and being locked in since there. One standout moment from his old works was hearing freestyle on the “One Night” beat, saying that he was tired of being single and was wondering if he’ll find his wife in the Boston crowd. I enjoyed the rest of the night and had a great time with other photographers and other crowd members as we all enjoyed the rest of a very lively show.
