Recently I was lucky enough to be able to cover the Endless Summer Tour with Yo Gotti, YG, Logic and G-Eazy thanks to my fantastic Editor, Susan McLean. Hartford, Connecticut was their final stop of the tour, but all of the artists retained the energy and appreciation that one would expect. This was my first experience covering a large scale concert at a venue as large as Xfinity, and the advertising team has it down to a science. I was able to photograph a few songs from each artist’s set. Yo Gotti, most widely known for his song “Down in the DM” was dressed in all white with very large Yellow Gold and Diamond watch, bracelet and chain combo. He was definitely the least energetic performer of the concert, but he was very successful in involving the audience even while it was still light out. YG quickly followed, all in black, he was significantly more energetic than Yo Gotti, and naturally commanded the entire stage. Before Logic’s set, there was a change of scenery on stage with his hype man/DJ up on a huge pallet of lights with a screen on either side. Logic spread his motto of “peace love and positivity” in his jeans graphic tee and hat. The audience was much more invested in Logic than the previous two artists, and that energy only grew throughout the concert. Logic took a few opportunities to speak with the crowd and encourage them to put down their phones and just take in the song and the moment that they were experiencing. He shared his past difficulties coming from a challenging background and working for his success. Logic even paused to share an entry from his personal journal, and he read it in a spoken word type of style. He also stopped to call out a few fans in the audience, had everyone sing happy birthday to one, and he recalled one fan’s name, saying that she was one of his biggest fans. I might not be a Logic fan and I admittedly did not know very much about him prior to the concert, but he appears to be a quality person and performer. There was a quick intermission of sorts- for stage scenery and preparation for G-Eazy, and I took this opportunity for a personal pep talk to avoid fangirling and play it cool at all costs. Spoiler, I didn’t make a scene but I barely kept it cool. The first time I saw G-Eazy live was at a tiny college concert where he performed about three songs. Despite the fact that his set was extremely short, he still out-performed the headliner. So I took my post and waited for G-Eazy, he made a perfectly dramatic entrance as one panel of screen was pulled up and his silhouette was revealed. He slowly emerged, put his hands on his hips, and looked out at the crowd, soaking it in. He quickly moved into his set with all of the energy, jumping, gangly appendages and every song that someone could hope for. He wore white jeans, white converse with cartoon eyes, floral button down, and personalized “Made in California” jean jacket. During one of his first three songs, G took a few moments and stood in the middle of the stage scanning the audience just smiling. It was without a doubt the most genuine appreciation that I have seen from a live artist. Anyone can thank the crowd, it is a polite thing to do, but he looked truly content and in awe of the crowd that stood before him. G also took time to mention everyone on stage with him, thank those who helped him while on tour, and of course thank the fans at his last concert of the tour. He also took time to mention how Lil Wayne took him on tour a few years ago and gave him the opportunity to perform at large venues similar in size to Xfinity. G explained how he would perform his ten minute set to barely 200 people in a huge arena, and then he would sit in the audience for the remainder of the concert. Both to see the fan’s perspective, and because he was truly a fan himself. It was admirable to hear such a humbling story, and as a fan for a number of years I have loved being able to see just how far G-Eazy has come firsthand. Yo Gotti YG Logic G-Eazy
1 Comment
Jessica Demirs
8/11/2016 12:28:23 pm
great article Maddie!
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