After celebrating the release of his 2023 Album A Great Chaos at SILO Brooklyn last October, Ken Carson has returned to the city that never sleeps for three sold-out nights at Terminal 5—upgrading his New York City crowd from five hundred people in a silo to three sold-out, 3,000 people, shows.
Ken Carson performing at Terminal 5 on August 20th, 2024. Photo By: Lucas Kurzweil.
Before a single performer hit the stage, the crowd was already active. But when 2hollis came out for his opening performance, the crowd hit new heights. Jumping, screaming, and using their phone flashlights to light the stage, the fans gave the Chicago artist what he needed to provide an intense warm-up for the headliner.
2hollis performing at Terminal 5 on August 20th, 2024. Photo By: Lucas Kurzweil.
After 2hollis’ set, the curtain over Ken Carson’s multi-level scaffolding-like stage dropped, the lights went into a bright flickering sensation, and smoke flooded the stage as Ken Carson’s “Hardcore” started to play. Ken performed most songs from his recent album, A Great Chaos, his recent hit single “overseas,” and other hits from his discography. Ken had his fans yelling the lyrics for every song, jumping together, and opening countless moshpits. The rage stretched from the front of the house to the back staircase that led to the upper balconies. Ken mostly stayed on the upper level of his structure, acting as the conductor for his orchestra of supporters down below. The show lived up to its chaotic hype, with every fan leaving in a pool of sweat and carrying the memory of a show like no other.
Ken Carson performing at Terminal 5 on August 20th, 2024. Photo By: Lucas Kurzweil.
The crowd at Ken Carson’s performance at Terminal 5 on August 20th, 2024. Photo By: Lucas Kurzweil.
Setlist: Hardcore, Lose It, It’s Over, Freestyle 3, leather jacker, i need u, Succubus, Green Room, mewtwo, Vampire Hour, Rockstar Lifestyle, Overtime, Nightcore, toxic, Me N My Kup, Rock N Roll, Yale, ss, Jennifer’s Body, Freestyle 2, overseas, Fighting My Demons.
Ken Carson performing at Terminal 5 on August 20th, 2024. Photo By: Lucas Kurzweil.
The annual Governors Ball has released its After Dark lineup for this year’s festival. After Dark shows take place all around the New York Metro Area in the nights leading up to, during, and after Governors Ball.
The After Dark festivities will start the night before Governors Ball kicks off with Teezo Touchdown performing at Irving Plaza, TV Girl (ft. Jordana) at Warsaw, Alex Chapman & Friends holding a single release party at Elsewhere Zone One, and The Thing x Telescreens at the Mercury Lounge.
After Friday, June 7- night one of the festival, Farruko will perform at The Venue at the Hard Rock Hotel, Flo at the Sony Hall and Skizzy Mars (ft. Hotline TNT) at the Mercury Lounge.
There will be one After Dark performance Saturday, June 8, with Ryan Beatty at the Bowery Ballroom, and one on Tuesday night, June 11, with d4vd at Irving Plaza.
On a rainy April evening, April 2, 2024 to be exact, mgk and Trippie Redd brought their brand new EP genre : sadboy to the Irving Plaza stage for its first ever live performance.
A week prior, the pair got fans excited by releasing a video for their song “lost boys,” as well as a short documentary about their time creating the album. Tickets to the show were free and given to fans through a raffle and needless to say that mgk and Trippie fans showed out on Tuesday night, packing the house.
Trippie Redd (left) and mgk (right) at Irving Plaza. Photo by Lucas Kurzweil.
The two opened up the show performing the first five songs off of their new tracklist. The album gives catchy choruses while maintaining a sad tone. Through their words the two artists explore their personal experiences with drugs, relationships and depression. Although the EP is brand new, mgk and Trippie’s longtime fans already knew all of the words.
Trippie Redd (back left) and mgk (right) at Irving Plaza. Photo by Lucas Kurzweil.
After the first five tracks, the Ohio native artists started taking turns performing some of their solo music. Trippie Redd started things off with his 3x platinum track “Taking a Walk,” and mgk followed with “PRESSURE.” They then went back and forth one more time with Trippie performing “Wish,” and mgk performing “dont let me go.” Although short, the throwback portion of the show provided a nice reminder to what these two established artists have accomplished in the past.
Following their four track throwback session, mgk and Trippie Redd continued with the next four tracks of their EP which all helped showcase both artists use of soft tones and dreamy, but also dark, fairytale-like sounds. mgk and Trippie then brought back some more of their old music, with mgk performing “my ex’s best friend,” “all I know,” and “Candy,” all with the crowd at full energy, screaming every word back to mgk. Trippie sang a beautiful rendition of “Fuck Love” his 2017 that he created alongside XXXTENTACION.
With only one track from the EP unsung, the artists started to go back and perform some songs for the second time. They repeated “lost boys” and “beauty” before mgk invited a fan, who had a message on his phone saying he could rap “el Diablo” faster than him, onto the stage. mgk and the fan went bar for bar together rapping the song, and then had a warm embrace at the end before the fan left the stage. Then mgk and Trippie performed “time travel” and “struggles” off of their new EP, for a second time.
Trippie Redd (left) and mgk (right) at Irving Plaza. Photo by Lucas Kurzweil.
To close out the show, mgk performed “Wild Boy” with some acapella verses, as well as “I Think I’m OKAY.” Finally, mgk and Trippie performed the only song off of “genre : sadboy” that had yet to be played, “summer’s gone.” At the end of the song the two artists dropped down off of the stage to greet the fans at the front barricade, before finally departing.
Trippie Redd (left) and mgk (right) at Irving Plaza. Photo by Lucas Kurzweil.
Setlist: lost boys, beauty, time travel, struggles, suddenly, Taking a Walk, PRESSURE, Wish, dont let me go, half dead, hiding in the hills, no more, who do i call, my ex’s best friend, Fuck Love, all I know, Candy, lost boys, beauty, el Diablo, time travel, struggles, Wild Boy, I Think I’m OKAY, summer’s gone
On Thursday March 14, Offset took his “SET IT OFF” tour to the Palladium in Times Square for its third stop. The rapper enlisted a strong group of up and coming artists to warm up the crowd before his performance.
Offset at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas Kurzweil
The first rising talent of the night was YRN Mango Foo, followed by SleazyWorld Go and then Skilla Baby. Skilla took it upon himself to enter the mosh pit and perform most of his set from the crowd. In between songs, Skilla would have the fans chant four simple words: “I will have fun,” until late in his set where he sang a cover of FUN.’s “We Are Young” while in the mosh pit. After the openers, Hot 97’s own Funk Flex took the stage to perform a DJ set. Flex’s song choices and comedic adlibs ensured the crowd was ready for Offset to take the stage.
Skilla Baby at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas Kurzweil
Offset opened with a plethora of songs from his new album, specifically: “Say My Grace,” “Fan,” “Broads Day,” “Big Dawg,” and “On the River.” With a live band behind and a set of stairs streaming down the center of the stage, there was never a dull moment. Offset had backup dancers and high energy throughout the entire show.
Offset at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas Kurzweil
Offset decided to give New York a taste of their own music. He brought out Brooklyn rap group 41 as well as Bronx artist Cash Cobain. 41 and Cash Cobain both brought a great representation of New York rap to the stage.
But Offset had one more special guest to round off the night. Near the end of the show, Offset and his DJ were talking back and forth saying, “we still gotta do it for New York,” before, abruptly, the beat to A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s “My Shit” started playing, and a few seconds later, A Boogie himself joined Offset on stage. The Bronx rapper performed “My Shit” and “Drowning” for his hometown crowd, sporting a Yankees cap and a Highbridge chain.
A Boogie Wit da Hoodie at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas Kurzweil
Offset ended the night with some of his older classics, “Motorsport,” “Narcos,” “Clout,” “Ric Flair Drip,” and “Bad and Boujee.” Tickets for the rest of the “SET IT OFF” tour are available here.
Offset at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas Kurzweil
Offset setlist: Say My Grace, Fan, Broad Day, Big Dawg, On the River, Danger, Ghostface Killers, Rap Saved Me, Legacy, No Complaints, Patek Water, 100 Racks, Monday, Hop Out, Skyami, Don’t You Lie, Zeze, Worth It, Fight Night, Call Casting, Last Memory, Motorsport, Narcos, Clout, Ric Flair Drop, Bad n Boujee
Offset (left) and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie (right) at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas Kurzweil
Offset Upcoming Tour Dates Fri Mar 15; Boston, MA; Citizens House of Blues Boston Sun Mar 17; Toronto, ON; HISTORY Tue Mar 19; Detroit, MI; The Fillmore Detroit Wed Mar 20; Grand Rapids, MI; GLC Live at 20 Monroe Fri Mar 22; Cincinnati, OH; Bogart’s Sat Mar 23; Chicago, IL; Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom Wed Mar 27; Denver, CO; Fillmore Auditorium Fri Mar 29; Los Angeles, CA; Hollywood Palladium Sat Mar 30; San Francisco, CA; The Masonic Mon Apr 1; Anaheim, CA; House of Blues Anaheim Wed Apr 3; Phoenix, AZ; The Van Buren Fri Apr 5; Dallas, TX; South Side Ballroom Sun Apr 7; Houston, TX; Bayou Music Center
Skilla Baby at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas KurzweilOffset at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas KurzweilOffset at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas KurzweilA Boogie Wit da Hoodie at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas KurzweilYRN Mango Foo Go at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas KurzweilYRN Mango Foo Go at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas KurzweilSleazyworld Go at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas KurzweilOffset at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas Kurzweil41 at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas KurzweilSleazyworld Go at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas KurzweilOffset at Palladium Times Square. Photo by Lucas Kurzweil
Dreamville’s annual spring festival is returning to Raleigh, NC from April 6-7 in Dorothea Dix Park. Dreamville Festival is curated by the label’s founder, and North Carolina native, J. Cole as well as members of his Dreamville team, who will also be performing at the festival.
Day one will feature SZA and Chris Brown as the headliners. SZA is hot off her second studio album SOS, which earned the 2023 BET Album of the Year award and many other accolades. Last November, Chris Brown released a new album, titled 11:11, touring this June in support. In addition to the headliners, J.I.D, Lil Yachty, Schoolboy Q, Sexyy Red, Jeremih, Earthgang, Teezo Touchdown, Amaarae, Lute, Luh Tyler, and Domani are all performing on the first day of the festival.
J.I.D performing at Made in America Festival, 2022. Photo By: Lucas Kurzweil
Day two of the festival will feature J. Cole and Nicki Minaj as headliners. J. Cole is currently on the “Big As The What?” tour, co-headlining with Drake, and Nicki Minaj is also on tour for her December 2023 release Pink Friday 2. Rema, Jeezy, Monica, Rae Sremmurd, Key Glock, Bas, Muni Long, Cozz, Omen, TiaCorine, and Chase Shakur join on day two.
