F*ck the World, It’s a Wasteland Tour Review: NYC Edition
Graphic by Jonah Weintraub
By: Diamonte Giacovelli
I’m considered to be Mixtape's R&B fanatic, especially when talking about my man Brent Faiyaz. For the last six years, Brent has been my number one artist on Spotify. He and his group Sonder have allowed me to express myself and feel out my emotions through their craft that can be compared to a therapy session.
So, when it was announced that he was going on his first world tour, I was ecstatic. I wasted no time convincing my friends to come to the NYC date with me to witness greatness. After some persuasion and a couple hundred spent on tickets, we were finally set to see Brent on August 6 in Central Park.
Fast forward to the big day and it was hotter than a JID track! My friends and I left for the concert three hours early, thinking we would get first pick to the front of the stage. But between getting lost in Central Park and standing in the VIP line by accident, we found ourselves in the back of the line. Anxiety began to run in my head, however, I reminded myself it was still a blessing just to see Brent. Yet we found total luck when the gates opened, as we somehow ended up about 30 feet away from the stage.
While waiting, a butterfly landed on my hat, sitting still for 10 minutes straight. This was already so cool since it was such a rare moment, but then the crowd focussed on me and took pictures as well. I thought the butterfly was a sign of good luck, but boy would I be wrong. Before things took a turn, opener Tommy Richman began performing. His instrumentals and melodies were phenomenal, though his vocal control was shaky and some of his lyrics were questionable. Still, I could definitely see him possibly make a big name for himself.
After Tommy’s set, frustration began to set in as it took 90 minutes for Brent to come out. This is where the day started going downhill. Due to the heat (and tons of weed in the air) I had a medical emergency, which cost me my front-row position. As if things couldn’t get worse, Brent started to perform the second I was in the back. By then I had broken down, but once he started to perform, his music immediately fixed my mood – just like it has done for years. Never had I heard an artist's live performance sound exactly like it does when I’m listening to them in my room. All of his hits like “Poison,” “ALL MINE,” “Trust,” and my personal favorite, “PRICE OF FAME” felt straight out of the studio.
The way Brent maneuvered his vocals and melodies with the crowd was unreal, and being a part of that experience will always be one of my favorite memories. So even though the concert got off to a rough start, it was absolutely worth it.