Photo by ALEX PATERSON-JONES
A$AP ROCKY’s latest LP,Testing, released last May, rocks a combination of eclectic, experimental head bangers and high-octane mosh pit fuel, perfectly-suited for live workouts on his current “Injured Generation” tour, which stopped at the Liacouras Center last night, with opening acts Smooky Margiela and Comethazine in tow.
Just 16 years old, Smooky took the stage first and owned it with a charisma much larger than his body size. Throwing down his now-blowing-up hits “Stay 100” and “Vlone Flex,” Smooky made it clear why A$AP has chosen him to join his creative collective, the A$AP Mob. Next up, St. Louis-based rapper Comethazine charged the stage with “Bands” and “Walk,” his two most popular songs, and whipped the crowd into a frenzy for A$AP Rocky’s impending arrival.
As the curtain rose, Rocky bounded across the stage to the strains of the new album’s lead-off single “A$AP Forever,” which samples Moby’s 2000 single “Porcelain” at length. The crowd erupted with his every word, and proceeded to sing along with every song, with the possible of exception of the unreleased track “Babushka,” which seemed to stump everyone but the super-fans. The stage set was three full-sized cars, along with a lot of fog and, during “Wild For The Night,” fireworks. There were multiple costume changes and elaborate stage sets throughout the night.
During the ballad “L$D,” Rocky ventured out to the farthest edge of the stage and sang the whole song flat on his back. You would think this slo-jam move might kill the energy he’d just worked so hard to fill with energy, but the crowd became mesmerized by this gesture and soon synchronized in a spontaneous massive sway. A$AP finished the show with a crowd request, “PE$O,” which is one of my personal Rocky faves. One of his earliest hits, “PE$O” now stands as a reminder of how far he has come as an artist. — ALEX PATERSON-JONES