Project Description

BLACKBEAR

@ Metro Theatre

09/01/20

(Live Review)

Reviewer: Celine May

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The double-platinum selling artist behind this Summer’s explosive hit ‘Hot Girl Bummer’ is here in time to kick off the new year. And I am absolutely buzzing. Blackbear, aka Matthew Musto, is one of the most versatile R&B and hip hop artists around. He’s had quite the 13-year music journey with six EPs, five studio albums, two collaborative albums – and smash hits throughout. To his name, we can also add collaborations with Justin Bieber, Linkin Park, G-Eazy, 2 Chainz, Ne-Yo, Machine Gun Kelly and more.

  From 2014s ’idfc’ to 2017s ‘do re mi’ and now Summer anthem ‘Hot Girl Bummer’, he’s made sure to stay on our radar. It doesn’t take long to flick through radio channels and hear ‘f*ck you and you and youuuuu’. With ‘Hot Girl Bummer’ finding commercial success and surpassing 300 million streams, January seems like the perfect time for Blackbear to bring his Dead 2 The World Tour down under!

I had the chance of seeing Blackbear live back in November 2017, and it was one of the most lively, fun intimate gigs at Manning Bar. With two albums since, it’ll be nice to see how his live show compares. What did Blackbear’s Sydney show look like? High energy, tight production, some hefty punk rock, candid talk, and gratitude.

Waiting in anticipation, the mosh pit was already filled to the brim and in-force as they went hard to the likes of Lizzo, 5SOS and Macklemore – which showed the interesting mix of fans. The first few beats of ‘Chateau’ were heard before Blackbear splashed onto the stage. With two risers set up on either side of the stage and a mic stand in the middle, he manoeuvred around. His guitarist and drummer were also set on risers which was a nice element in addition to the oceanic visuals. Blackbear’s 60-minute set included a relatively even mix of songs across his albums, jumping from rap and acoustic, so old fans and new would be satisfied.

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In between ‘i miss the old u’ and ‘HATE MY GUTS’, he gushed about his opening act, “Alexander 23, y’all like him?! He sounds like a mix between Fergie and Jesus. I told him to his face, like bro ‘You sound so f*cking good bro’”.  In his own right, the alt-pop Chicago native was a great and pretty interesting opener as he shared the same old-school techy visual aesthetic as Blackbear but had a much softer, sweeter sound. Alexander 23 played latest low-key songs like ‘Highschool’, an acoustic cover of Miley Cyrus’ ‘Party in the USA’, and then got groovy with Tears For Fears’ ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’.

Moving on, as a nice transition into older song ‘Dirty Laundry’ Blackbear gave a shout out to anyone with a Blackbear-themed tattoo. And soon the crowd got crazy rowdy during ‘Gucci Linen’ as he jumped around with flashing lights and visuals of slithering snakes and his signature Blackbear Gucci chain. The intermission took the form of old, slower-paced tracks ‘Deadroses’ and ‘NYLA’ while he went for an outfit change, before returning with a guitar and continuing that vibe with ‘Changes’ and ‘Weak When You’re Around’.

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As if we were at a different show, the pace of the guitars picked up and gave the following few songs ‘90210’ and ‘1 Sided Love’ a definite edge and different vibe. I assume this is a dip into his punk-rock roots and possible influence of his recent collaboration on ‘Tongue Tied’ with Marshmello and YUNGBLUD. As he shredded on an electric guitar behind his head alongside his guitarist, this part of the show was a treat for fellow rock kids at heart. It highlighted his band’s skills quite nicely as well.

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Reaching roughly the half or three-quarters mark, Bear played his much-loved ‘idfc’ where the phone lights came out and swayed, and the backdrop remained on a peaceful bedroom scene. It was a nice come-down but not for long as he jumped into rap track ‘Playboy Shit’ and proceeded to do a shoey and admit it was actually ‘f*cking nice’. Bear’s double platinum plaque was brought out onstage, and a touching moment was shared; thanking his fans for the life he has and that he’s proud to do what he does. The sincerity was reflected in the effort and production – every song had its own montage or scenes.

And with a few flashes of bright pink LED lights, everyone’s Summer anthem ’Hot Girl Bummer’ arrived. As expected, the crowd was probably at its loudest as we yelled the swearing chorus. His set concluded with ‘Do Re Mi’ where a lot of people obliged to his call-out and sat on their mates’ shoulders. I think ‘Hot Girl Bummer’ would’ve been a better encore, but maybe that’s just personal preference! A potentially longer setlist and more crowd interaction are also minor notes.

All in all, Blackbear’s show captured his versatility as we got to see him as a singer-songwriter, rapper, and punk rocker. There was rarely a dull moment as he played with heart, chaotic bouncy energy, and very well-produced visual production. The graphics, and crowd’s reciprocated energy definitely amplified the atmosphere and made it what it was.

Till next time!

 

Check out BLACKBEAR 
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter 

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