Concert Review: Earl Sweatshirt @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre

By: Daniel Gerichter (@ZenDonut) –

Don’t cry for Odd Future. While this summer’s news of the hip-hop collective’s breakup may be troubling, it’s best to think of it as “divide and conquer”. Judging from Earl Sweatshirt’s sold-out, rabid crowd at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, that plan is working out pretty damn well.

To say Sunday’s show was long-awaited is an understatement. After a tiny show in 2013, the 26-year old L.A. emcee was finally booked for a triumphant return (along with Vince Staples) in April at the smaller Opera House. Not to be, the very sold-out show was cancelled due to illness. On the heels of his March album I don’t like shit, I don’t go outside” ANDbeing proclaimed Kendrick Lamar’s favourite emcee, the artist also known as Thebe Neruda Kgositsile is all momentum. That’s probably why Sunday’s set got a significant upgrade – to the larger Phoenix.

The Phoenix is a small venue. It’s also a narrow venue. The downside is that two-thirds of any crowd will cram together to try to get close to the stage. This was particularly trying with the night’s sweltering heat. The upside is the noise that sweaty crowd makes. For Sweatshirt, it was a deafening roar, with non-stop chants of “we want Sweatshirt” and “Earl, Earl, EARL” audible from all the way outside the building. It’d be a while before their chants would be answered, though.

Filling part of the wait was Queens emcee Remy Banks. Banks, a part of a different hip-hop collective (World’s Fair) stalked the stage, dropping material from his new mixtape Higher, including bangers “Inhale” and “Things I do”. While relatively new to the game, you can already tell Banks is destined for bigger things. “Toronto you are live as FUCK” he cackled.

Banks’ 25-minute set then gave way to one of hip-hop’s most dreaded tropes: the overlong DJ set. Emcees are known for taking their time getting to the stage, and this night was no exception. Sweatshirt was slated to hit the stage for 10. While 10:30 isn’t too tardy (by some of his contemporaries’ standards), it did leave a full hour of whatever tracks were on the DJ’s iTunes Macbook.

In the meantime, the crowd chanted relentlessly, especially when Sweatshirt’s ever-smiling sidekick Nakel Smith approached the DJ booth intermittently to sing along to whatever was on deck. After some time, the Macbook got closed; more smoke-filled the stage and out came the man of the hour. The sweaty AF crowd lost their shit.

Think of Earl Sweatshirt as Destro to Tyler the Creator’s Cobra Commander. While Tyler is all bluster and scorched earth, Sweatshirt comes from a darker, more methodical and deliberate place. Even within trap’s party-and-bullshit aesthetic, Sweatshirt’s body of work has been unusually introspective, slower-paced and hazy. His is a discography better suited for your headphones than for the club.

Of course, put all the people who had Doris in their headphones in one sweaty club; waves of hands and chants – overtaking the emcee. Earl Sweatshirt’s live experience at times sounds like 2 Chainz or Wiz Khalifa, but contains the lyrical complexity and lyrical prowess of Nas. Imagine over a thousand people barking along to lyrics like “Breaking news: death’s less important when the Lakers lose / It’s lead in that baby food, heads try to make it through”. It’s the best kind of paradox.

Click here to check out our photos from the show.