Archives

Kid Cudi 10/8: A Night of Passion, Pain, and Demon Slayin’

Miguel Wilson
October 9, 2017

Photo by Miguel Wilson

They say the best things in life are born from spontaneity. My experience at Kid Cudi’s A Night of Passion, Pain, and Demon Slayin’ show at Echostage on October 8 proved this idea true. I found out that I had a ticket at 8:00p.m., made it to Echostage (thanks to my trusty, red Nissan Altima, Betsy) at 8:45p.m., and Cudi took to the stage (with no opener) at 9:09p.m.

As the curtain was drawn up, the crowd was taken over by a rush of devotion for this man’s entire aesthetic. The stage decor was understated with a nice, jungle scene, accompanied by a surprisingly calm rainforest soundtrack of birds and rustling leaves to fill the venue before he actually appeared before us. Throughout the show, the stage went through many transitions: rain, snow, an outer body Avatar-esqe light show (which I’ll get back to), and the most brilliantly timed use of confetti I have seen to date.

The room literally shook from the moment he took to the stage; even after he left. Interestingly, Cudi’s set list steered away from the ordering of his album—the namesake of the tour. Instead, he gave us a well rounded overview of his catalogue as an artist. As someone that only ever listened to his Man On The Moon album, I was truly taken aback by the musical layers of Kid Cudi. Like an onion, each song seemed to reveal another piece of the mosaic that is his discography.

So, back to the lights! Wow. I did not know eye-gasms were a thing, but they sure are now. The timing of the beats combined with the spectacular lighting and just the overall enthusiasm of the crowd made for such a unique experience. For example, about 10 minutes into the show, at least one thousand tiny lights lit up the stage. I swear I was on another plant, and this sudden peace took over the crowd. It’s like when the food is so good, and you don’t even notice that no one has said anything for while. It was just so beautiful.

The show then had a change of pace. A rapper I had never heard of, but really enjoyed named King Chip joined Cudi for a couple songs. This is when things really started to pick up, and also when I started making moves to the front. As a testament to the following this man has, almost everyone knew the words to each song. They also all wanted to be upfront, centerstage. Thanks to my scrappy, resourcefulness I wound up exactly there! By the time we got to “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” (Kanye cover) I was only about three to four people away from being at the stage, and the crowd was absolutely electric.

To put it simply, I have been to plenty of concerts, but never one like this. The audience was electric. We moved as one (picture the sardines from Spongebob): dipping, diving, and jiving in ways I never knew possible. For example, during “Surfin’Û, the crowd literally created a physical wave (picture your standard wave on steroids). I have never so willingly accepted an elbow to the throat.

Finally, much to the joy of his long standing fans, Cudi closed the night with “Pursuit of Happiness” and a heartfelt speech about his struggles over the last year. It was truly remarkable to see how deeply this man cares for not only his craft, but also his fanbase. The emotions he shared on stage were raw; like pink chicken raw. I can honestly say I will never have another experience like last night. If I could describe it in few words, it was like an intimate family cookout. We dined on the words and ideas of Kid Cudi; a sentence I never thought I would ever write.

Set List *rough memory*