Concert Review: Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi, the Man on the Moon, or even Mr. Rager are a few of the nicknames artist Scott Mescudi is known by. His influence and talent has been appreciated by many since he first emerged as a rapper from Cleveland in 2008. Since then, he has produced countless classics for our generation and has experimented with different sounds for our listening pleasure. Last week I got the chance to see him perform for the second time at Revention Music Center and he had me leaving the venue an even bigger fan than I already was.

The first time I saw Kid Cudi was in 2016 when he performed at the same exact venue and I was a junior in high school. At the time, I was excited to see Kid Cudi but was apprehensive because I did not enjoy his last two albums. This time, as a freshman in college, I was more than stoked to see him because he was touring for his newest album Passion, Pain, & Demon Slayin’. This particular tour resonated with me more because I actually enjoyed his latest album and also because this was his first time touring since he came out of rehab for his depression. I was excited to see how differently he would be from the last time I saw him before he got help. If you have been a Kid Cudi fan since Man On The Moon came out, then you know what I mean when I say that Kid Cudi’s music helped you through difficult times in life. As a fan, you would not feel so alone because Kid Cudi’s songs addressed things that you possibly felt as well, so to see him get help for his problems and come out stronger was extremely inspirational for me.

As I pulled up to the venue, there was already a line full of excited fans stretching completely past the venue. For some reason I never expect this many people because nobody I personally knew listened to Kid Cudi as much as they used to anymore. However, when I actually got in the venue I saw that most of everyone around me were all people in their late 20s and realized that their juvenile years were probably somewhat influenced by Kid Cudi as well.

At around 8:30, the lights dropped and Kid Cudi walked out to a stage decorated with what looked like tons of marijuana leaves and purple-pink lights to represent his new album. Automatically I noticed he was already beaming more than he was the last time I saw him. Fans all around me could see he was not the same Kid Cudi he was before as he kicked off the show with “Baptized In Fire”, a song off his new album featuring Travis Scott. Everyone started to vibe to the deep bass-filled song as Kid Cudi rapped about the things that troubled his complex mind.

I’m sure Kid Cudi knows that most people are more partial to his older tracks because he made sure to include several songs from previous albums including “Marijuana”, “Mr. Rager”, and “Just What I Am”. In between songs, he would stop to talk for a few minutes before introducing the next song and he never stopped mentioning how much he appreciated his fan base or how much happier he felt to be doing what he loves for his fans. He even went on to mention how he had “exciting things coming out” for us. These little crowd interactions made for an intimate and wholesome but fun show.

Eyes decorating the stage as Kid Cudi performed Mr. Rager

The show lasted a little more than an hour, much to my disappointment as I didn’t want the night to end. Kid Cudi concluded his set with songs he knew would get the crowd crazy. He told everyone to get ready to “rage without breaks” as he performed a remix of three back-to-back songs, “Cudi Zone/Memories/Day ‘N’ Nite”, Kanye’s “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” which featured his signature humming, and finally the song that just about everyone knows “Pursuit of Happiness”. He thanked the crowd one last time right before he jumped into the crowd along with us and began to rage as well. Not only did he exceed the quality of his last performance I attended, but he also restored my extreme love and respect for him as an artist and a person. Even though I’ve already seen him twice, I would pay good money to see him again several more times simply because not only is he talented, but just a genuine guy overall. If the opportunity to see Kid Cudi ever falls in your lap, don’t hesitate to go as I have a strong feeling he’s only going to get better from here on out.