November 7, 2011: a date that shall live in infamy. On this auspicious occasion, I attended my very first rap concert and got down to none other than Pittsburgh's anthem master, Wiz Khalifa. Let me just clarify that I'm not the type to frequent hardcore events such as this, but being the “Black and Yellow” enthusiast that I am (it’s great on a workout mix) I zealously hopped onto the tube and traveled with a group of friends to see Wiz in person at the O2 Academy in Brixton.
Going into this experience, I had no concept of what Wiz looked like but always envisioned him to be a fierce, muscled, heavily tattooed Godzilla. Needless to say, I was slightly alarmed when the concert began and this scrawny little guy in a flannel shirt bounded onstage and boomed, “LONDON, how ya’ll doing now? Who’s feelin’ high tonight?? Make some NOISE!” However, I need not have been worried; I soon found out that good things evidently come in small packages. Wiz more than made up for his delicate-looking frame with both his swag and exotic dance moves. These included but were not limited to: bouncing up and down while keeping a firm grip on his crotch, flinging his legs in a synchronized swimming-esque kick sequence, crouching low to the ground and appearing to dribble an invisible basketball, and whipping off his shirt and flapping it over his head for a good five minutes. The fantastic thing about these rather unconventional dance moves (I certainly was not emulating them as I got my groove on) was that the crowd completely ate it up. I looked around me and observed that the entire atmosphere- the neon flashing lights, the pounding music, and the mass of sweaty, grinding bodies had essentially turned this concert into more of a clubbing experience. Wiz’s carefree dance technique hyped the crowd and inspired the audience to whip out their own moves; there was this give-and-take exchange of the crowd feeding off of and responding to Wiz’s stage energy. The concert felt like one big dance party, with everyone around me (myself included) taking their cue from Wiz's infectious stage personality. At times, I could hardly see the stage due to all the iPhones and Androids, hard at work memorializing this event that all the drunk and high attendees would not otherwise remember.
Wiz was, undoubtedly, a very captivating performer. He seemed intent on making this concert a very inclusive experience, and during his signature “Taylor Gang” number, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “TAYLOR!” and thence indicated that the audience was obliged to holler back, “GANG!” and repeat this exchange about twenty times. (The audience was only too happy to comply.) At Wiz's urgings, me and a thousand of my new best friends enthusiastically sang along to all his greatest hits and relished the opportunity to let our own voice be a part of the music. With each successive song, the entire energy in the venue continued to build as we sang along with Wiz and imitated the enthusiasm evident in his dancing. A few times, I became so engrossed in my (terrible) singing and (even worse) dancing that I genuinely forgot I was at a concert- the whole vibe was so similar to clubbing. Wiz saved the best number for last as he came out for his encore, got the audience cheering wildly, and dropped the beat to begin “Black and Yellow” (see clip below). As this final song played, it became very clear to me: here was a talented performer who had given a mesmerizing performance, engaging what seemed to be every last member of the entire audience. Rap music may not necessarily be my go-to, but I can appreciate a charismatic individual when I see one. Wiz’s enthusiastic stage presence and captivating dance moves excited and involved the crowd in a way that I didn't even know was possible. To say that a good time was had by all would be a gross understatement; thank you, Mr. Wiz, for an epic concert experience.
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