By: Juliana Ferreira
At the beginning of last semester, my close friend, Sophia Crucs (GSB ‘24), leveraged that the Lil Uzi Vert concert falls on her birthday weekend – to convince me to go with her. Although it fell on a Monday night, the tickets were only $50 and I had not yet blown through summer internship money.
However, months later, we had completely forgotten about the syllabus week purchase and were not psyched to drag ourselves down to Brooklyn after a long weekend and right before Thanksgiving break, when every college student was running on fumes.
After listening to his DJ open for what seemed like hours, I could see the crowd’s anticipation growing more immense by the second. The crowd’s excitement reached an unimaginable high when, just after 10 pm, Uzi arrived on stage amidst the anime-inspired backdrop. There was a collective breath that was held as the opening notes of “Suicide Doors” filled up Barclays. The energy was contagious, and at that point, I completely forgot about any end-semester fatigue I had on the trek down. The setlist was a perfect blend of old and new and catered to long-time fans and newcomers to Uzi’s unique sound. He seamlessly transitioned from the raw energy of “Of Course” to the introspectiveness of “Money Longer,” which showcased his versatility as an artist.
The real highlight was the unveiling of the tracks from their very anticipated “Pink Tape” album. Songs like “Amped” and “Aye” have the crowd electric, and from my view, I saw the pit ascend. The raw emotion in “Fire Alarm” resonated deeply with the audience, creating a moment of shared vulnerability amidst the electrifying atmosphere.
Uzi’s performance was nothing short of masterful. He commanded the stage with an effortless cool as his voice soared over the pulsating beats.
