The It’s Almost Dry tour was held at Old National Center in the Egyptian Room and ran from 8 until just before 11. The setup for the stage included 3 large screens that displayed different graphics depending on the song playing or the message being conveyed and lasers and lights that emphasized the artist. Despite how minimal the set design was, it worked in the artists’ favor. It allowed for the focus to be on the artist and for creativity to shine through. The venue also had a barrier close to the stage, making the performances from IDK and Pusha T feel very intimate.
Kicking off the night, rapper IDK (Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge) walked out onto the stage and went straight to the barrier to interact with fans. IDK kept up the fan interaction going for his entire set, and the crowd loved it. Running through songs like “Dog Food,” and “17 Wit A 38”, IDK’s set list was well chosen and fit the vibe of the crowd perfectly. His amazing vocal performance, unending energy, and ability to control the crowd set the perfect mood for Pusha T.
Not too long after IDK’s set, laughter filled the air. Fans started screaming as the opening notes for “Let the Smokers Shine the Coupes” started to play. Pusha T then emerged from a cloud of smoke to run through a set list of almost 30 songs, wasting no time going through this monstrous catalog filled to the brim with classic and new songs. There were tracks from every era of Pusha T’s legendary discography. Songs like: “Diet Coke” and “Scrape it off” from It’s Almost Dry, “Numbers On The Boards” and “Nosetalgia” from My Name is My Name, “What Would Meek Do?” and “Infrared” from DAYTONA and even features like “Runaway” and “Move That Dope” made their way into the setlist. Despite the daunting number of songs, Pusha T’s set felt tight and compact. At the end of the concert, Pusha T had one thing to say to the audience when referring to his album: “Just so we’re clear, best rap album of the year. Easy.”
With the perfect stage design, high-energy performances, and a remarkable larger-than-life set list, Pusha T continues to prove that he is more than deserving of the name King Push.
Review by: Tisiola Patterson
