Photos and Review by Emily Gringorten
@emgringo

Lil Uzi Vert blew the roof off of the Bill Graham Civic in San Francisco on November 15^th on the Pink Tape Tour. The rapper totally seemed thrilled to be there, an energy that is honestly hard to come by in rap performances these days. He delivered a completely captivating and exhilarating performance that had me reminiscing for days after.

The stage consisted of several tall platforms adorned with graffiti and anime girl cartoons, and most importantly, excessive amounts of pink. In a gutted vandalized van sat his DJ, DJ PForReal, surrounded by prop telephone poles and ladders. He started off strong with “Suicide Doors,” the second track off his newest release Pink Tape, which came out this past summer. The fans matched his energy, shaking with the force of an earthquake and screaming every word with their whole chests. Suddenly, Uzi was in the air, jumping from platform to platform like an anime character himself. Before hopping into the second song, “NFL,” he took a moment to sign a fan’s vinyl. It was apparent from the very first moment that this was going to be a special show.

The front of the barricade had a large indent in which Uzi took immediate advantage by jumping off the stage and throwing himself in the crowd. The extra room between him and the stage allowed for a small group of security guards to gather in an attempt to control the chaos. Next was “Of Course (Bonus Track),” ”x2,” and “Amped,” all from his new album. The pit was full to the absolute brim; it was a sold out show, yet more than half of the upstairs balcony seats were empty, indicating a heavily overfilled GA floor. Mosh pits opened up and collapsed in on themselves like bubbles bursting in slow motion at the surface of a body of water.

The setlist was literally banger after banger, comprising new releases, old favorites, and collaborations. Highlights included his classic “XO Tour Llif3,” the Playboi Carti collaboration “Shoota,” and “Money Longer” from 2016’s Lil Uzi vs.The World. Finally, he played his mega viral hit “Just Wanna Rock” which has taken social media by storm. I’ll admit, I looked up the setlist in advance in order to beat the traffic and leave halfway through the last song. This time that didn’t work out for me, as I found out later that he played 7 more songs including fan requests. He even brought a fan atop one of his platforms to perform a song together which I found out later from Instagram.

Uzi’s presence was undeniable, and his passion and enthusiasm shines almost as bright as his gigantic diamond studded cross chain. He is one of those acts that I really had to see live to understand, and I’m grateful that I got to spend a night in his world. Definitely be sure to catch The Pink Tour or any other Lil Uzi Vert performance next time he’s in town.