A$AP Ferg brought his Mad Man Tour to Los Angeles on Friday (March 16). The weather was gloomy, and rain clouds hung ominously over Novo Theater, located across the street from the legendary Staples Center. Still, a line spiraled up the rain-soaked staircases to the theater entrance as the sold-out audience eagerly waited to get inside. Once inside, drinks started flowing and the lights dimmed before the first performer hit the stage.
IDK was up first. The PG County representor performed a slew of tracks from his debut album IWasVeryBad. His performance was controlled and effective, warming up the crowd of about 2,000 people. It was obvious that many of the people didn’t know IDK, which almost sounds redundant. He immediately won them over though, because his performance was refined, and his energy was electric.
“This that drive-by, this that Shawty Lo in Impala/ Hello out the whip with the clip, make you bye-bye/ Roll the windows up, hotbox, smokin' la la /Roll the windows down, see the opps, it's a problem!”- IDK
Next, Denzel Curry hopped on stage with so much adrenaline that he caught the crowd by surprise. He spent the first few minutes of his performance jumping around the stage in a sweatshirt, which was undoubtedly uncomfortable. The sound engineers must not have been ready for Curry’s booming and boisterous sound, and his vocals sounded distorted for his first few songs. After jumping into the crowd, and removing his sweatshirt to reveal a tie-dye Tupac tee, Curry got right back to it. The engineers seemed to get it together at that point, and the bars sounded crisp over the head knocking instrumentals.
“Hair is nappy, knotty, pack a pistol when I'm in the party/ Life is melancholy, sellin' flock when they think it's molly/ Bitches be givin' me sloppy/ My pockets on Andy Milonakis, bumpin' Speaker Knockerz/ Rico's Story when I see the coppers.”- Denzel Curry
Draped in all white, Ferg sauntered onto the stage welcomed by thunderous cheers. He was elated and energetic, thanking the crowd for their energy and love repeatedly throughout his set. Ferg ran through a slew of his hits, including “Work (Remix),” "Shabba," "Plain Jane," "Tango," and "Olympian." At the midway point in his set, Ferg disappeared backstage, only to emerge moments later in a different outfit. Fly and refreshed, the young Harlemite performed another batch of hits from his catalog. Unlike many rappers, Ferg rarely used backing vocals. Without missing a beat or losing his breath, he perspicuously flowed through over a dozen songs solo. Near the end of his set, Ferg called IDK and Denzel Curry on stage to perform their joint single, "Kristi YamaGucci." The trio released the single last month as a collaboration birthed for the purpose of a joint track the crew could perform together on tour. It works well as a final act, reuniting the three disparate energies in a glorious and wild conclusion.
"Fergie done got him a sneaker/ Making a bitch sing like Aretha/ I'm fucking your bitch when you eat her/ You cuffing that bitch like you need her/ Yamborghini with Aaliyah/ Rest in peace until I see ya!" -A$AP Ferg