Vince Staples @ The Riviera Theatre [CHI] - 3/12/2019
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Vince Staples @ The Riviera Theatre [CHI] - 3/12/2019

At the Chicago stop on his Smile! You’re On Camera tour, Vince Staples reinforced what we already knew: Get the fuck off his dick, he’s going to do what he wants.

The Long Beach-born rapper, now known as much for his no b.s. interview responses and acerbic Twitter barbs as he is for his music, performed in front of a stage-width screen with cameras pointed at the audience, a play on both the constantly evolving dynamics of how audiences receive live shows (both Staples’ and more generally), as well as America’s all-seeing surveillance state.

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Tyler, the Creator @ The Anthem - 2/25/2018
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Tyler, the Creator @ The Anthem - 2/25/2018

In 2017, about five years post peak Odd Future mania, the collective’s frontman Tyler, the Creator released an album titled Flower Boy. At first glance, the title itself signals a complete departure from the content of his previous records titled Goblin, Wolf, and Cherry Bomb. Once notoriously known for the obnoxity surrounding his music and antics, Tyler has displayed significant character growth, no longer receiving bans from countries like the U.K. However, Tyler’s colorful personality is still apparent, and he was more than ready to let loose in support of his most polished and commercially successful album to date. The milestone rewarded him a sold-out Anthem venue of 6,000 people consisting of day-one die hard stans and new fans.

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All Things Go Fall Classic 2017 @ Union Market - 10/6/2017 - 10/8/2017
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All Things Go Fall Classic 2017 @ Union Market - 10/6/2017 - 10/8/2017

Last year, DC-based music blog All Things Go went bigger with the Fall Classic, their day-long music festival, by moving from Union Market to Yards Park and booking well-known talent like Sylvan Esso and Empire of the Sun. (Of course, the incessant rain caused some major mud pits and annoyances, but that’s beside the point and beyond their control.) But with the exception of local rapper Ace Cosgrove, the day was a synth-pop-heavy affair. This year, though, the organizers expanded the event to three days, and more interestingly, aimed to curate a more diverse lineup by day, which meant bringing in some diverse tastemakers from around town. With some know-how from electronic/dance tastemakers Nu Androids (who regularly host dance parties at spaces like Flash and Soundcheck) for Friday’s lineup and hip-hop/R&B-focused Broccoli City (who throw a DC music festival of their own in the spring) for Saturday, the All Things Go crew brought the music back to Union Market in the hopes of bringing the various music scenes together for one weekend.

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