REVIEW: Brockhampton @ House of Blues 2/5

Brockhampton is the hot new boy band that is taking over rap music. Hailing from southern California, the group all met on a Kanye West fan website’s chat room and decided to move in together and make music. This wild idea actually paid off; the group really took off this past year with the release of the Saturation Trilogy. The three albums, Saturation I, II, and III, are all similar in style, but progressively build the group’s sound and give each member their time to shine. In terms of members, there are quite a few. The boy band features fifteen people: from rappers and singers to producers and web designers. Kevin Abstract is the face of the group and seems to take on the role as leader. Other vocalists include Ameer Vann, Dom McLennon, Merlyn Wood, Matt Champion and Joba, but even that is just a fraction of the group.

The Love Your Parents tour is the group’s second tour. I decided not to go to their first, and after seeing videos of their performances I immediately regretted my decision and made sure to see them live the next opportunity I got. I missed out on the presale tickets, so my friends and I ended up in the mezzanine. To make up for this, me and my friends painted our faces blue in true Saturation style.

Once we got up to the balcony, we were able to carve a pocket behind a couple people where we could best see the stage. On the stage were a guitar (presumably for Bearface), a couple chairs, and a couch, all covered in white sheets until a figure in a headlight and a facemask walked out and uncloaked all of the furniture. The mystery man then stood and looked out at the crowd, removed the facemask and headlamp to reveal himself as Ameer Vann. He smirked and nodded as the crowd went crazy, watching him put on his iconic orange jumpsuit over his blue jeans and white shirt. The beat for “BOOGIE” started to play, and everyone screamed with excitement as the boy band ran out to perform.

The group started with some of their bangers, like “GUMMY” and “STAR.” The energy was electric, and I was jumping and rapping along. Everyone in the group was so amped up and having the time of their lives. After the more hype tracks, most of the group members sat down and took a breather, but it was Joba’s time to shine. As the rest of the members caught their breath, Joba held down the fort with “FACE,” where he proved his falsetto really holds up in real life. Vann, Champion, and McLennon all came in for their verses, but the rest of the group stayed and rested.

Brockhampton used their large size to their advantage. Members could rest in the back while others performed, allowing them to give their all for each and every song. Between having no opener and the members rotating like a sports team, the concert went on for a really long time with one small intermission. After catching their breath, the boys picked up the pace again with some fun songs that weren’t as wild and energy-draining, like “ZIPPER,” “JELLO,” and “SWAMP.” The group slipped in a couple louder and crazier tracks as well, like “SISTER.”

I have to give a shout out to a couple of the members whose performances really stood out. Champion’s rapping throughout was always on point, and his overall energy and swagger on stage were awesome (he might be my favorite, but don’t tell the rest of them). Joba’s goofy dancing really communicated how much fun he was having–it seemed like he didn’t care how he looked and he was just enjoying himself. Kevin really stood out as conductor of the whole show and proved himself as the leader of the boy band. His comments between numbers were all funny and genuine, and the way he commanded the crowd was incredible. He got the fans to open up a huge pit for moshing, and he managed to get everyone quiet before “BUMP,” which made the booming bass even more surprising and heavy-hitting.

The group finished the first half of the show with “BLEACH,” and the elusive Bearface, who had been sitting quietly in the back the whole concert, came up to do his verse. The rest of the boys left the stage, and Bearface stayed on to do “SUMMER” and his beginning section of “TEAM.” His voice was really beautiful, and his guitar playing was a nice change from all of the rap music. He then left, not to be seen for the rest of the night.

The encore was pretty obvious, and after some cheering and chanting by the crowd, Brockhampton came back out to perform their one true boy band song, “HOTTIE.” They then performed a couple other tracks before they did “STAR” five times. Yes, five times (they mentioned the first time they played it that it was their favorite song to perform, so I guess they weren’t lying).

Before the fourth time, the group called for everyone in a jumpsuit or a blue face to come up on to the stage. I screamed from the mezzanine until we were noticed, and my friends and I proceeded to run down the stairs and through the crowd to jam out on stage with Brockhampton as they performed “STAR.” After that, all the fans left the stage, so we poured into the crowd on the floor, getting an unexpected upgrade in our seats. Between the jumping fans and the mosh pit, the show was even more exciting from down there. The boys ended the show after that, finishing one of the most epic and memorable nights of my life.

Brockhampton’s performance was especially fun because their energy translated so well to the crowd. In a college town like Boston, the boys were surrounded by kids their own age. They were so thankful to be doing what they loved, and they appreciated the support. They knew exactly how we felt as fans and their concert showed that. The best boy band in the world rocked Boston for a night, and I’m glad to have been a part of what they said was their favorite show of the tour.

-Matt Bandel