Seattle – Earl Sweatshirt (stage name for Thebe Neruda Kgositsile) played Neptune Theater on October 30th. The Neptune is an old, renovated theater with a high stage. It takes a big presence to be able to fill the room and make the hollow theater intimate. The room was dark and crowded, filled with an obvious buzz of excitement for the show (and it was the day before Halloween, which meant some people were in costumes which somehow added to the energy). When Earl Sweatshirt came on it was immediately obvious that he was up to the venue’s challenge.
When he’s on stage, it’s easy to forget that he’s only 19, the youngest member of the LA skate-rap collective Odd Future and just graduated high school (which was a boarding school in Samoa, incidentally) just last year. Still touring on his debut full-length album, Doris (which was released August 20) we got to hear basically the whole album which was a treat. Doris is a more thoughtful album than Earl Sweatshirt’s 2010 self-titled debut and reveals him as more than just a kid rapping. To satisfy that kid in himself, however, he brings a juvenility (which shouldn’t be confused with immaturity) to his performance that endears him to a crowd.
While there were obviously individual tracks, the set felt totally continuous with an ease of transition; there was never any moment of silence or pause in the performance. Although there obviously was an intentional set, everything felt unplanned and instinctual – almost thoughtless, though obviously not careless. It made the show fast-paced and engaging throughout.
He complimented his more introspective tracks like “Chum” and “Sunday” with the more classically gritty ones like “Sasquatch” and others from his 2010 mix tape. It made for a diverse and crowd-pleasing set. In addition to his obvious talent as a rapper, Earl Sweatshirt is a natural entertainer. Toying with cuts from Nelly’s “Hot in Here” and his own witty commentary, he momentarily adopted the persona of a comedian before concluding his set. Everyone was vividly amused.
Fellow Californian Vince Staples, one third of Cutthroat Boyz, played with Earl Sweatshirt. Slightly more stylized than the headliner, Staples was a great addition to the stage and the bill. Earl Sweatshirt is continuing his US tour; you can (and should) check out his upcoming dates at the Odd Future website, where you can also get the Earl Sweatshirt mixtape and his debut full-length album, Doris
