Kid Cudi fans packed the Michigan Theater on Monday night to see the three-time 2010 Grammy nominated hip-hop artist. The Cleveland-born, Brooklyn-based musician’s show was highly anticipated by Ann Arbor’s younger set, who were chomping at the bit for him to hit the stage.
The show mostly featured songs from Kid Cudi’s debut album, “Man on the Moon: The End of Day,” his 2009 release on Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music label, which propelled him into the mainstream spotlight. This highly autobiographical concept album told in five acts is emotional and introspective. Many of the tracks reflect upon darker psychological experiences. At the same time, a Kid Cudi show keeps the kids dancing and the mood light, despite dropping some heavy lyrics.
Metro Detroit’s One Be Lo and New York-based hip hop trio Higher Concept kicked off the show, followed by fellow Cleveland-born hip hop artist Chip Tha Ripper, who joined Kid Cudi on stage for a couple of songs.
One of his openers, “Soundtrack to My Life,” a favorite among the Michigan Theater show’s audience, exemplifies the serious, autobiographical tone of “Man on the Moon: The End of Day.” The track references his father’s death when Cudi was only 11 and his mother’s struggles as a single parent, as well as his own feelings of sadness and isolation. “I’ve got some issues that nobody can see And all of these emotions are pouring outta me,” the song’s chorus reveals.
Kid Cudi fans dance and sing along during a sold-out show at the Michigan Theater on Monday night.
In general, Kid Cudi kept the energy of the crowd going and delivered a solid, engaging musical performance. The crowd grooved out to mostly high energy hip-hop and techno-esque beats during the first half of the show, including tracks like “Up Up and Away” and “Sky Might Fall.”
Later on, he slowed things down with songs like “Solo Dolo (Nightmare),” which featured an almost haunting, heavy sound, and “Heart of a Lion,” the beginning and end of which he performed without accompaniment. The Michigan Theater crowd seemed to dig his slower tracks just as much as they enjoyed getting hyped up, making for a good blend.
Near the end of the set, he kicked things back into high gear with 3 high-energy songs back-to-back, leading into his breakthrough hit single, “Day N Nite (Nightmare).” A lot of Kid Cudi’s recent rise to fame can be contributed to the popularity of this song, which originally appeared on his earlier mix tape, “A Kid Named Cudi,” released in 2008. In February 2008, label Fool’s Gold released the “Day N Nite” EP. Kid Cudi’s music started generating Internet buzz and he soon became a regular collaborator with big name artists, wrote tracks for and appeared on Kanye West’s 2008 album, “808s & Heartbreak,” and got plenty of face time from the print and television media.Kid Cudi performs to a sold-out crowd at the Michigan Theater on Monday night, January 11.
