MigosYou would be easily forgiven for forgetting it was a wet and windy Tuesday night in Northbridge judging by the enormous line which snaked outside Metro City for the best part of a kilometre.
These brave punters were of course gathered to catch a glimpse of Migos, the Atlanta rap trio who went from recording in a closet to having one of the largest records in the world in a matter of a few years. For their first Australian tour, the group - comprised of Quavo, his nephew Takeoff, and cousin Offset - had recruited special guest and fellow Atlanta artist 6lack (pronounced "Black") for support.
After being hounded by the unrelenting showers outside - which saw large promotional tarpaulins employed as makeshift shelters by some MacGyver-minded fans - 6lack kicked the night off with an impressive set that highlighted the crooner's various talents on the mic. Ploughing through tracks such as Rules, Alone / EA6, and Worst Luck from his 2016 release Free 6lack, his ability to effortlessly blend rapping and singing was on full display throughout the 45-minute set. Fan favourite, Ex Calling, inspired a wall of middle fingers to be paraded at the stage, before 6lack ended his slot with a powerful rendition of his biggest track to date, PRBLMS, featuring a song-stealing drum solo to finish. Surprisingly, the live band backing gelled seamlessly with the electronic, wavy production which constitutes the majority of 6lack's sound, and added a unique element to many of his songs.
In addition to the scheduled 30-minute intermission between acts, the crowd was then forced to wait a full hour before Migos would grace the stage, despite repeated "Migos" chants reigning around the packed venue. (Quavo's snapchat story put himself in a dark car flashing his chains half an hour after their scheduled start time). With the visibly disgruntled crowd growing increasingly restless, a relieved roar erupted as the trio finally graced the stage to the tune of Get Right Witcha.
The trio's trademark nonchalant stage presence didn't prevent the hyped crowd from constantly exploding as Migos rattled through banger after banger. Offset delivered a standout verse on the Gucci Mane-collab, Slippery, featured on their 2017 album Culture, before Deadz was met with the growth of a circle mosh pit in the nosebleed section. Other performances from their latest album included What The Price, T-Shirt and Kelly Price, before some older songs "for the day one fans" were rehearsed, namely Hannah Montana and Pipe It Up. The set wrapped up suddenly, non-surprisingly closing with their US Billboard Hot 100-topping, Bad & Boujee.
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While microphone issues appeared to haunt Quavo's performance, the group reinforced their crown of 'Best ad-libs in the game' throughout the night, which added a live energy that boosted their casual delivery. Yet given how late Migos were to start their show, the subsequent 35-minute set was extremely short-lived - a Migos show without Versace? Really? - and left a slightly bitter taste in fans' mouths at the conclusion of the night. 6lack's set served as a revelation from the night, and as for Migos... it was good while it lasted.
