Concert Review: Bas Live In Auckland
Long-awaited, Dreamville graced Aotearoa with their presence last night, kicking off the first leg of Bas’ Milk Down Under tour. No one from Dreamville has come back to Auckland, except for JID, since J. Cole’s 4 Your Eyez Only show in 2017 so of course Bas had to bring along Lute and DJ Nitrane from the gang as well.
The show was set to begin at 8:20 pm at Neck of the Woods on K Road. I was initially sad to hear that the venue had changed to Neck of the Woods as I believe that Bas deserved a bigger venue with a bigger crowd. That venue usually has local artists or smaller international artists that perform there but I guess that most people here in Auckland aren’t that aware of Bas and his music so I hope the next time he comes, Aucklanders have stopped sleeping.
DJ Nitrane got the show going with some tunes while the crowd was still filing in. Melodownz, a Polynesian rapper from West Auckland was set to open up next. I was so f*cking syked to see through his Instagram stories that he was in the studio with Bas and that they seem like good friends. As a New Zealander, I’m beyond proud of Melodownz for connecting with a huge international artist like Bas and I’m excited to see what’s up next for the dude.
Anyways, Auckland really showed up for Melo’s set. He came on stage with a calm and cool demeanour, even the way he dresses and the way he looks, before hearing his voice; you already know he’s a soulful guy. Illbaz, a popular AKL DJ, was in the back DJing making sure everything went right for the set. It’s always a pleasure Illbaz in his zone. Melodownz really engaged with the crowd, shouting out and holding it down for other Polynesians at the show. People knew his songs and it was well and truly a vibe. He was the perfect guy to represent Auckland in front of Dreamville.
Lute was up next and honestly, from his raps to his look, he is such a delight to see live. Dude has bars too and he’s so freaking good at it. I feel like rap has shifted from lyricism to “turnt up” or “lit” music (if you get what I mean) and seeing Lute live just revived my appreciation for genuine rap music and great f*cking lyricism. Which, to be honest, nothing less is expected from a Dreamville artist. He also engaged with the crowd really well, mentioning more than once that he was too lit so he had no idea what song was going to play next. Just a real, authentic dude who got the crowd lit and even shouted out Melodownz.
Bas came on later than expected but he was going off when he came on stage so I completely forgot he was late to his set. The crowd absolutely loved him. He spent some time to talk about J. Cole and some stories about the racism he experienced. It is always great whenever artists stop and talk to the crowd. I feel like it gets us more engaged and especially for the hard out fans, I know it would make them feel closer to the artist as a person and it just makes their concert experience so much more memorable. Bas turnt the whole crowd up, it didn’t even matter how small the venue was. And honestly, I feel like because it was a small venue, it felt much more intimate, especially with the artists. Lute was literally just chilling at the bar after his set, it was so easy just to go up and talk to him and I did see a couple of people do that and I know for a fact their year was made. Normally at shows, artists are really hard to try to get to, even just for a photo so I appreciated that. I felt as if most of the crowd there were genuine fans and they had a real connection to the artists and their songs so the intimate setting was perfect.
If you’re heading to a show in the Milk Down Under tour, don’t be afraid to say hi to the artists cause they are such down to earth dudes. Overall, a lovely experience.
Tickets are on sale from HERE to see Bas live in Wellington.
Reviewed: Breanna Tugaga-Rogers
Photos: 10Daniel16