Just like fellow G.O.O.D. Music colleague Pusha T once said on “Kinda Like A Big Deal,” the third time’s a charm, right? Differing from that statement slightly, Big Sean’s fifth time in London was certainly along the lines of charming, as he entertained a packed-out show at one of London’s most popular venues, Electric Brixton, as part of his solo tour across the stretch of Europe.
Before the show actually started, collections of golden-age anthems were acting as the backdrop to the stimulated audience, who were expectedly fairly young in age. However, it wasn’t until Mo Beatz came onto the stage that the music notably increased in volume, with a bunch of vocals outlined to help boost anticipation for the man that everyone was waiting for. The list of tracks used in the DJ set happened to include the likes of songs from fellow label mates in attempt to familiarize fans with the importance of the night.
As if you wouldn’t expect anything different, Big Sean finally entered the stage by encouraging fans to throw their hands in the air, which could only be described as a rather humbled beginning. The rapper couldn’t wait to get things moving in a lively direction by moving straight into one of his loudest songs as of late with the French Montana-assisted “Mula.” The stage presence was made clear by the reaction from the crowd, who joined him whilst seizing the future-reflective moment.
Those who have attended Sean’s concerts in the past will know of his strong interaction with the crowd and the use of his increasingly popular adlibs. It was evident that he wanted to make the most of the show by urging the crowd to make some noise on a number of occasions already. Though he was miles away from his hometown, there’s never a time when acknowledgement doesn’t get shown to Detroit, Michigan.
Next up was a track that was admittedly unexpected, as he proceeded to perform his collaboration with Wiz Khalifa for “GangBang” in an impressive solo effort. As you can imagine, the Lex Luger-produced track further set the overall tone that was purposely required for the rest of the night. The interval was welcomed by a range of taglines including the fan-favorite, “oh god” to help push the special connection. A special guest was then brought onto the stage by the name of Rico, the official Finally Famous mascot in the form of a physical Detroit lion. Big has previously claimed that his friend could bite your head off in the past, but the only thing he had in mind was having a blast on the stage at present. Moving on swiftly, the feel-good “High” came into fruition as a reminder to forget all the problems in the world, for tonight at least. After a prolonged intro was ignited, one of the standout tracks from his Detroit mixtape “RWT” continued the lively experience, which could only be returned in an excitable measure of appreciation.
Sean then reiterated the event as one of numerable returns to the UK by stating his feeling of being blessed to do such a thing. In typical style of the icon, a discussion with the crowd went back and forth, which was along the lines of doing the right thing when others don’t believe in your goals. With that being said, the success that has coincided with his hard work and long term dreams was presented in the form “24 Karats Of Gold,” just one of many songs from his catalog on the topic of following a mindset of your own. The original set list for the night had obviously been prepared in a well-thought process, as the Def Jam emcee gave us an intimate showing of “Memories,” stated as one of his favorite songs in only the short timeline of his career. Not only had the audience toned down their excitement as Sean sat down on several speakers, but it was returned with a period of phones/lighters being held into the air in an aesthetically pleasing way of motion.
The particular mood wasn’t settled for long with the speakers moving straight into “Too Fake” to prove that his goal was still set out to give the entire arena a memorable time in their lives. The road towards his forthcoming album was rejoiced by his recent single “Guap,” which was understandably returned by a consolidated cheer from those who have just started to follow Sean’s footsteps. A special moment was created as the audience was told to swing their arms side-to-side in honor of another popular adlib, “swerve.”
As the night moved on, plenty of songs were processed in quick succession, notably differing from earlier conversation with the crowd. The largely popular “My Last” was followed by party anthem “Marvin & Chardonnay” to signal one of the most exceptional sections of the night. Considerable interviews in the past have told us that his career is the best thing that could ever happen to him, as he exclaimed his disappointment of those who are alive but not living.
Arriving as a shock to the majority, Mo Beatz played a couple of Sean’s favorite songs, including Tinie Tempah’s “Pass Out” and Giggs’ “Talking The Hardest” to represent the urban culture of the UK’s grassroots. Keeping the energy alive and well, the G.O.O.D. Music anthem “Mercy” was put into rotation as well as a faster-paced version towards to the end of the lively performance, with Sean giving a majestic reenactment of the actual music video itself. His appreciation for the women was helped by undertaking “Dance (Ass),” originally made popular by appearances on music channels across the country. There was no shortage of generosity as Sean handed out a t-shirt to one lucky member of the crowd. One thing that artists have a tendency of doing before leaving the UK is providing exclusives as a salutation for the fans’ love across the pond. This was brought to life once again as a track titled “Fire” was heard publicly for the first time, acting as a release from his sophomore album Hall Of Fame.
The show ended in true style as he performed his verse from “Clique,” before jumping into the crowd for the first time in the night until the track came to an end. There was a sense of Big Sean’s progress across the celebrations, for example his Finally Famous tags appearing as first nature to many faces in the building. Though the crowd may have lacked in terms of responding at times, there was certainly nothing bad to be said about the execution of the menacing set that had been delivered. It was almost reminiscent of one long inspirational vlog, and based on that alone, success was always going to be the final outcome.