Last Friday, Big Sean stopped in Los Angeles for his I Decided Tour and his third stop on the West Coast.  He performed at the Hollywood Palladium which is now a venue I’ve been to a handful of times.  It’s intimate vibe is great, but I do wish the stage was a little more elevated.  It’s hard for us short people to see!  I digress.

There were four of us who went and before posting up in the GA section, we obviously had to buy some beverages and cop some merch.  I held us down in the merch line while the others secured the drinks.  Teamwork makes the dream work.

After successfully buying the exclusive I Decided California t-shirt (see below) and the official I Decided Tour sweatshirt, it was time to go find our place in the crowd.

We knew we’d be in the back when we first arrived at the Palladium.  The line was wrapped (and I mean wrapped) down and around the block.

The night started with an opening set from Big Sean’s DJ, DJ Mo Beatz.  He’s extremely talented and was spinning all the right songs to get us to the appropriate energy level.  Next up…

MadeinTYO

Now while I don’t listen to MadeinTYO on the reg (I really should though – he’s underrated), he has quite a few bangers and performed them all – “I Want,” “Uber Everywhere,” and “Skateboard P” to name a few.  He was the perfect opener for Big Sean, and he definitely kept the momentum going.

Okay, now for the real deal…

Big Sean

I’ve seen Big Sean perform multiple times now, and he has yet to disappoint.  His energy, positive vibes, love for the crowd, and just overall passion he has for performing makes him an incredible artist to watch live.  It also doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eye.  Anyways.

His setlist included most of the tracks from I Decided and a handful of other fire emoji worthy songs like “Champions,” “I Don’t F*ck With You,” “Don’t Like,” “Paradise,” “Blessings,” and more.  While I had hoped for a Migos or Jeremih surprise appearance, he did bring out his boo Jhene Aiko.  I don’t believe I’ve ever seen her live before this, so it was great to not only add her to my concert resume (yes, I have one of those), but it was awesome seeing the two perform together and witnessing their chemistry IRL.  MadeinTYO also came back out during Sean’s set so they could perform the “Skateboard P Remix.”  YAS.  Seriously one of my  favorite songs out right now.

Okay, now this is sort of embarrassing, but I don’t even care.  Towards the end of Big Sean’s set, he began to talk about positivity, surrounding yourself with a solid group of people, and that it’s never too late to make your dreams a reality.  Well, I started crying.  I sort of wish I was joking.  This is the second time I’ve cried at a concert.  The first was during the On The Run Tour (Beyonce and Jay Z).  v. emotional.  But yeah.  I’ve always been a fan of Big Sean not only because of his music but also because of his positive nature and vibes he exudes.

Overall, this was one of the better Big Sean performances I’ve seen.  If you’ve listened to I Decided, you can tell this project means A LOT to him and is full of inspiration which all came to life on that stage.  He’s a real one.

Why did I cry though?  I believe I’m at a really good place in my life right now.  Weeding out the negativity, surrounding myself with great people and influences, and just doing epic shit.  I’m really the only person who can control all of this for myself, so yeah… I’m pretty pumped.

The night ended with me going to In N Out, ordering a grilled cheese and fries via drive-thru, and sitting in my car to indulge before heading home.  All in all, it was a solid night.

Next concert… Sampha at the El Rey Theatre.  I’ve never seen Sampha perform nor have I been to that venue so I’m pretty amped!

Thanks for reading, yinz!