As the stage lights suddenly went dark, an ominous bass tone echoed throughout the amphitheater. The audience, who had previously been dancing to various rap hits, stood anxiously on their toes, eager to get a glimpse. The first low chords of No Heart sounded as 21 Savage was illuminated by a golden backdrop. The crowd buzzed with excitement, immediately screaming every lyric. Through his upbeat rap style and rousing stage presence, 21 Savage brought a lively and fun performance to Austin.
This concert was a part of 21 Savage’s American Dream Tour, visiting 30 North American cities. This tour features songs from his new album American Dream, which was released in early January. His Austin concert took place at the Germania Amphitheatre, an outdoor venue at the Circuit of Americas. This tour included the artists 21 Lil Harold, Nardo Wick, J.I.D, and 21 Savage’s DJ. With their opening performances, the energy was brought up early on so that by the time 21 Savage performed it was through the roof.
Before the performances began, many people were distracted by situating themselves or overwhelmed by their surroundings. The openers brought the crowd’s attention to the stage and brought their energy up so that when 21 Savage began performing it was through the roof. By the time 21’s DJ was playing hits like FE!N by Travis Scott and Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1 by Kanye West, the people on the lawn were already jumping around and forming mosh pits.
Overall, 21 Savage was an impressionable performer. He maintained a captivating stage presence through his distinct sound and ability to raise the audience’s energy. Furthermore, his performance almost told a story of sorts. 21’s portion of the concert was divided into three acts, and between each of the three acts, there were various media clips depicting his childhood, arrests, and rise to fame. This lent each act its own identity and significance in relation to 21 himself.
Act One had an upbeat start, showcasing mainly his more energetic songs. A highlight of this act was Jimmy Cooks, a song that made everybody want to dance. This was one of many of the songs performed that were collaborations with other artists that he was featured in. Due to this, he would only perform a brief portion of the chorus along with his part of the song. This caused the songs to switch pretty frequently, however, 21 managed to make this transition seamless which maintained the crowd’s excitement.
In Act Two, he performed more of his intense and cutthroat songs such as Glock in My Lap and Runnin, while also sprinkling in some fan favorites like 10 Freaky Girls. He also at one point invited Nardo Wick back onto stage to perform their collab Who Want Smoke. This portion of the concert included his slower yet best-flowing songs, revealing the variety of his discography and his true music persona.
Lastly, Act Three consisted of his most popular songs, causing the crowd to become even more energetic. This act brought about the concert’s wildest mosh pits and crowd clusters. These were especially present in his songs Surround Sound with J.I.D and A Lot. The night ended with his current number-one song Redrum, finishing the night with a bang.
