It’s risky to slate a music festival for the middle of fall, especially for its debut — the summer heat wave is fading out as the nighttime chill sets in. Nonetheless, for three days at the beginning of November, hip-hop and rap fans gathered at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds to see some of the most talented artists in the genre. The company behind Coachella, GoldenVoice, created Day N Vegas — stacking the lineup with heavy hitters such as J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and more.
I was able to attend Day N Vegas and it was one of my favorite concert experiences to date. I spent the entire weekend in awe; I could not believe I was about to watch some of the most successful, and my personal favorite, artists perform live. Mixed in with my enthusiasm was the awareness that this was the first year of the festival — surely problems and difficulties would arise over the weekend. Despite the technical difficulties and lineup changes throughout its course, the festival turned out to be a massive success. The lineup was fantastic even with Travis Scott pulling out at the last minute. Each artist brought their A-game to the stage and gave show-stopping performances. Here are the five best performances, or sets, from Day N Vegas:
J. Cole
J. Cole headlined night one of Day N Vegas, and on that cold night he brought the heat with his fierce performance of old and new hits. His performance opened with a video teasing a possible new album, The Fall Off, before rapping his newest single, “Middle Child.” Festival-goers went crazy during his set, rapping along to his songs while never missing a beat. Cole’s was the best performance of the weekend — he sounded amazing live and kept it real with fans, pausing to talk about love, maturity, prosperity, and life.
Tyler, The Creator
Prior to seeing Tyler, The Creator in Las Vegas, I attended his concert at the Great Saltair when he toured in Utah for his latest album, IGOR. His concert in Utah was wildly entertaining — Tyler is a natural performer and brings his humor to the stage. While Tyler’s set at Day N Vegas was similar to the one in Utah, it was a completely different performance. In Vegas, he came out swinging, rowdying the crowd instantly — at the time I thought the mosh pits were wild, but they were nothing compared to what was to come. Tyler was confident, funny, and went as hard as his fans.
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar headlined the third night of Day N Vegas, the final and wildest night. Lamar’s performance was on a completely different level than the rest. The energy in the crowd was palpable as Lamar’s set resulted in the absolute craziest mosh pits I have ever been a part of. Cole brought the heat on night one, and Lamar was determined to keep the flame burning during his set. He certainly delivered by performing his greatest hits — proving that he is in fact the top dawg in entertainment.
BROCKHAMPTON
Boy band BROCKHAMPTON performed in the early evening on day three. Their performance was part of their ‘Heaven Belongs to You’ tour, and it was mesmerizing. Their energy and on-stage chemistry was spectacular, and it definitely radiated to the eager crowd. BROCKHAMPTON performed songs from their latest album, GINGER, while blending in a few fan favorites from past albums.
Kali Uchis
Kali Uchis also performed on day three, before BROCKHAMPTON. Uchis’s set was a Grammy worthy performance with her sass, allure, and diva like aura. At one point during the show she brought out a compact mirror and red lipstick to fix her makeup — it was a sight to see, and the audience loved it. She brought in a massive audience, performing her English and Spanish hits for the enjoyment of all of her fans.
For the debut of a festival, Day N Vegas was better than I could have imagined. It has already distinguished itself as a strong festival able to book the best performers. It still has a long way to go before it will be on par with Coachella, but all things considered, it was fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend in Vegas and can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year.