I love music as much as the next person. I am one of those people who isn’t afraid to start belting Beyonce with friends while striding down Comm. Ave. However, I am not one of those people who spends hours finding new up and coming artists on Sound Cloud (I was actually just introduced to the site) or who knows the exact date for every album release within the next year. So when my two friends, whom fit the above description, asked me to join them for the J.Cole concert this past Wednesday, September 24th, I was weirdly nervous. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of J.Cole (Work Out is my jam), but clearly I am a music novice in comparison to my two Cole World veteran-friends. Despite my anxiety and music illiteracy, I attended J.Cole’s What Dreams May Come Tour concert at Agganis Arena and to my surprise I knew practically every song (not every word of course, lets not push it) and had a blast dancing and singing along side my friends.
Now that I have made it clear that I have very little knowledge when it comes to the music world, shall we give this concert review a shot?
To start off, my friends and I were a little disappointed when we plopped down in our floor seats and noticed that there was hardly anyone there. Now it was a little on the earlier side, since we were that eager, but the three of us were among an abyss of empty chairs.
In the meantime, as we waited for the arena to fill and for J.Cole to come on, a wide range of musical talents entertained us. I had a proud moment when I could name the first, DJ Pup Dawg, from JAM’N 94.5, if only because I am a Boston native and listen to him while cruising back home. Next up was a newcomer to the music scene, Bas, who started off a little slow but left a good impression on my friends and I. Our favorite thing about him was definitely his charismatic stage presence. Following Bas, Vic Mensa took the stage. Now, I have never heard of him and I have never seen a more spastic performer. He also left an impression, but not a great one. The biggest opening act was Wale, whose performances of “Love Hate Thing” and “Lotus Flower Bomb” really set the stage for J.Cole.
Finally, a massive crowd had filled Agganis and everyone was ready to be amazed by J.Cole; and that is what happened. When “Work Out” came on I practically died, and “She Knows” was another favorite. In the middle of the concert, J.Cole thanked his fans who have been with him from the beginning by attributing the song “Lights Please” to them, and mentioned that the ever-popular “Power Trip” would be coming up later for the rest of us. He kept his promise, and finished the show with his top hits “Power Trip” and “Crooked Smile,” both of which had the whole crowd singing and dancing along. Needless to say, J.Cole was incredible (I would see him again any day). I’ve been listening to his album on repeat all week, and thankfully my music knowledge has expanded.