After dropping his album TwoPointFive towards the end of 2021, Aminé embarked on what he formally dubbed the Best Tour Ever to support his fourth studio release. While anyone can just throw in the subjective “best ever” label on anything they make, but after witnessing the show myself, I can tell that Aminé is on a mission to leave his fans referring to this tour in the same manner.
Florida rapper 454 was responsible to get the show started for the night, and he did have a couple moments where he got the crowd hyped up. His biggest moment actually came with his set closer, which had a warmer vibe and a bit of a Pop aesthetic, a dynamic that got the crowd to raise their hands wildly.
Next up was AJ Tracey. The British rapper was completely new to me but my photog friend @veesanders had given me a heads up that this guy was dope and that he was. The audience was quite receptive of his performances and made his case for Grime to have a greaterpresencestateside.
Finally, Aminé hit the stage and the Aragon Ballroom erupted. The Portland rapper has been growing into a star and this was an excellent venue to showcase that. His stage setup was like a 3-D collage of some of the most significant and identifying things in his life, like a tagged up Albert Market convenience store facade, a giant sculpture of his dog Oliver, a mini Rose Garden arena screen, and miniature replica of Broadway Bridge.
The first thing that stood out from this show was his crowd work, establishing a “You’re beautiful / I know” call-and-response early on that kept fans engaged throughout the show. He got his fans cheering for a wide range of comments, like when he spoke into the mic asking them to “make some noise for my depressed ass” after talking about buying cheap chicken.
You can also feel just how much he’s grown as a performer. Before playing “SHINE” he asked the crowd, “Is this worth your money? You know we sold out right” and then delivered a fiery performance. Other highlights included dope renditions of “BLACKJACK,” “Charmander,” and “Heebiejeebies,” which ended with the crowd singing the final chorus.
At one point Aminé changed his outfit and came out in Bulls jersey, which we all ate up. He also took a moment to highlight how this was his 3rd show rocking his so-called tour pants, which he wears for all his concerts of the tour and gets someone from the crowd to sign the designated state. He took a photo together with the fan and had the rest of the crowd send her off with a “you’re beautiful, Jasmine.”
The best part of the night was undoubtedly the final 5 tracks of the set, from the energetic “REDMERCEDES” interpolating some of “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” to the campy 1-2 punch of “Spice Girl” followed by a cover of a he eponymous group’s hit “Wannabe.” My personal fave “Caroline” was lit too.
Aminé is a bonafide star now. Was this The Best Tour Ever? I can say this much: you’ll have a tough time if you try convincing this crowd that it isn’t.
