Right under your nose, and you probably missed it.
Upfront’s shouldn’t be overlooked at this point. Especially not Adult Swim’s. Last year, Kanye West showed up and gave such a memorable performance, attendees of that show were raving about it for months on end, and all indications are, the reaction to last nigh will be no different.
Overlooking a swank and lively setting at one of Manhattan’s most heralded show venues, the West Side’s Terminal 5, Outkast stood tall and defiant in all-black and with an air that hasn’t been seen in them for quite some time. Their act is battle tested–critics almost wrote them of after their highly publicized first reunion performance at Coachella in April didn’t quite go as planned–and last night, it was on full display. Opening up their anticipated set with “BOB”, ‘Kast flew through a very long list of their timeless classics, and even as their time on stage dwindled down and the crowd began jostling around either for another drink or for an exit, Big Boi reeled them all back in with a somewhat unexpected but absolutely stellar performance of one of his biggest Andre 3000-less hits, “Kryptonite”, which, may or may not have drawn the biggest crowd reaction of the night. Through and through, it was certainly my first time seeing Outkast perform live, and if this is merely an indicator of what’s to come next month at their headlining set at The Governor’s Ball, then NYC will be in for a treat.
P.S. – Shoutout to Questlove in attendance, that new The Roots album, …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is crazy. Congratulations!
