Tour Review: The Hype Tour
This past Wednesday, I had the pleasure of covering Hoodie Allen's World Tour in support of his new album, The Hype. On Thanksgiving Eve, the tour came through The Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD and featured two openers, Myles Parrish and Luke Christopher. Each act really brought a different aspect to what came together to be one big party of a show.
Myles Parrish was up first, and from the moment he came out you could tell that he absolutely loved every second of his set. With tracks like "Cut A Rug", that made you feel like you were thrown into the Grease era, even people who had not heard his music before were engaged and dancing along, which really goes to show that he's out to make a first impression. Myles just released his first full length album, Vomac, in May of this year, and I highly suggest giving him a chance.
Luke Christopher came on next, and he had a range of songs that really showed he was out to make a name for himself. This was his first tour across the country, so he was basking in the excitement of being on the East coast as much as the fans were enjoying it. Throughout the length of his set, there were several fans who made it clear they were enjoying finally seeing the artist. Luke managed to keep everyone engaged through both upbeat and subdued songs, and you could tell that every word he sang meant the world to him. They all came from the heart and that was expressed throughout his entire performance. When it came time for his track "The Lights" an inspirational message to the audience stating that you can do "anything you set your mind to" was followed by a beautiful sea of cell phone lights. Luke's album, TMRWFRVR, came out in July, and I definitely recommend giving it a listen!
When it finally came time for Hoodie Allen to come out, he was introduced by an upbeat and electrifying entrance by his band. They played him in to a shortened version of "Believe" off of Allen's newest album, The Hype, and the party only continued from there. Over the entire set, songs from nearly every album that Hoodie has put out were featured in the setlist. These songs were voted on before the start of tour by the fans, and you could tell that he was excited to have such a variety to play. The crowd was completely involved from the second Hoodie stepped out on stage, and because of this Allen and his band threw an extra 3 songs into their set.
For songs like "Champagne and Pools" which originally features blackbear, and "All About It" which originally features Ed Sheeran, Allen called upon the crowd to fill in the guests spots, and the crowd was more than willing to help out. It was unbelievable watching the smiles on Hoodie's face while performing, and you could tell that he was living the dream.
After so my hype from the crowd throughout every song in the set, we reached what was referred to as the "bangers" portion of the setlist, and it seemed like everyone got even more rowdy than before. No matter what song was played, everyone was totally into it, and it was great to see such support for an artist who has made so much progress without the help of a record label.
This show was mesmerizing to watch, and every single act on the tour package is one that I would recommend seeing live at some point. They all put out such amazing music, but nothing will ever beat the energy of a live show.
You can check out a full gallery from the show HERE.