Photo credit Observatory O.C.
Fans went wild as they danced, jumped, and pushed each other around in circles when the famous beat played in the background, singing along, “Pull up to the scene with the ceiling missin’!”
But that was at the concert’s peak. At 7pm, on Thursday, February 20th, crowds had only slowly begun to filter into the small building after passing through security, as they anxiously awaited the Grammy-nominated rap artist 2Chainz at the Observatory O.C. in Santa Ana for his nationwide “2 Good to be T.R.U.” tour.
The doors were opened quite early for such a small venue, but it seemed to be all the more enticing for the fans to have an up-close and personal interaction with the rapper. “The Observatory is not a huge place where big concerts normally are, so it gives you a much more personalized experience,” says regular concert-goer Megan Ahmad, 19.
The opening artist, equally renowned rapper Pusha T, was not scheduled to perform until 8 pm, so several DJs took part in trying to keep the audience engaged as more and more people kept streaming in. Unsatisfyingly, this portion of the concert set a very mediocre atmosphere for the rest of the performance. The DJs were clearly stalling, repetitively asking trivial questions like “Who here went to middle school in California?” And to top off, the sound system was not good quality, so the music compared to listening to the radio.
But soon enough, the real concert began. There was a great shift in the atmosphere, where the lights dimmed and the sound boomed throughout the entire building. The venue was packed by now—people were ready to start the show, and the concert finally seemed ready for the audience, too.
The first act was supposed to be Pusha T, but a mysterious figure approached the small stage instead. It turned out that a surprise opener had been scheduled: hip hop and R&B singer August Alsina. Girls swooned at his melodic voice and handsome looks, and even screamed out “I love you!” multiple times. Performing his hits like “I Luv this Shit,” the concert was already beginning to fulfill its expectations, making up for the initial stalling.
Next, Pusha T took over and riled up the crowd with his charisma and powerful rap flow. With his slick verses and clever rhymes, fans chanted “All hail King Push” throughout his performance. During his famous song “Sweet Serenade,” Alsina also chimed in, to fill in for Chris Brown’s original singing in the chorus. But there seemed to be no difference between the harmony in Brown’s voice and Alsina’s, allowing the experience to be as authentic as possible.
And finally, at approximately 9:30pm, the lights dimmed, the building quieted, and a tall, built figure with long hair walked up to the stage. Slowly the lights turned brighter, revealing enormous, sparkly gold chains and jewelry on the figure. The crowd went absolutely berserk, knowing that it was none other than the star of the show himself: 2Chainz.
Instead of a traditional verbal introduction, a video was projected on the stage. It had a complete theatrical effect, featuring 2Chainz as if he was in a movie, giving an incredible build-up to his performance. He then began singing items from his latest album Based on a T.R.U. Story (B.O.A.T.S.) II: #METIME such as “Fork” and “Netflix,” and then transitioned to his most popular songs, including “I’m Different” and “Birthday Song.” He entertained his fans for a good two hours, leaving them extremely content with the performance.
Before ending the concert, he engaged in a short, personal speech to his fans. He told them that since the start 2014, he has refused to do any public interview, so he relies on fans to communicate messages about his latest endeavors. Currently, he is working on a movie, a third album, as well as creating a new record company.
He thanked his fans for coming out, put on a robe, and confidently walked off the stage with as much swagger anyone could ever imagine. Crowds cheered and applauded, showing their clear satisfaction for the performance as a whole. Several even lingered until security had to tell them to leave, as they were in such a deep state of awe. It “T.R.U.ly” was a night to remember.