Back in August, Grieves dropped his first album in three years, Running Wild. Since then he’s been celebrating the release with an international tour across the States and Canada. On November 3rd, he came home to Seattle for a sold out show at the Crocodile.
It was a chilly, yet dry Friday night in Belltown. I rolled into the Croc as Dyme Def was opening up the night. The placed was already packed out. The crowd was lively too, constantly moving around. If an artist asked for participation, the crowd obliged.
The main support, who was joining Grieves for the second half of his tour was Prob Cause. A self-proclaimed nerdy electro infused emcee from Chicago. He has a heavy EDM influence that got the crowd dancing around. I was taken off guard when the dude proved he could spit. At one point, he went a cappella and started firing off these rapid staccato rhymes that caused a surge of energy through the crowd.
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As soon as the lights dimmed, the crowd started to shuffle towards the stage. It felt like being in a tin of sweaty, drunk sardines. It was evident that Grieves can transcend generations as people of all ages were waiting in anticipation. As he took his first steps onto the stage, a roar from the crowd filled the room.
“We’ve been on tour for two months, and I’ve been waiting two fucking months to come back home.”
-Grieves
Grieves has this charisma that covers the entire stage. His swagger causes you to lose yourself in the performance. He performed most of his new album with splashes of his classic old songs.
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During his performance he kept commenting on how incredible it is seeing the Seattle hip-hop scene blow up. He could recall his first show where hardly anybody showed up, and that was how the scene was. Now he’s selling out venues in his home town.
All of the featured artists from “Running Wild” were there to celebrate with Grieves. It’s incredible when artists truly appreciate the talent of another artist. They can set aside their ego and let the other artist take the spotlight for a verse or a hook. That’s how you build a strong community.
About halfway through his set, most of the lights dropped out. Bright white lights illuminated behind him, turning him into a shadow hidden behind a curtain of smoke. He might have been doing his song Faded. I was faded off a blunt, so I can’t quite remember. I was also lost in awe watching how the lighting created this beautiful visual to match the music.
Faded – Grieves
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