Georgia rapper and psychedelic rock artist Lil Yachty performed at The Sylvee on Nov. 4 as part of the North American leg of his “The Field Trip Tour” to support his latest album.
The album, “Let’s Start Here,” is a psych-rock album inspired by bands like Pink Floyd and indie artists like Alex G and Mac Demarco. Released in January of this year, the album saw Yachty shy away from the sound of some of his latest albums and revert back to his original sound.
The sudden change in sound is representative of Yachty maturing as an artist, and its success is an example of his mastery across genres.
Yachty’s label signees, The Concrete Boys — featuring rappers Camo, Moe, Draft Day and Karrahbooo — accompanied him at The Sylvee. Their music was very reminiscent of Yachty’s classic trap sound — booming 808’s, hard-hitting snares, rattling hi-hats, glittering soul samples and piano melodies.
New York indie rock artist Nick Hakim also supported Yachty. There was an overwhelming sense of relief in the audience when Hakim played his slow ballads as the crowd was inundated by the mosh pit-inducing trap of The Concrete Boys. His songs were minimalist in the sense that all of the accompaniment, whether it be drums or guitar, was there to highlight his wide vocal range.
A psychedelic intro transported the audience into a psychedelic world that perfectly encompassed the world of “Let's Start Here.” The first song of the evening, “drive ME crazy!” showed the artistic prowess of his backing band. For someone who is known for rapping, Yachty utilizes his voice perfectly on songs that contain melodic vocal runs.
His backup singers left the audience speechless after Yachty took a step out of the spotlight and made way for their spectacular solos. The first set of the night concluded with the band beautifully covering Phil Collins’ 1981 hit “In The Air Tonight.”
When his band cleared the stage, Yachty trotted back out to his 2023 single “Solo Steppin’ Crete Boy.” The crowd that had been calmly dancing to the psych-rock cuts was now violently pushing and jumping around. The sudden switch in attitude led to multiple audience members having to be escorted off the floor by security.
The second setlist consisted of songs that spanned his career, which started in 2016. Old hits like 2016’s “One Night” and “Broccoli” withstood the test of time as the crowd sang along.
Yachty also paid tribute to his late friend Juice WRLD, who died in 2019, by holding a moment of silence before playing their collaborative song “Yacht Club” off Yachty’s 2018 mixtape, “Nuthin’ 2 Prove.”
Near the end of the night, the showstopper “the BLACK seminole” left the crowd awestruck. The guitar solo and vocal solo once again demonstrated Yachty’s ability to transition effortlessly between genres.
“The Field Trip Tour” was an example of a growing and maturing Yachty. His days of rapping over his own songs are over. We now see a talented musician who is capable of enunciating his own raps with efficiency while also singing along with psychedelic rock anthems.
