Brockhampton at Terminal 5
By Katie Zepf
Last week (10/24), Texas hip hop collective Brockhampton swept through NYC, selling out three shows at Terminal 5 and making a guest appearance on The Tonight Show. Calling themselves the ”best boy band since One Direction”, the collective is comprised of 14 members including producers, designers, and no fewer than six vocalists (Kevin Abstract, Matt Champion, Merlyn Wood, Dom McLennon, Russell “Joba” Boring, and Ciarán “Bearface” McDonald) each of whom brings a unique sound to the group, whether it be through rapping, singing, or both.
Brockhampton started their set on a relatively subdued note with “WEIGHT” from 2018's iridescence, their first release on RCA Records, then continued with more upbeat selections from their 2017 albums SATURATION, SATURATION II, and SATURATION III. Gushing enthusiasm throughout the two-hour show, it was clear how passionate both group and the fans are about this music.
This show had much more of an arena feel than other concerts I've seen at Terminal 5. Several times throughout the performance, Abstract directed fans to form intense mosh pits near the front of the stage, where multiple cameramen stood, projecting images of the band on a Jumbotron behind the stage. Turning the cameras on the audience stoked the crowd as they saw themselves projected on the giant screen. Between songs, clips from the band’s documentary, The Longest Summer in America, were shown, giving fans a glimpse of what went into the making of iridescence.
Towards the end of their set, the group slowed things down again with “SAN MARCOS”, with all of the members lying down to the reflective lyrics “I want more out of life than this”. They returned for an encore with an extended rendition of the much more upbeat “BOOGIE”, complete with confetti drop and a guest appearance from actor Ansel Elgort.
Brockhampton is currently finishing off the North American leg of their tour this month with west coast shows in Seattle, Vancouver, Boise, California, and Vegas.