By Parker Rice
Danny Brown’s newest album Stardust came from a period of pivotal change for the Detroit rapper. As he went into rehab in 2023, Danny Brown was considering quitting music altogether. But what brought him a newfound love for music was not from the rap he came from, but from the hyperpop scene with musicians like 100 gecs and underscores. This renewed spark laid the groundwork for what would become Stardust: a focused reinvention and natural progression of Danny Brown’s work, filled with explosive EDM bangers and an all-star cast of collaborators. And there really was no better showing of this artistic progression than his live performance at San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom from the Stardust Tour.
femtanyl & underscores
Leading up to Danny Brown’s set, the two openers wonderfully set the stage for the night. femtnayl’s set was first, and really was what started the energy in the crowd. With heavy drums and no break in the speed, her momentum stayed strong for her entire performance. A real highlight had to be hearing “KATAMARI” live, where the distortion in the instrumental sounded perfectly heavy and contrasted femtanyl’s undistorted vocals to make the song feel renewed. ISSBROKIE also made a surprise appearance so they could perform their collab single “NASTYWERKKKK!” together!
After femtanyl was underscores, and everyone in the audience was ecstatically anticipating this performance. Currently in the rollout for her third album, fans have been waiting for anything and everything new from her. And as the logos and phrases from her past two albums flashed onto the screen, the upside down headphones phased in as she began her set with “Point A”. I knew going into this concert that underscores usually has visuals alongside her performances, but the video curation alongside her songs elevated the whole show to another level. Especially for her new songs, as it allowed the minimalist and bright visual palette to leave a lasting impression (“Music” sounded especially great live!). Towards the end of underscores’ performance she talked about how San Francisco was her home town, and that being able to perform at the Regency Ballroom was coming full circle for her. The whole performance was a great highlight through and through.
Danny Brown
Both of these openers were amazing, and by far the best way to lead into the material Danny Brown was now about to perform. As Danny Brown walked onto stage, he stepped onto a platform with a cube frame constructed around him. As the cube lit up and Danny Brown began with “Starburst”, he was truly deep in his element. Especially for every new song from Stardust, he kept his focus razor sharp and his vocals clear. Going into “Lift You Up”, many of the strengths of these songs were shining brighter than ever. Blaring the beat so loudly I could feel it in my chest, and the entire crowd moving alongside the song, you could assume that these songs were almost made with the sole purpose of being their best in that exact moment.
But even beyond the new material, Danny Brown’s old songs in the setlist worked better than I could have imagined too! Danny Brown’s energy has always been one of the most powerful parts of his work, it’s what makes XXX an incredibly fun listen on car speakers and the heavier desperation in Atrocity Exhibition land that much more. Surrounded by all the electronica and the feeling in the crowd, his entire discography felt right at home. Towards the end of his older songs came bar none my favorite moment of the night, which was when Danny Brown performed “Ain’t It Funny”, “SCARING THE HOES” and Jane Remover’s “Psychoboost” all in a row. I somehow survived in the mosh pit throughout that entire stretch, and I think that moment might be my favorite out of any live show I have ever been to. These were three of my favorite songs of his, all from three different fantastic albums, and Danny Brown did them all justice.
Following his older work was the second batch of songs from Stardust, all of which included the featured artists live alongside Danny Brown. ISSBROKIE came back on stage to perform her verse on “Whatever The Case” (the very first time this song was performed live!), femtanyl was great on “1l0v3myl1f3!”, and underscores really stole the show for her performances on both “Copycats” and “Baby”. Considering the experience of listening to Stardust is very influenced by all of the many collaborators that worked with Danny Brown, being able to experience that part of the album in these live songs was an amazing way to wind down the show. As Danny Brown concluded with “All4u” and the cube powered off, I was left feeling nothing else but starstruck.