Diego Hernandez
Audio By Carbonatix
Dave Blunts’ first Dallas show began between a downtown elevator shaft’s fifth and sixth floors.
Hours before his April 30 concert, Blunts was trapped in an elevator in Dallas. While waiting for rescue, he went live on Instagram, alternating between jokes, sighs and an almost disarmingly calm demeanor.
“Dallas off to a strong start,” he posted with deadpan charm. But the moment captured something deeper: Blunts’ rising stardom is less about high-gloss rollouts and more about existing in real-time, even when that time is stuck in a metal box.
When showtime came, the energy in the Cambridge Room at the House of Blues buzzed with anticipation. Instead of a dramatic entrance, the audience was treated to a full playthrough of Kanye West’s unreleased track “Cousins” blasting from the house speakers.
Blunts co-wrote the song, and its inclusion felt like a statement because of how controversial the lyrics are, as Kanye claims he had an incestuous relationship with his cousin. Though the song remains unofficial, it has become mythic online, and fans recognize the gesture.
Then, as the final notes of “Cousins” faded out, Dave Blunts strolled onto the stage and made his way to a couch at center stage. He sat, nodded to the crowd and let out a familiar drawl: “Yeah… yeah yeah yeah yeah.” It was the same vocal warm-up he used to begin nearly every song of the night-less an affectation than a signature, like a bluesman clearing his throat before testifying.
Blunts stayed seated for most of his hourlong set, only standing three times: once early on, once halfway through, and once again near the end, when he briefly teased a stage dive. Each time he rose, the crowd responded as if it were the first time they had seen a human being stand upright. Blunts hold that kind of presence-low energy but high gravity.
The early stretch of the show included a fan-favorite, “10 Percs,” which prompted a chant of “We Love Dave!” from the front rows. “Honeybuns” followed, and “The Cup” sparked a full-blown mosh pit.
That might sound strange for a seated rapper who often raps over melancholic synths, but the emotional weight of his delivery lands like percussion. His fans do not just nod their heads-they throw their bodies.
That energy shifted with “Crying in the Kitchen,” a more subdued cut that momentarily paused the moshing. Blunts, unfazed, stayed in the pocket, unfurling verses with precision.
The night was not without humor. During “Tired of Being a Simp,” two audience members near the back were overheard whispering that the song was “ass,” while others near the front sang along passionately. Blunts never acknowledged the division, content to let the music speak for itself.
Meanwhile, the rapper’s crew, all dressed in matching “FUCK SOLAR” merch, shouted the exact phrase between nearly every track. It became a running mantra-part rallying cry, part inside joke. Whether aimed at a label, a group, or an industry figure, it added to the chaotic irreverence surrounding the show.
Then came “WW3,” a leaked West track he rapped along to.
Dave Blunts’ decision to close his Dallas set with a cover of “WW3” was as provocative as it was deliberate.
The song, part of West’s unreleased album that has an unprintable name, has been at the center of significant controversy due to its explicit antisemitic lyrics and embrace of Nazi imagery. Lyrics discussing “Nazis” and references to reading Mein Kampf before sleep have drawn widespread condemnation.
Blunts, who has publicly claimed to have written the entirety of West’s next album, performed the track without any commentary, leaving his intentions open to interpretation.
He closed with “Clap for Me,” then paused. The crowd expected him to leave the stage, but he did not move. The encore had already happened, and Blunts was done.
There was no overstatement, no bow. Just a couch, a finger wag, and the slow fadeout and departure of the stage from him.
One hour, no theatrics, no stage dive. And still, it felt legendary. You do not have to leave the couch to make the room move-not if you are Dave Blunts.