“Rule No. 1: Are you ready to rage? And Rule No. 2: If you’re scared, get the fuck out,” he said during his opening set, a subtle warning to the uninitiated to move to the back of the room if they weren't ready to “open that shit up” and join the mosh pit.
Lil Uzi Vert is a progressive hip-hop star as much a singer as a rapper with pop and rock appeal. During an interview with 032c magazine this year, Lil Uzi Vert explained that the transition of changing their pronouns to they/them had nothing to do with bravery.
“No, I never hesitated,” the rapper said. “But I did take my time to learn as much as I could about this before I was able to proceed. Taking the time to figure out who you are is a big part of what it means to be alive.”
Lil Uzi Vert's is a name that doesn’t get mentioned enough among peers like Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, Lil Yachty and 21 Savage, but the artist has become a true pioneer in this hip-hop generation, having multiple flows and vocal versatility in a post-Soundcloud rap world. Aside from performing “Just Wanna Rock” at the Grammys and at the BET Awards' Hip-Hop 50 Tributes, the artist had the first No. 1 rap album on the Billboard 200 in 2023 with Pink Tape. In a year where rap feels boring and cookie-cutter, Lil Uzi Vert is always a significant draw at festivals and concerts because of their experimentation and authenticity.
So it wasn't surprising that on Wednesday night, the GA floor was already two-thirds full before Lil Uzi Vert's scheduled performance time, merch lines were starting to get long, and fans were wearing those spikey-haired Lil Uzi tour tees upon purchasing them.
After an hour's wait (which might have been intentional, to let the crowd chill people out and the room get packed to the rails), DJ PForReal announced special guest NGeeYL, who quickly hit the stage to perform “Off-White.” It was unnecessary to drag the night out longer for Lil Uzi's fanbase — who kept chanting the rapper's name every few songs to get them come out, even climbing poles for better view (although none succumbed to peer pressure by jumping off). YL was a good sport about the crowd’s lack of reaction, setting up the arrival of Lil Uzi Vert, who finally burst through the door of a city building replica with street art on an elevated platform and opened with “Suicide Doors.”
The stage setup for the Pink Tour shows Lil Uzi Vert’s appreciation for Japan and Japanese culture, referencing anime and featuring giant woman androids speaking to the crowd through a screen. It was Lil Uzi Vert’s playground to hop from one platform to another, all at different heights, and perform on top of a van where the DJ stood. The stage changed colors from pink and red to blue and white depending on the song’s mood, while the screen switched between volcanic eruptions, Tokyo-like cityscapes, UFOs, upside-down crosses with demon faces next to them, thunderstorms and a wormhole in the galaxy. This was trippy enough to keep the brain stimulated.
Lil Uzi Vert’s setlist was tight and full of impact, building up intensity and adrenaline when it mattered and bringing fans down for their lighter tracks. The artist rarely rapped every word in a song, letting fans do all the rapping. The smaller venue resulted in much more of a concentrated energy than that of an arena, which Lil Uzi noted before getting into “Amped Up.”
“Why don’t Lil Uzi Vert do big arenas?” the rapper said. “Because I’m not gonna be able to feel the energy like this if I do a big arena. They say, ‘Uzi you’re so big you should be doing big arenas like these other guys.’ Fuck that big arena shit!”
Considering Travis’ Circus Maximus Tour and Drake’s It's All a Blur Tour that stopped through the AAC in Dallas this year, maybe this was Lil Uzi Vert’s way of staying one step ahead of the competition. The larger room brought a Rolling Loud-like atmosphere that was at times chaotic, with people throwing shoes and sweaters. Both DJ PForReal and Lil Uzi Vert agreed, saying this was the most "turnt-up crowd" on the tour. When a futuristic robotic voice told fans to say “Thank you, Lil Uzi Vert,” their response was to go louder and harder.
After Lil Uzi Vert flexed that they had different eras in their career by performing older songs “Money Longer” and “Do What I Want,” they took a bag of Little Bites (the rapper's favorite) and a personalized note from a fan, who'd thrown these things on stage.
“Aye” and “Fire Alarm” really brought the crowd to another level, a testament to the visual and lighting effects that gave their songs the dynamite they needed. Pink Tape songs “Spin Again” and “Flooded the Face” sounded better in this environment, despite what critics have said about the new album being bloated and messy as a whole. Lil Uzi screamo songs are meant to be heard live, not through headphones and behind a desk."They say, ‘Uzi you’re so big you should be doing big arenas like these other guys.’ Fuck that big arena shit!” – Lil Uzi Vert
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Near the end of the show, Lil Uzi Vert showed vulnerability by speaking about their genuine love for fans.
“You gotta understand I know y’all hear this shit all the time from fucking a cap-ass celebrity, but I wouldn’t be nothing without y’all,” they said. “Because you gotta understand, I always push the opposite agendas of everything and y’all always stood behind me. Every time [the industry] told me ‘no,’ y’all told me ‘yes’ and y’all made me do good. And that’s why I told y’all that I love y’all so much tonight. I really do, and I mean it.”
But the artist would only be sentimental for a moment, getting back to the rage and ending with a bang. After performing their multi-platinum single “XO Tour Llif3,” they expressed why getting respect from their fans was so important.
“You know how many people used me; they disrespected me," Lil Uzi said. "They stole my whole style and I never gave a fuck. As long as I got y’all, we gonna keep this shit going."
They also teased another album, Luv Is Rage 3, which is on the way, before performing “Just Wanna Rock,” and slowly leading up to an epic dance breakout that had everyone pulling out their phones. The crowd was so good that Lil Uzi didn’t want to leave, even when the time together was almost up. They requested exit music, probably a first for a hip-hop show. “I love y’all so much,” the rapper said. “Bbyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeee!”
While “Myron” played, Lil Uzi Vert made their way to the door of the stage’s city building, still rapping. It looked like they were going to perform the whole song, turning around halfway through the door to finish the chorus to a crowd who wanted an encore. When the beat dropped and the first verse hit, Lil Uzi Vert said one more “let’s go!” before leaving.
It was the thank you the Dallas fans wanted, and the thank you Lil Uzi Vert needed to alleviate heartache.
