Listen, I know I’m extremely late to this post. (This event was on October 11.) But, this blog is new so just pretend we’ve gone a month back in time. I’m a long time Alchemist fan, so obviously this show was a must-attend for me. I was excited to see everyone that was going to be there. However, I hadn’t yet fallen in love with Navy Blue (Sage Elsesser) until this night. Now let me just say, my lack of love for him was in no way due to his music or capabilities. I just hadn’t heard enough about him up until that point. I just had yet to take that deep dive past the Earl Sweatshirt features and into his solo path.
About a month or so before attending Alchemist & Friends I had listened to his newest album, Memoirs in Armour. I’m not sure that I really heard it though. Until this night. As I’m writing this I feel like it sounds like a diss and that’s the farthest thing from the truth. Sometimes you listen to something and it just didn’t hit you yet. That’s what happened here.
When I first heard Memoirs in Armour I was driving around running some errands. Maybe I was distracted, maybe it’s that it’s a relatively short album. I can’t put my finger on why I let this one slide through my brain without holding onto it. This night, from the moment he hit the stage I was in a trance. This man had me hooked.
The last song he played “La Noche” he had asked everyone to hum the tune to the beat at the end of the song. I was humming it the whole song, and the whole way to the car at the end of the night. Maybe it’s a good thing I’m writing this so late. Otherwise, I wouldnt be able to say just how many times I’ve listened to this album since. It borders on a line of excessive.
All this to say, I’m in a transitional point in my life currently, and this album(and listening to him speak on this album) really resonated with me. I wish I heard it earlier but I’m so happy I attended that show if for no other reason than to get a chance to connect with a piece of music that I may come back to for as long as I live.
I don’t want to leave this article without also giving credit to the other greats in attendance at this concert. There were amazing performances all night from Roc Marciano, Armand Hammer, Alchemist, & Earl Sweatshirt. There were also some pretty cool appearances by Boldy James, Pink Siifu, Zelooperz & more. I hope to keep seeing more of these & friends style shows lately.
Scusie. November 12, 2024.
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