In the fortnight leading up to Future’s highly anticipated Brisbane performance (25 February), the show was unfortunately struck by multiple daggers.
The venue was first downsized from The Riverstage to Eatons Hill Hotel; support act Young Thug next failed to secure an Australian visa, forcing his withdrawal.
Though despite the gig copping two substantial blows, Future wore the brunt well with an amicable and hefty audience still turning out to support his solo set.
DJ Esco warmed the crowd before the international hip hop artist made a modest entrance launching into ‘Draco’, swiftly transitioning into ‘Rent Money’, then ‘Super Trapper’.
The piercing, techno riff of 2013 track ‘Karate Chop’ sparked resounding recognition as energy levels kicked up a gear; a couple of covers failed to slow the crowd’s frantic disposition, heightened further with a handful of 2014/ 15 favourites.
The set’s pace eased as ‘Trap Niggaz’ surfaced, t’was back-to-back ‘DS2’ tracks with ‘Stick Talk’. ‘Lay Up’ preceded another handful of covers (including ‘Blasé’ and ‘Jumpman’) before Future silently exited the stage.
Despite DJ Esco’s impressive capabilities at crowd hyping the atmosphere fell a little flat; Future eventually returned and broke the chain of early releases with 2017’s ‘I’m So Groovy’, ‘HNDRXX’ then making its debut with ‘Comin Out Strong’.
The mood began to lift with 2016’s ‘Wicked’, iconic piano riff of ‘Used To This’ amplifying the audience further. The Weeknd’s vocals weren’t missed during the melodic musings of ‘Low Life’, nor Lil Wayne in ‘F#$% Up Some Commas’.
‘March Madness’ served as a decent segue to fan favourite ‘Mask Off’. It was exhilarating, hearing so many mouths chant the chorus, ‘Percocets, molly percocets!’ belted in perfect unison.
In an honourable ode to Young Thug, Future closed the set with his track ‘Relationship’, offering genuine praise to his Australian listeners (“I love and respect my fans, I truly do”) before sweeping off stage without an encore.
I certainly didn’t expect the set list to be so saturated with early hits; his self-titled album from 2017 made a few appearances but ‘HNDRXX’ was rarely utilised. It makes me wonder whether the decision to boycott the lesser-known, new releases was made primarily to please his fans.
Future comfortably rapped every song from start to finish. This left little room for interaction with the audience, though when he did communicate it felt particularly impactful, almost meaningful.
Hyping the crowd was executed brilliantly by DJ Esco, who only failed to maintain the high intensity when (understandably) Future exited halfway through.
One COULD presume, due to lack of banter, the rapper takes himself too seriously, but I strongly disagree. He was flanked by back-up dancers, both cheeky and provocative, each providing ceaseless entertainment without stealing the limelight from the star who instead walked the stage, locking eyes with his avid listeners.
Looking back, his set surprised me in multiple ways, though unlike the disappointing setbacks pre-show these surprises were immensely positive.
Future comfortably asserted himself as an artist who will always attract a devoted audience (support act or not), and more importantly, reminded us that he’s a rapper who deserves one.
