In late 2022 the band announced the US leg of their world tour, and fans were shocked at the sudden announcement, including me. Death Grips have always kept a low profile since their debut so I knew I had to attend this one, because who knows if they'll ever tour again. I bought my ticket as soon as the date was announced and it was well worth it.
I saw them just a few weeks ago, on August 12th, in the Fillmore's Charlotte venue. The venue is standing-room only so I knew if I wanted a good view I would need to make my way to the front, and while I wasn't completely successful, I still managed to get a decent spot. The show was supposed to begin at 8 but didn't actually start until about 9, which was quite an annoyance at the time but looking back it was well worth it.
When the show finally began, it was clear that my voyage to the front was pointless. The music began, the band came on stage, and complete chaos broke out. Everyone in the crowd moves as one in a wave-like motion, back and forth, back and forth constantly for the entirety of the show. There was punching, kicking, and lots of shoving happening as nobody could move at their own will, I even had a couple of bruises on my leg from the violent outbursts of people who made an attempt to escape.
On top of the insanity that ensued within the crowd, there was the blaring instrumental that filled the entire venue, along with MC Ride's screeching vocals. The volume of the room was so loud that each song sounded almost unrecognizable, this combined with the crowd's constant movement gave me a feeling of lightheadedness. From that point (which was about 4 songs in out of the entire 22-song setlist) I couldn't wait for the show to be over. Now this isn't to say that I wasn't enjoying myself, Death Grips are amazing performers and I was so glad to be there, but I also wanted to make sure I didn't pass out.
About halfway through the show I managed to land a spot toward the back where it was more tame, in order to catch my breath. This made the show a lot more enjoyable as I even got the chance to record some of my favorite moments.
Once the show came to an end, I was on my last breath and covered in sweat. I limped back to my car while my ears rang loudly, accompanied by the dissonant background chatter that I heard from the crowd. The ringing continued for two days and I felt as though my hearing was slowly disappearing.
Death Grips are incredible performers and overall a fantastic band, but their show seemed to be a little much for me. This is the first real moshpit I've ever been in and it was a wild one, I'd rather stick to jumping in a place like I usually do at concerts. That being said, I would 1000% do it again.
Despite almost dying, I give my concert experience a 9/10.
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