A little less than two weeks ago I was fortunate enough to see the “DIY pioneer” live in concert aka Russ!

I was highly anticipating this concert and was looking forward to seeing him live ever since I started listening to him. In my opinion, I feel like I started listening to Russ way too late but all in all, happy I actually do!

Russ’ story is what really got to me and to be more specific it was this particular interview below with Rob Markman. View it if you want to learn more about the artist.

Now with this review it just breaks down the experience and if I would recommend you seeing him live or not. This concert experience was even more interesting because I went with a buddy who actually never listened to Russ before. He wanted to come with me for the concert after I told him about his story and played him a couple of tracks if you wanted to just watch a recap from the concert see below.

The Merch

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Urban Outfitters. NYC. Tomorrow. See you there New York 👀

A post shared by RUSS (@russ) on Jun 2, 2018 at 2:05pm PDT

Doors open at 7, Russ comes out at 9pm. The line up at 6:30pm? All the way around the building.

It was absolutely insane but it just goes to show the impact he has. One of the reasons to get to the venue early is so that you can get in line early to buy some merchandise and gear. Although Russ sells some great pieces online, it’s hard to find any apparel in retail stores. Therefore, I definitely wanted to get a tour shirt but only if it looked right even if it may be priced a bit higher.

As seen above, Russ stopped by an Urban Outfitters in New York City while on tour to sign various things for fans. Urban Outfitters is the only retailer to carry the merchandise especially those items featured as it was the merch exclusive to the tour. The different articles of clothing produced are great, visually appealing and the quality is not bad either. Stay tuned to see what I decided to buy on a future post.

Venue

Firstly, if you don’t follow Russ on Twitter, you should really start. In addition to his motivational tweets, he also shares recaps of his concerts and they look amazing! It’s mainly smaller venues but it’s always packed.

Russ has travelled the world and has done sold out shows worldwide but to have his own show at the Air Canada Centre was a surprise and a big accomplishment for the artist.I was shocked when I first got the tickets but i was still excited to see how it goes.

The seating arrangement and set up for the concert was awkward to say the least. It was dope to have a general admission, but based on the ticket I chose I thought it would be closer to the stage or have a better view based on the prior concerts I went to. It was disappointing at first, but I was still able to see Russ and hear him perform. For this one, the best seats in the house was general admission but with the performance and crowd activity… every seat was solid.

The Performance

*I apologize for how awkward I look/am. I am still getting used to the camera…*

This is the most important part of going to a concert. You can have amazing songs on repeat but if you can’t perform well, that’s not going to help your career and you probably won’t have the same admiration for that artist as you did before.

Russ is one hell of a performer. I remember when I first saw that interview above and decided to listen to Russ, I asked people for suggestions. I was blown away by how many people listened to Russ and how different they were. When responding and conversing with them about him some told me about how good he was, and it’s something you don’t want to miss.

If you don’t believe me click the video above to see a 360 degree video (you can move the screen and watch from different angles) to the see how engaged the audience really was!

Boy were they right. Although I felt so far away and awkwardly standing, it totally slipped out of my mind once he started to perform. The energy was crazy as the call and response with the audience was one of the highest I witnessed in all the different concerts I have attended. Another awesome part of his live show was that I actually appreciated more of his songs; songs that I didn’t listen to before that I now enjoy.

The Crowd

The crowd was fairly young, I’ll be honest at times I felt out of place. Nevertheless, music is universal and age shouldn’t ever restrict you as long as the music being produced resonates with you.

Almost everyone stood for the entire set, singing a long or just vibing to the music. It is awesome to see that because that energy alone provides to the overall experience of the concert and the musical impact.

The Pricing

The pricing was fairly reasonable. As mentioned before, although the stage set up was awkward it still wasn’t bad. I couldn’t recall the pricing overall but for my ticket in the first section behind general admission (section 100s) it was in the range of $70 I believe.

Overall? Should You Go?

Yes! Absolutely if you love hip hop and rap or if you just enjoy someone who’s persevered and worked tirelessly to push himself on top despite the negativity.

Merchandise: ˜˜Awesome but a bit pricy.

Venue: Great venue, stage set up should be better for all attendees. Still not bad.

Performance: Sets the stage. Puts his heart out. Will love to see how his performance will grow.

Crowd: Awesome interaction. Contributes to the energy Russ gives.

Pricing: Really affordable, and still a great.

I had a great time at the show and I would highly suggest checking him out the next time he comes by! For more make sure you subscribe to the blog and YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj2V8y_MscaNSipIZya7JBQ