Arts

Show review: Roddy Rich performs in Chicago

Roddy Rich performing at The Patio Theater in Chicago. Jasmine Franklin/The Gramblinite

Standing outside in freezing 30 degree weather was totally worth it seeing one of my favorite rappers, Roddy Ricch, perform his hit single “The Box” three times at The Patio Theatre in Chicago.

On Monday, Feb. 10, I had the chance to see the Grammy-award winning artist in concert.

I will be honest, I had not started heavily listening to Ricch until a few months ago when I heard the song ‘The Box.’ I instantly fell in love and knew I had to see him perform it live. Ricch is one of the biggest artists out right now in the rap industry.

I arrived at the theatre at approximately 4:15 p.m., a little over two hours before doors were set to open. I made sure to get there early because I knew there would be a line. As I expected, there was already a line wrapped around the building. Some of his security guards said people had been waiting there for hours before. Many people in line had blankets covering themselves from the extreme cold winds. 

It was so cold that at one point, I could not feel my feet, however, I knew I had to push through to see Ricch. The doors were set to open at 6:30 p.m., but they ended up opening about 20 minutes late.

I walked in, was checked by security, got my ticket scanned off my phone, and I was in! I made my way to the front of the theatre. After about 30 minutes, the theatre was almost full. The theatre capacity is about 1,500, and the show was sold out. 

The show started with an opening act from artist, Cuuhraig, a Compton native like Ricch. He performed a few of his songs including “Cha Cha,” “Working,” and “True Story,”. 

Next, Ricch’s DJ,  “Xslapz,” came out and got the crowd hype with a few songs before Ricch took over the stage. 

Ricch came out at 9 p.m. and started his performance with his song “Intro” off his album Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial.

Next, he got the crowd hype with his hit song “The Box.” The crowd screamed along to the hit single that has been in the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for weeks. 

People were pushing forward to get closer to the stage, and I could barely move my arms to take a video on my phone because we were packed so tightly. 

After performing several songs from his last album, he performed some songs off his second studio album Feed Tha Streets II including his hit single “Die Young.”

The Compton native also paid tribute to Nipsey Hussle in his show as he performed their song “Racks in the Middle.”

Ricch ended his show performing “The Box.”The set incorporated flickering green lights and smoke. 

Ricch left the stage and thanked his supporters for a good show. “This is my first time in Chicago, and I just want to let everyone know I appreciate all of the support. Thank you for coming out.”

The stage set went blank and everyone began to turn around to leave the theatre when Ricch came back out and performed “The Box” for a final time. 

The Roddy Ricch concert was definitely one of the best concerts I have attended in my life. He had good energy throughout the entire performance and also incorporated some songs from his previous albums. I would give the concert a 10/10 review and would pay to see him live again. 

Once the show was over, I headed to the back area outside the theatre where his tour bus was leaving from,  along with a few other fans, in an attempt to get a signature from the artist.

There were about ten of us in total however, Ricch did not acknowledge us as he got into the Mercedes van. I do believe he could have taken a few moments to wave and even sign a couple of posters. 

Other than that he did an outstanding job and I am looking forward to hearing new music from him in the future.