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03/24 J.I.D and Smino
at Fillmore Minneapolis
Tour Dates
Mar
25
Kansas City, MO, US
Arvest Bank Theatre
Mar 28 Cincinnati, OH, US Andrew J. Brady Music Center Mar 29 Nashville, TN, US Marathon Music Works Apr 19 Berlin, Germany Gretchen Apr 21 Antwerp, Belgium TRIX Apr 22 Paris, France Élysée Montmartre Apr 24 London, UK KOKO Apr 25 London, UK O2 Forum Kentish Town Apr 27 Dublin, Ireland The Button Factory Read More
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J.I.D and Smino brought their popular Luv is 4ever tour to Minneapolis on Saturday night. It was a sold out show with resale tickets toping at $200.00 for general admission. Still one brave soul snaked through the long lines outside the Fillmore asking if anyone had a spare ticket, like that was remotely possible.
Jordan Ward opened with a lively set as he bounced around the multi-tiered stage singing songs from his latest album Forward.
Growing up in St. Louis, Ward started off as a dancer, eventually moving to Los Angeles to become a backup dancer for musicians like Justin Bieber and Becky G. It was on those long tours with plenty of downtime that Ward started to work on the singing side of the industry.
Before his last song, Ward attempted to throw a concert t-shirt into the crowd to promote his merch. With an errant toss, the free giveaway ended up in the pit. “That’s why I went into music and not sports,” Ward joked as his second attempt was more successful.
Fellow St. Louis native Smino aka Christopher Smith Jr. next took the stage, sporting a Minnesota Vikings Shirt and ski goggles as if ready to spray champagne to celebrate the sold out show.
The crowd was an excited one with one person sending up a bouquet of flowers as Smino kicked off his set featuring songs from his latest album Luv 4 Rent, released by Motown in 2022.
With the expanse of the three-tier levels, most of the backup singers, musicians and DJ’s were mostly off stage , only venturing on for a vocal or guitar solo or just to hype Sminio as he tore through his lyrics.
Fun fact: Smino comes from a long line of musicians with his grandfather playing bass for the legendary Muddy Waters.
Fellow Zoink Gang member, J.I.D aka Destin Choice Route finished the evening with an hour plus set, prominently featuring music from his latest album, The Forever Story, which he has described as his origin story growing up in poverty in Atlanta, GA.
J.I.D is ridiculously talented and it is an absolute rush to see him live with his high-wire verbal wizardry spinning lyrics at a rate most hummingbirds flap their wings, especially with “Working Out” where he compares himself to a honey badger, letting you know it wasn’t just talent that got him to this sold out show.
It was the blistering lyrics and pounding beats that the fans came to see, but J.I.D let his fans know that he has bigger ambitions. You could already see the possibilities if you watch his NPR Tiny Desk concert, where he toned down the theatrics and gave a more soulful and jazz-filled sound.
The Forever Story is part of this journey and he even let the crowd know that he now had a personal favorite in “Kody Blue 31”:
And, uh, as I lay myself to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
The pressure makes me, the journey takes me
To places where history can't stop or break me
But J.I.D gave the crowd one last rush with “Stick” which caused the wall behind me to vibrate, giving the sensation that the whole venue may crumble.
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J.I.D at Fillmore, Minneapolis (24 Mar 2023) |
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