Concert Review: Odd Future At Terminal 5

Three weeks into Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All’s WOLF GANG National Tour and frontman Tyler, the Creator said the unexpected. “I’m not gonna lie, I’m exhausted as fuck. Bare with me.” For the controversial, provocative and foul-mouthed Tyler, to have him admit his dwindling energy was one small thing. Compared to watching the ringleader and Hodgy Beats jump from the second floor balcony into a sea of fans, then continue with stage dives and aggressive-fueled dancing afterwards was another.

Tyler may be exhausted at this point, but Odd Future shows are more than these displays of youthful enthusiasm. It has turned into a massive cult following, reaching mostly rebellious teenagers who will do anything in order to be recognized as part of the L.A. crew. Take for instance, a kid who wore a panda mask jumping from the same place Tyler and Hodgy did. Their response? They pointed and laughed.

The announcement of Odd Future’s fourth show at Terminal 5 in New York City has been sold out, offering proof of their rising starpower. This dark and hallow venue was filled with a bunch of eager kids ready to kill people, burn shit and fuck school. Thankfully, they didn’t do this in the literal sense, but it was more or less in the same vein. To watch the crowd chanting “Wolf Gang,” pushing themselves to the point of shoulder-to-shoulder and growing restless by screaming “Start the show” before they took the stage drives this point about Odd Future: The competition that night was slim for another collective living in the moment.

Since Odd Future’s first show in L.A., the hype machine has grown into their performances capturing the same feeling of a punk rock show. Riotous records like MellowHype’s “64,” a sub-group that features the lyrical flurry of Hodgy Beats and Tyler’s “Translyvania,” were muddled with distortions as they shouted their lyrics. Together with the heavy output of a booming bassline through the speakers, the experience wasn’t judged by the quality of sound. It was just more ammunition for the crowd to wildly jump, furiously head bang, form circle pits, crowd surf and direct middle fingers to the nearest person.

Odd Future was at its best when they played their menacing tracks. Of course, their interruptions between songs also gave a small glimpse of just how intimate this crew really was. Inside jokes, grew into more inside jokes. Goofy banter between the crew always consisted of at least one comedic jab at Jasper Dolphin. A kid swinging a lightersaber at everyone and stoner Domo Genesis expressing his love for marijuana had all come with the ticket price. Every member of Odd Future had a microphone and all were vying for attention. But Mike G, who was the group’s secret weapon, stood out with his laid back flow. His smooth raps shined on “Everything That’s Yours” and “A Million and One Answers,” serving as slowed down break amidst all the chaos.

Even though Odd Future has their hype kicked into overdrive, it doesn’t stop Tyler’s on-stage antics from being entertaining. Out of all of his members, he still possesses the power to command a crowd on his own. “Yonkers” off his second album Goblin, which shot him to Internet stardom, was reluctantly performed. “I fucking hate this song,” he said. Despite his words of disapproval, he performed the song just for Mike G. Another performance was “Bastard,” in which he did his signature moves (eyes rolled back, etc.) with every unsettling rhyme.

While Odd Future did its best to keep the spirit of Earl Sweatshirt alive, its songs like their mash-up of MellowHype’s “F666 The Police” that faded into “Bitch Suck Dick,” which ratcheted the intensity of the crowd. Past Earl songs (“Orange Juice” and “Drop”) did the same, but it didn’t match the evening’s last song, “Radicals.” With a final burst of energy from Odd Future and their affiliates – which included more stage dives from everyone — left the audience reeling.

As Tyler and Co. left NYC to shouts of “Encore show,” everyone eventually marched outside into the rainy weather. Condensed in barricades to prevent them from spilling onto the streets, the sounds of chatter about the show meant the last thing on their mind was exhaustion.