Leeds Arena
It's a family affair at Leeds Arena, with Rachael Anson (Stormzy sister) getting the crowd warmed up with her DJ set, before the absolute spectacular which was due to come.
The arena falls dark, the bass kicks in, lights a flashing and smoke high in the sky, dragging your eye to the top of the arena. A minute passes as the effects go on, the screen opens a tad and lights hit the sky to show Stormzy way above us all. Big Michael kicks in and the show begins, the lift slowly ascending to the stage below, which comes out into the arena with fans hanging to the barrier to finally able to get up close to one of Britons finest rappers.
Stormzy hits the stage, hanging back to finish Big Michael, before breaking into Audacity and coming bounding down the stage to screams of excitement from the crowd, working the corners, giving it his all, everyone is loving it. The screen above has expanded showing another behind, the visuals supporting the story telling of his rap are stunning. This is a real treat, a proper show, how concerts should be. For one man to showcase such a spectacular, it's an absolute testament to Stormzy artistic vision and delivery. This is the finest grime you will take on both vocally and visually.
After 'Audacity' Stormzy stands and soaks in the appreciation from the crowd, showing his appreciation with a huge smile and tapping his chest. Then he kicks right back into it with 'Know Me From' bounding down into the centre of the arena, with huge fireballs exploding out of the stage. Hard fast visuals matching the pace of the track. For some within the audience, it's clear it's most likely their first gig, future gigs will no doubt seems a little dull in comparison to this one.
Stomzy powers through his set list, taking a time out to repeatedly thanking the audience for holding on to their tickets, as it's been such a hard time for the industry. They'll be glad they did. No encore, it's a solid 21 track high energy show, ending with confetti cannons, and Stormzy bounding down into the pit to receive hugs and high fives from the exuberant crowd nearby.
If you've never seen Stormzy, he really is a must see, especially in an arena setting as the huge staging really does add the the experience.
Set List
Big Michael
Audacity
Know Me From
Cold
Handsome
First Things First
Crown
Superheroes
Own It
Do Better
One Second
Cigarettes & Cush
Rachael's Little Brother
Lessons
Rainfall
Wiley Flow
Clash
Big for Your Boots
Shut Up
Blinded by Your Grace, Pt. 2
Vossi Bop
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