Kicking off the North American leg of “The First Time” Tour at UBC Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Arena on May 18th, The Kid LAROI set the tour expectation bar exponentially high after his opening night in Vancouver, BC. From his stage presence and set design to the chance to hear unreleased tracks from the 20-year-old Australian artist, this was a memorable night certified to create FOMO at this 5,000-capacity arena.

With two opening acts kicking off the show, fans were in good hands leading up to LAROI stepping on the stage. Beginning with Chase Shakur, an up-and-coming R&B artist from Atlanta, attendees were introduced to Shakur’s melodic blend of modern R&B and 90’s 's-inspired instrumentals. Staying cohesive with the underground music scene, Glaive was then welcomed to the stage. The 19-year-old artist and producer has cultivated an impressive following considering he only began producing tracks at the beginning of the pandemic. Known for his fusion of hyper-pop and punk genres, the artist performed “midwest emo” hits including, “fuck this town” and “astrid”, leaving fans amped throughout Glaive’s set. Mentioning his nerves and excitement part-way through his set, Glaive left a personable and ever-lasting impression as fans waited for the main act.

The Kid LAROI’s performance was high-energy from start to finish. From wearing a custom-Canucks jersey with his name on the back, courtesy of the team itself (this show took place during the Stanley Cup Playoffs for reference), Vancouver fans were in for a treat. Although LAROI started his set 15 minutes behind schedule, experiencing the first live performance of LAROI’s track “GIRLS”, which was unreleased at the time, fans were singing along from the first lyric of “SORRY” to TKL’s two encore tracks, “WHAT WENT WRONG???” and “STAY”.

Incorporating a good mix of talking points, including the story behind the leaked track “GIRLS” to preaching to the crowd to follow their dreams, the artist displayed care to his fans, ensuring to stop his set for security to pass water out to those in the general admission pit. Not to mention that while this was an arena show we tip our hats off to The Kid LAROI and his team for including a meet-and-greet option for his fans, a package that is often skipped over for tours of this size and calibre.

With a set comprised of an equal balance of his two distinct styles of music of upbeat rap and melodic, R&B-style ballads, The Kid LAROI played a mixture of tracks off of his debut and sophomore albums, “F*CK LOVE” and “The First Time” as well as a handful of other singles he has dropped over the years.

Performing with “The Kid Laroi” labelling his back, LAROI’s creative team deserves props—effectively creating an industrial-style set to pair perfectly with the raw and edginess of this young artist’s style of music and overall brand. Utilizing a large pillar positioned on the left side of the stage allowed the artist, born Charlton Howard, to perform his intimate ballads while sitting down on the set. This, paired with the wide elevated set positioned across the stage allowed for LAROI to create moments to accompany his high-energy tracks, as captured below. With lighting leaning heavily on the oranges and reds, colourful visuals displayed behind the singer also helped customize the atmosphere for fans. With the right set design, lighting and visuals, The Kid LAROI’s creative team deserves a round of applause for their cohesiveness, creating memorable experiences for fans not only in the standing room pit but throughout the arena.

Overall, The Kid Laroi left it all on the stage, setting himself up for success for the remaining duration of The First Time North American Tour. There are not many other 20-year-old artists performing to this quality across the board, from stage presence to energy and fan interaction and The Kid LAROI continues to give promise to the future of hip-hop and rap.

Full gallery and review by Kianna Sumitani.