REVIEW: G-Eazy returns to Oakland
By Denna Changizi,
BlueDevilHUB.com Editor–
Rapper and record producer Gerald Gillum, better known by the stage name G-Eazy, sports the motto “Bay to the Universe to Oracle Arena” on the back of his black bomber jacket, advertising his return to Oakland, California, a place that will always be home to him.
Born and raised in Oakland, G-Eazy was ecstatic to return to the Bay for his concert at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
The night before the concert, Gillum visited his Oakland merchandise store and spent the night meeting and greeting his fans. He helped make sales and sign products and shared his excitement for Wednesday night’s concert on Instagram.
The Oracle Arena is a grand stadium, less than a mile from the BART station–the perfect concert for Bay Area natives who know their way around the city. The line moved quickly and people were quick to find their seats in the stadium.
Fans took their time taking their seats and the stadium filled slowly as the opening acts began. The introductory acts included short and quirky performances from low-key rappers P-LO, Rob Stone, Calibrate and Marty Grimes, but escalated to a pre-show act by Lil Yachty.
Though the opening acts were entertaining, the anticipation build-up was growing too much and the crowd began to grow more and more antsy as they awaited the main act. After over an hour of waiting, the arena lights turned off and flashed back on, revealing G-Eazy on the center platform.
He immediately began the night with his hit song “You Got Me,” and the crowd was quick to sing along. To excite his fans, even more, he walked to the stage through the crowd of fans, rather than around them.
Throughout the show, the artist took the time between songs to thank his fans for supporting his dream of selling out all 19,596 seats in the same arena that he grew up watching games in. After singing “Everything Will Be Okay,” a personal song about the loss of a loved one, Gillum grew teary-eyed and continued to share his gratitude.
To prove his gratefulness, he brought out legendary rappers Too $hort and E-40 along with the younger rapper French Montana.
While singing his Platinum single, “I Mean It,” the rapper threw out his bandana and snapback causing fans to desperately shove one another in hopes of catching the clothes.
The artist sang many songs from his major-label debut album, “These Things Happen”– the album that earned him the number three spot on the US Billboard 200 and the Top Digital Albums Chart.
G-Eazy stayed on stage for over two hours, interacting with the full arena. While the wait for Gillum to arrive on stage was nerve wrecking, it was well worth it.
After each song, the crowd begged the rapper to sing another hit, and not end the concert. The artist even enthusiastically followed along and teased his audience, telling them he hoped they weren’t ready to go home yet.
When the show finally ended with his recent hit single “Me Myself and I,” confetti was released to dramatize the grand finale of the well-planned concert.
