According to Aminé, Tuesdays in San Diego are for sold-out music shows at SOMA.
On Feb. 8, Aminé traveled to the west coast for the fifth stop on his Best Tour Ever Tour. SOMA, a local music venue, hosted the Portland, Oregon-based rapper, along with special guest artists 454 and Cochise. Anime announced his 33 stop tour to perform his new EP/mixtape named “TWOPOINTFIVE.”
The bright neon-colored cover art hinted at the fun, hyperpop music fans could expect to hear from this project. Aminé first gained popularity following his debut single “Caroline” in 2016, which landed 11th on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Since then, Aminé has dropped three albums/mixtapes, “Good for you,” “OnePointFive,” and “Limbo.” These were all different projects that showed the rapper’s unique vocals, hard verses and creative fun cadences. “TWOPOINTFIVE” was nothing short of his previous successes.
Fans of all ages lined up two hours outside before the doors opened to the venue. Florida rapper 454 opened the show, followed by the rapper Cochise.
When Aminé jumped on stage through the door props of his neighborhood market singing “Mad Funny Freestyle,” fans were given a tour of his city in Portland, specifically his neighborhood Woodlawn Park. Accompanying him on stage was a 10-foot statue of his dog Oliver, which can also be seen in the music video for the song “Charmander.” A neon colored sign onstage shaped as the state of Oregon read, The Best Tour Ever Tour. Aminé spoke about the life-sized Alberta Market, which he claims “is the best place to get fried chicken in Portland.” Also onstage was a replica of the Broadway Bridge, and a sign that read Woodlawn Park open 5 a.m. to midnight. Aminé’s shirt paid homage to his hometown where he grew up with the street crossing sign of Dekum and Martin Luther King Jr. His pants were branded with patches of states his tour had visited. In the beginning of the show, the Portland rapper joined by DJ Madison, asked the concertgoers to scream “I know” after each time they said “You’re beautiful”. They continued this as the night went on.
“TWOPOINTFIVE” showcased a new sound of strong melodic hooks accompanied with less aggressive drums, the true mix of pop-rap. Aminé performed most of the songs on the new mixtape like “YiPiYaY,” which has an upbeat tempo and catchy lyrics. He
then broke into dance onstage while the crowd sang along to “NEO.” Fans also got a taste of the rapper’s previous projects, songs like “Reel it in,” “Woodlawn,” and “Redmercedes” were performed. While sitting on a stool, Aminé slowed the tempo down and played “Burden,” a song off his sophomore album “LIMBO.” The artist’s range was well exhibited through playful choruses, upbeat tempos, and high-pitched vocals.
The show truly captured the intentions of the album: having fun, dancing and enjoying life. Aminé fans were relentless, keeping the energy at a high level. The packed venue sang along with the rapper the whole night and Aminé said “San Diego, I think this is the littest show of the tour so far.” Fans left the show drenched in sweat and sore from jumping all night long. It couldn’t have gone any better.
