The general admission floor at SOMA San Diego transformed into a living and breathing mosh pit for Lil Tecca’s intensely energetic concert on Oct. 20.
Although the pit would make a parent wince, the energy that night soared through the roof, enveloped by earthquake-like bass beats that echoed through the walls and floors of the main stage.
The crowd was overwhelmingly made up of younger age groups. Despite the mature content in many of Lil Tecca’s songs, the majority of attendees were high school students, with college students being the minority. Even middle school students were scattered throughout the crowd, accompanied by their parent chaperones.
“I’ve known his music for a few years, but mostly got more into him with his new releases this year,” said Lilo Solis, a fourth-year business major at San Diego State University. “I like that [his music] is very different, and I like how he does his beats in the beginning. I think it’s really unique. It’s fun, it’s fun to listen to.”
Kaylani Cayabyab, a 2025 SDSU graduate, attended with Solis and bought her the VIP package for her birthday.
“We’ve been listening to him a lot together,” said Cayabyab.
Tyler-Justin Anthony Sharpe, known by his stage name Lil Tecca, is an American rapper from Queens, NY, who started his music career in 2017. The artist gained his big break with his 2019 hit single, “Ransom,” and has since released six albums.
Lil Tecca’s show was opened by rappers FFAWTY and HARDROCK, who jump-started the heartbeat of the crowd. After waiting through two openers, concert-goers couldn’t hold back their anticipation to see the main headliner of the night. Shouts of “We want Tecca!” boomed from the pit.
Lil Tecca jumped on stage, dancing on an elevated platform that allowed everyone in the venue to see him, regardless of height.
He went on to perform songs from his newest album “DOPAMINE,” which was released in June 2025. The audience shouted along with the lyrics to tracks such as “Dark Thoughts,” “On Your Own,” “OWA OWA” and others.
Joseph Vasquez, a second-year film production major at SDSU, said he used his industry connections to get an independent photo pass for the show. Although he isn’t very familiar with Lil Tecca’s music, he said he attended to continue chasing his creative passions.
“This is nothing new, I’ve been doing concert photography since I was 16,” Vasquez said. “Coincidentally, my first show I ever got a media pass for was Lil Tecca at House of Blues 2022. Since then, I’ve just been going to concerts, wherever the camera leads me.”
Vasquez said he is always grateful for an opportunity to photograph artists live.
“I get to do both the things I love – listen to music, go to concerts, take photos, meet new people, and network and then produce something for people that leaves them inspired to do something better too,” Vasquez said.
When the opening notes of “Ransom” started to play, the noise level in the venue grew to the loudest it had been all night.
As the rapper performed his 2023 single “500lbs,” a song that gained much of its popularity on TikTok, a sea of recording cell phones moved up and down as the crowd jumped in unison.
As the concert came to a close, the intense mosh pit gradually dispersed. Many attendees left with tousled hair and unkempt clothes, drenched from the plastic water bottles people had been throwing around all night.
Waves of people exited the venue with smiles across their faces, ears ringing from the loud and fiery night that Lil Tecca had brought to San Diego.
