By Jacob Pellegrino
Dreamville rapper Bas is currently on tour on the heels of his 2023 solo album We Only Talk About Real Shit When We’re Fucked Up. We attended Bas’ Houston stop at the House of Blues, his third show of the tour. Bas did not disappoint live and played tracks spanning his own releases so far, along with some of his most notable collaborations.
The show featured three openers: Blxckie, Reuben Vincent, and Hoosh. While that number of openers might feel excessive, each played for around 20 minutes, giving a taste of their style and sound. This shorter set time and the overall quality of the openers worked really well for getting the crowd ready for Bas to take the stage. It was obvious that Bas picked musicians he respects and enjoys listening to to open for him, something emphasized by a story he told about first hearing Blxckie’s music while in South Africa.
Bas was particularly good at interacting with and engaging the crowd, even pouring out shots of Clase Azul tequila for members of the audience celebrating their birthdays. The show kept a great energy with the crowd getting into songs from We Only Talk About Real Shit When We’re Fucked Up and Bas’ back catalog.
Unlike many other artists who simply rely on backing recordings for vocal additions live, Bas brought backing vocalists who really filled out his live sound and added a sense of harmony to the performance. These vocals were such a nice touch that really show his attention to detail in putting together a performance.
A highlight of the show was hearing “Dr. O’blivion” live. The track, a standout from Bas’ newest album, has an incredible aura with its jaunt-like instrumentation and strong vocals. Bas’ energetic cadence over relaxing backing made the crowd sway and become entranced by the music.
Bas’ Dreamville connection was fun to see as well when he performed “Costa Rica” and “Down Bad” back to back from the label compilation Revenge of the Dreamers III. For “Passport Bros,” the lead single from his newest album, and a collaboration with J. Cole, Bas rapped Cole’s verse live instead of playing the studio track, a nice touch that added to the intimate feeling of the concert.
The show ended with Bas inviting a fan up to rap J. Cole’s verse on his song “Lit.” Clearly energized, the fan selected from the crowd excitedly performed with Bas, rounding out a great night of music and vibes.
