By Etta Enow | 28 August, 2022
Thousands of fans packed inside the Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom as The Kid LAROI brought his End Of The World Tour to New York, NY. Here’s what you missed if you were not in attendance at the End Of The World Tour: New York.
The Manhattan Center was filled with fans of all ages anxiously waiting to see the Australian superstar take the stage. As the lights went out, the crowd immediately let out a loud roar. Suddenly, behind a screen the silhouette of LAROI appeared to be moving as his band and DJ pumped up the sea of fans until his long-awaited appearance. Screams were bouncing from all sides of the Manhattan Center in unison chanting for The Kid LAROI. As he danced behind the screen, the words ‘LAROI’ appeared, which triggered even more enthusiasm. He had his fans in the palm of his hand. The screen dropped and we saw The Kid LAROI aggressively bouncing center stage as he got the crowd energized for his 90-minute set.
LAROI opened the show with “Let Her Go” followed by other tracks from his album: F*CK LOVE, including “Diva,” “Go,” and “Wrong.” The emotional depth in each song showcased how LAROI turns heartbreak into great music. I’m not sure if there is any better feeling than screaming back “Thousand Miles” to The Kid LAROI, with thousands of other fans singing their hearts out.
The Kid LAROI’S late mentor, Juice WRLD, who unfortunately passed in 2019 was honored during the concert. Juice WRLD inspired a generation of fans to tap into their emotions. Juice spoke openly and poetically about his pain and heartbreaks, which became signature themes in his music. This was a genuine moment of tenderness during LAROI’s performance of “GO.” LAROI, along with the crowd chanted, “Long live Juice!”, in homage to their fallen hero, filling the void of one voice by unifying thousands. “Even if no one else in the world got you,” he said “just know that LAROI got you, motherf***er!”
With a growing discography, LAROI was able to perform all his hits but he also managed to give fans a little taste of his new unreleased song ''What Just Happened.” The hook of this song is unmatched. The audience truly saw a raw, vulnerable The Kid LAROI in that moment. LAROI brought back high energy as he performed “NEED YOU MOST (So Sick).” This is like LAROI’S version of his mentor’s song ”lucid dreams,” sampled from a massive song Neyo’s “So Sick” but with a trap twist.
LAROI transitioned into“F*CK YOU, GOODBYE.” The song is beyond relateable in the most hauntingly beautiful way, reminding us how relationships are like glass: sometimes it is better to leave a partner broken than trying to hurt yourself putting a relationship back together. This track lead into “Thousand Miles.” LAROI depicts not wanting to leave his partner, but in his mind he’s already a thousand miles away so he won’t get hurt. The Kid LAROI continued with “Paris to Tokyo,” and closed out with his last song: “Stay.”
LAROI stomped across the stage performing “Stay” with his little brother, Austin. For LAROI to share the stage with his little brother singing the song which propelled him into mainstream stardom was a perfect full circle moment. After walking off stage, the crowd immediately chanted for an encore. LAROI obliged and returned to play his global smash hit “WITHOUT YOU.” There we saw The Kid LAROI huddled up with his screaming, devoted fans. In the tight intimate space of the 2nd row balcony, everyone screamed along and held their phone lights up for this acoustic version of ‘WITHOUT YOU.’
The Kid LAROI doesn't get as much credit as he truly deserves. LAROI is one of the most versatile and lyrically clever artists in the industry, already at only 19 years old, and he still has a ton of room for improvement. Just standing in the same presence of The Kid LAROI fandom was an amazing experience. As an outsider looking in, I understood the passionate screams and cries as they sang each song word for word. When stanning The Kid LAROI you immediately become part of a family. LAROI has an electrifying charisma to make sure people never forget his show is a party. He has a knack for turning lyrics that are as “self-obsessed” as any teen into crowd-pleasing pop gems. The Kid LAROI is a superstar and this show cemented his status. He has solidified himself as being the voice of the voiceless in Gen Z.
