I have seen Tech N9ne a number of times, and walking up to the House of Blues inside of the Mandalay Bay, all you can see is fan after fan wearing Strange Music merch and painted faces. This is not out of the ordinary, as far as the fan base is concerned, and there’s also always such a wide variety of fans that show up to these performances, it’s possibly the most diverse crowd you’ll ever see. The best thing? We are all seen as family.
Las Vegas local Donnie Menace kicks off the night, his energy perfect to start. The floor was already packed, which is great to see for a local artist. This wasn’t his first time on a Tech N9ne bill, so I’m positive he’s racked in the fanbase out here from past shows with the Strange Music team.
Following the Menace is the rap duo King ISO and King Kash. Another very high energy set for the already hyped up crowd, but what especially stood out with their set was a statement towards the end in regards to mental health and severe depression. It’s artists like this that give fans who struggle a voice. Very respectable in my opinion.
When it comes to Joey Cool and Just Juice, their sets were back to back, which created a very simple, short transition. Both sets hyped up the crowd for the main performance. At this point of the night, we’ve got a really packed venue full of 'Technitions', (Tech N9ne’s name for the massive fan base of his.)
This is the fourth time seeing a Tech N9ne show, and I was already prepared for the massive amounts of energy that expected to explode the moment he took the stage. The stage, has two large vertical stages, with a globe in the center, and you can hear him singing the opening track, “Klusterfuk.” The globe turns around, and he jumps onto the stage, the crowd goes crazy, and it wasn’t until the end of the second song that Big Krizz Kalico came out.
They played an incredibly varied set, with songs from just about every album in the catalogue, and there was a steady moshpit for the entire set. I always find this very cool, the incorporation of rock music and hip hop, and tracks that go hard such as “Riot Maker” just make the crowd go wild. They closed out the show with the song, “Caribou Lou”, which is one of their most noticeable tracks. There was a song about a drink made by Tech himself in Kansas City, MO, “151 rum, pineapple juice and Malibu.” Before starting the song though, they had Joey Cool come out and play the drink game with Krizz Kalico. Basically Tech eggs them on as they chug these drinks.
The verdict for you all? If you have a chance to see a Tech N9ne show, take it. It’s one of the most diverse, high energy shows you’ll ever see. You will not walk away disappointed after seeing the number one independent rapper in the world, that’s for sure!
Donnie Menace Photos by Courtney Ware Photography
Joey Cool & Just Juice Photos by Courtney Ware Photography
King ISO Photos by Courtney Ware Photography
Tech N9ne Photos by Courtney Ware Photography
