Steve Lacy’s Give You The World Tour (ft. Fousheè)

On February 13th, 2023, I traveled up from Eugene, Oregon to see the one and only Steve Lacy on his Give You The World Tour. The overall environment was very cozy, almost like a bar show. Steve Lacy’s choice of venue was initially shocking to me. Considering his discography, including winning multiple Grammys and working with artists such as Gold Link and Kendrick Lamar, Lacy is considered all but new to the music industry scene. He has been in the game for a long while and, at this point, would not be considered an “underground artist.” Factoring in his newly found fame with a younger generation due to a sudden Steve Lacy boom on TikTok, he could’ve easily sold out the Moda Center arena in Portland. However, the choice of having a smaller venue made the concert feel more personal and inviting. Lacy opened up with Buttons, off of his latest album Gemini Rights. It was the perfect note to start the concert off on, with the lay of the soothing synth melody getting the crowd hype enough to feed Steve energy without overdoing it. Steve played his classic songs such as Ryd, N-Side, Only If, and Dark Red amongst others. Midway through his set, he even brought out his opening act, Fousheé to join him in a lighthearted duet of their song Sunshine. Fousheé brought out this jovial energy in both Steve and the audience, ending the first half of the concert on a buoyant note, elevating the overall vibe. The highlight of the concert, however, was Steve performing the opening hook to PRIDE. by Kendrick Lamar, which he produced when he was a mere seventeen years old. The performance was kept simple, using only his unique falsetto voice accompanied by his guitar, tuned to the point where the notes almost sound strained (in a good way, of course). Lacy performing this was a pleasant surprise for most, considering a lot of his newer fans have yet to recognize that he produced this rap classic. The performance was raw and tender, invoking emotions of nostalgia and reminiscence. You could see him reminiscing as well, with his brow furrowed and a face of concentration as he strummed each chord. It is no secret that at this point in Lacy’s career, Bad Habit is his most popular and recognized song. It is also recognized and assumed on social media platforms that Lacy is not a fan of performing it, especially when it is the only song that many of his newer and younger fans know. Steve Lacy decided to end his show with the infamous Bad Habit, but interrupted himself about four seconds in with “You know what, I don’t feel like singing this shit today.” It was presumed that he would simply skip the song and either end with another or end the concert as a whole. To my surprise, Steve chose a lucky little girl in the front row to come up and sing Bad Habit for him instead! This little girl oozed confidence, responding to Steve’s question as to whether or not she knew all of the words with “Oh yeah, don’t worry about that!” She proceeded to sing the entire song effortlessly and absolutely commanded the stage, interacting with other fans in the front row. She brought out a childlike presence in Steve, having him dance around and sing along with her. He seemed to genuinely be enjoying his performance and showed not a single hint of dissatisfaction. The concert ended on a bright and blissful note, leaving the audience overall feeling content and fulfilled. With Steve’s rapid rise to fame, seeing him in a small and intimate venue playing most of his discography was an absolute privilege. Here’s to more Steve Lacy music and more concerts!