Two words dominated the Orpheum Theater Feb. 20: 1738 and squad.
Grammy-nominated rapper and New Jersey native Fetty Wap lit up Madison Saturday night with his Welcome to the Zoo tour. After fellow trap artist Future’s show Feb. 17, Fetty’s main objective was to keep the crowd as rowdy as possible.
He accomplished his goal, as anyone under 5-foot-5 risked death by stampede. The constant movement and rumble of the crowd could have easily set off the Richter scale or led many to end the night in the ER.
Saturday night kicked off with an assortment of artists from Fetty’s record label, RGF Productions. For two hours, his crew warmed up the crowd with some of their original music, while also borrowing some hot, familiar hits like Drake’s “Jumpman” and Kanye West’s “All Day.”
The openers — whose names were easily forgotten in the heavily intoxicated crowd — were able to keep the night moving and alive. From R&B singing girl groups to freestyling rappers, the RGF Productions crew busted out a mix of different genres to keep the audience engaged and far from bored.
Fetty’s main opener, Post Malone, lifted the crowd up with smooth hits like “Too Young” and “White Iverson.” At one point, the singer reached out to the front row, where patrons attempted climbing him “World War Z” zombie wall style.
By the end of Post Malone’s opening set, the sardine-packed Orpheum was filled with riled up college students ready to explode.
And they did explode once Fetty hit the stage donning a Wisconsin crew neck and gold chain.
Slightly limping onto the stage, Fetty revealed to his fans that he had been in a motorcycle accident late last year, shattering his leg in three places. He let everyone know he was in good condition and that “performing is his physical therapy.”
Busting out chart-breaking hits like “Trap Queen” and “Again,” Fetty looked to the crowd to help him with the lyrics. With most of the songs coming off his debut record Fetty Wap, the “679” rapper also surprised the 608 crowd by performing hits like Adele’s “Hello.”
Despite the positive vibes and energy of the night, it was disappointing to see Fetty rely mainly on his audience to guide his performance. Disappearing off the stage for nearly three songs, it almost felt like Fetty decided to throw an over glorified Project X- style party, just with a really good sound system.
All in all, there is no denying that Fetty kept the crowd engaged and the evening lit. Since Madison was one of the first stops on his Welcome to the Zoo tour, and he is fairly new to performing, he will be able to improve his stage presence for future shows. Hopefully, the next time he comes to Madison, he will perform at a larger venue — such as the Alliant Energy Center — giving fans more room to enjoy the night.
