I recently attended Hoodie Allen’s Happy Camper concert in Omaha, and let me tell you, it was definitely worth the two and a half hour drive.
Originally Blackbear and SuperDuperKyle were both supposed to open for Hoodie, but Blackbear announced earlier in the day that he was done with the Happy Camper tour and was offering refunds for anyone who bought a VIP ticket from him.
Hoodie tweeted that an unknown rapper with the twitter handle @early_ape would be opening, along with SuperDuperKyle, instead of Blackbear.
The twitter account @early_ape only had about 25 or so followers at the time of Hoodie tweeting about his unexpected appearance, so I was a bit skeptical, but I was quickly proven wrong after his first song.
The concert started and a group of men wearing ape masks came on stage and started performing Hoodie Allen’s song “James Franco.” It was probably one of the strangest things I’ve seen at a concert.
He finished the song, took off his ape mask and let the cat out of the bag, @early_ape was none other than Hoodie Allen! The biggest smile inched across my face and I knew from that moment on tonight was going to be an excellent night.
Hoodie, uh I mean @early_ape, announced that with the concert being held on leap day and with Hoodie having a mixtape entitled Leap Year that he would be throwing it back and playing a couple songs off of the 2011 mixtape that got so many fans hooked on Hoodie.
This fan service was a nice thought, but quickly left a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth.
He started off the leap day festivities by performing another song of his called “#WhiteGirlProblems.” This would’ve been amazing, if he had actually remembered his lyrics. Hoodie apologized and said that it had been a long time since he last performed anything from his Leap Year mixtape. Which I guess is understandable but the audience seemed to know the words better than he did. He rounded off his special self-opening act by performing two other songs off of Leap Year, “Song For An Actress” and “The Chase Is On.”
Overall the Leap Year opening act was a nice shoutout to fans who had been around since his humble beginnings and stuck around.
Next up was SuperDuperKyle and his crew. Their performance was great and Kyle and Brick really got the crowd going.
Kyle’s performance started off with the stage being pitch black and he emerged from backstage with a blue lightsaber. The glow from the lightsaber was the only light being emitted. Quickly after his right hand man, Brick, came forth possessing a red lightsaber. The lights stayed off while Kyle performed his song “The Force” and dueled with Brick in a spectacular light show that captivated me.
Other highlights of Kyle’s performance included a guest appearance from Pikachu, crowd surfing on a surfboard and Kyle and Brick showing off their supreme dance moves.
Kyle finished his act off by paying homage to Kid Cudi by performing “Up Up and Away,” claiming the song changed his life.
Next up was the main event, Hoodie Allen. A spectacular light show playing along with some intense violin-like music played for a while until Hoodie Allen came out on stage, no ape mask in sight, and started performing the first song off his new album Happy Camper, “Intro to Anxiety.”
The show was great for new fans and old fans alike. He played songs off of his new albums such as the aforementioned Happy Camper and off of People Keep Talking. He also performed songs off of fan favorites like All American.
While performing “No Faith In Brooklyn,” he also threw in some of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself,” and included a snippet of twenty one pilot’s “Stressed Out” during “Two Lips.” I really enjoyed these tributes to other artists mixed in with his music.
The show went on with other songs such as “High Again,” “Movie,” and “Are U Having Any Fun?.” The crowd was pumped and having a grand time while jumping, waving, hooting and hollering along to Hoodie’s performance.
Things took an interesting turn from here. Hoodie introduced his drummer and told the audience that he would be performing a drum solo while Hoodie took a quick break. Hoodie’s drummer, Jimmy, pounded those drums like no other. Then as the solo came to a close, Hoodie appeared on a small stage towards the back of the massive crowd. He said that the back of the crowd should be able to have a front row experience.
Hoodie then performed “Cake Boy” from the small stage in the back and started throwing cake into the audience. This in turn made the crowd more energetic than it already was. Various spots in the crowd were pelted in cake.
Other songs played were “Act My Age,” “Surprise Party,” and “Champagne and Pools.” For the latter of those songs, Hoodie relied on the crowd to sing the chorus as Blackbear would normally sing that but couldn’t due to him leaving the tour.
The night continued until Hoodie informed the crowd that this next song would be the last for the night. He began rapping his song, “So Close To Happiness,” and the crowd tried to make this last song last. After the song was finished the stage lights went out and Hoodie was gone.
The crowd demanded an encore and Hoodie gave them what they wanted. He sang two songs for his encore, “King to Me,” and “No Interruption.” During the last song confetti was shot from the stage and sprinkled the crowd in a mass of yellow and white.
Hoodie then called for these two girls that he talked to prior to the show to come out on stage. Two young adults named Lou Lou and Charlie came out on stage dressed in Hoodie Allen merchandise. Lou Lou then got down on one knee and proposed to Charlie. Charlie of course said yes and they got off stage and celebrated.
After that lovely proposal Hoodie’s DJ played dance music while Hoodie double dutched with a jump rope made from the bras of fans that decided to slingshot them to the stage.
All in all, the concert was a hit with the crowd. Many memories were made that night that I don’t ever want to forget. I would recommend anyone that’s familiar with Hoodie Allen’s music, or just wants a fun and enjoyable concert to go to, to go to a Hoodie show. You won’t regret it.
