Concert Review: PARTYNEXTDOOR

It was a long drive from here to Sacramento but hey this was PND’s (PARTYNEXTDOOR) first world tour on his own. I was thinking about his beginnings and how he managed to have met Drake, yes the Drake of OVO fame. PND is a young newcomer on the Rnb/Hip Hop scene and was no doubt helped by the fact that he was mentored by Drake and his legendary producer Noah Sheib, or more affectionately known as, 40. If one looks at the credits to a majority of the songs off his titular first album, PARTYNEXTDOOR, it will show they were co-produced by the man Noah Sheib. PND had gone on tour with Miguel and Drake a while back and this will be his second time out on his name only but this was first world tour which is called PARTYNEXTDOOR LIVE. I got to the venue and the doors opened up, I was expecting an opener or two but it was just a local dj getting the crowd hyphy as f*** before Party was supposed to come on. I was grooving almost pensively when I heard the local hype man word for word say “I know how y’all thought there was going to be hella openers but the only person that is going to come on stage is none other than PARTYNEXTDOOR!” Party comes out to singing Relax with me and gets killed by the drowning screams of a majority crowd of women and girls with even some guys chiming in. Party played selections from his first and second album (PARTYNEXTDOOR2) plus everything that on his recent extended play, PNDCOLOURS. His visual setup was very modest, with a project displaying somber visuals, a few basic flashing lights, and some basic colours providing background. The venue was tiny, so you could see him up close, and he walked in the crowd a few times. Now his singing was on point, when you could hear him, and I say that because he was straight drowned out by those singing along. When they paused and he was able to sing, you could tell that he had some talent, and wasn’t all just sound effects and compression, which in this day and age is quite a feat. I thought it had great pacing and that he was quite soft spoken and humble for a young man of 21 who was going on his first world tour. The place was sold out, packed to the brim with people in their best, and the crowd was not rowdy in the slightest. Party surpassed expectations and killed it for his music style since its more personal/intimate than actual party music. Mad love and I hope you keep selling out shows Party.

Review by Henry Solares