Jack Harlow
14th November 2020
The Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand
Review by Kate Taylor, with photography by Max Foley.
“New Zealand is slept on.” That was Jack Harlow’s official take on Aotearoa, Sunday evening at Trusts Arena in Auckland, which saw a jubilant Harlow espousing on his journey so far; and his delight in connecting with the room, that to him, is ‘on the other side of the world.’
A large and excited turn out diligently filed into Trusts, and despite the biting cold everyone was undressed to impress for the event. After a thorough (but welcomed) checking over on entry, by the time I’d got in and orientated, it was to unfortunately pique my ears to hear The Homies announce that they had one song left on their set, which was delivered with masses of energy and end of tour vigour. Long-time friends of Harlow’s, The Homies did more than warm the crowd, as it was pulsing in General Ad with a mood most definitely set, while still feeling like an amiable and relaxed space to be in.
The night though, belonged to Jack. An efficient stage break evaporated and in no time, we were rocketing through the catalogue of one of recent Hip Hop’s most refreshing and down-to-earth characters. Naturally, the Kiwi audience froths at Jack’s mere mannerism or Southern accent infliction, which had the 24-year-old Louisville, Kentucky native taken aback. I think we’re used to it down here, artists and bands being somewhat shocked by our devotion in the shaky isles. But Harlow seemed to genuinely be, as he said early on in the set himself, ‘soaking it all in.’ Harlow dedicated little pieces to us, adding the line “I’ve got a Boo down in Wellington too.” Or dedicating sleeper hit ‘Nail Tech’ saying, “this one is for New Zealand” after riffing on how cool the All Blacks are. There were name drops about Sylvia Park, enthusiasm for Kiwi girls, there was amusement at having visited dormant volcanoes. Our safety and enjoyment were paramount to Harlow, taking time to guide the audience into taking necessary steps back so as not to crush the teeming front row pressing themselves almost through the barrier to get close to their objection of affection. Enamoured would be the word. Us of Jack and Jack of us. Drawing us further in to the connection, Harlow wanted to recognise how special it was to him, this first visit to our shores; and that it was a part of his history that we were sharing, and that he would be sure to reference this when he did return to perform in future. A full circle moment of being a bedroom producer, dreaming of the scenario he was living out in front of us. Song highlights included: Side Piece, 21C/Delta, his signature verse on Lil Nas X’s Industry Baby dropped in, sexy smooth Best Friends, plus must-haves like First Class and What’s Poppin.
No moment solidified our connection more than the ripping version of ‘Tyler Herro’ (named after one of my favourite younger Miami Heat players), which Harlow performed with us, no beats, just the deafening accompaniment of the crowd following every flow and cadence right alongside Jack’s simmering delivery. It is at this time that as a rabid basketball fan that I’d like to remind you, that Jack, has options. Jack could’ve quite easily been a bankable NBA roster player if that’s the route he so chose, and this is demonstrated in Harlow’s prowess on the Celebrity Game at NBA All Star Weekend just passed. OK, Basketball nerd got her comment in. I’ll see myself out. An absolute gentleman and professional. We’re going to hold you to that return visit, Jack my guy.
Were you there at the Trusts Arena for this energetic rap gig? Or have you seen Jack Harlow perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.
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