ͶF
11th February 2023
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Feature photograph by Shelley Te Haara.
Music always hits a little different when it is delivered from the heart, with an exposed honesty that is not only palpable but relatable. Yesterday New Zealand were finally able to witness an artist that writes from the soul as Michigan rapper ͶF performed to thousands of his kiwi followers.
The last night of his HOPE tour saw ͶF, aka Nathan [Nate] Feuerstein bring a show that was unadulterated fire to a crowd that were unequivocally there for it, fans throughout the audience rapping and singing along to every word as if it was gospel.
It is hard not to make comparisons to another famous Michigan rapper, Eminem having paved the way for white rappers in the scene. But Nate is quite open about the fact that Eminem was indeed a huge influence in his life and that at some points he was the only artist he was listening to. That influence has certainly paid off, while there will only ever be one Rap God, ͶF can drop bars with the best of them, and lyrically is often on point.
There was no support act last night, Cordae (who just recently appeared at Laneway) having only joined ͶF for parts of his tour. Instead, the fans were treated to a show that focused purely on the music of Feuerstein with an impressive twenty-one track set list.
Kicking off with the title track from his latest album released in April last year, ‘HOPE’ is a moving track about believing in yourself, forgiving past mistakes, growth and transformation. Adopting a more positive outlook on life, Nate now having a wife and children of his own to care for, it begins the show nicely as ͶF then proceeds to take his followers on a journey through his life to date.
Accompanied by an incredible drummer – Grammy nominated Rico Nichols, who has played with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Ye (Kanye West) as well as 2 Chainz to name but a few – the stage design was simple yet clever in the fact that the varying risers and steps along with the traverse stage out front that allowed Nate to be mere arm’s length from his fans elevated the whole experience.
In addition to the incredible lighting and visuals, many of ͶF’s music videos were also played in the background; and rightly so considering they not only help tell the story of the song, but often have much symbolism tied up amongst them. Even his outfit for the night tells its own tale, the colours of his tracksuit pants and long sleeve sweater dark and muted for the first half of the show as he traversed through his more sombre material, a change into the same outfit yet in white, signifying once again hope and transformation.
‘MOTTO’ and ‘CAREFUL’ quickly followed, ‘The Search’ which begins with Feuerstein relaying a conversation as he drags a shopping cart onto the stage with a large bunch of black balloons floating above it soon nosedives into some serious topics, which address his mental health, tour life and the relativity of success. Live the track proved that even with a backing track which was needed for the melodic side of it, Feuerstein can certainly drop bars in the live setting.
‘Leave me Alone’ upped the angst levels as Nate wrapped the balloon string around his hand carrying them with him as he performed, before pulling them down and covering his face as he pointed his mic to the audience and they yelled “quiet” in time to the music; the ferocity with which they did so illustrating how deeply they bond with songs such as these.
Up until this point, Nate had let his music speak for him, however addressing everyone he spoke of how he wrote the next song for his “beautiful wife”, ‘Time’ showcasing that Nate can certainly add singing to his resume. ‘PAID MY DUES’ from his brilliant 2021 mixtape, once again brought heavier vibes with it, the flashing lights illuminating the exaggerated black painted smile on Nate’s face.
‘Hate Myself’, brought a solemn tone to the venue, despite the fast-paced nature of the verses. The lyrics, deeply vulnerable in nature, having spoken to hundreds in attendance, their eyes glued to Nate as he spoke of the desire to help and the hopelessness of feeling like you can’t. It is this authenticity that has seen ͶF climb both the charts and the ranks, despite his desire to avoid social media and interviews (something he refers to in the track).
It is very much a double-edged sword for artists, the need to create often burdened by the desire to want to remain private; the inability to do so the nature of the industry beast.
‘MAMA’ and ‘HAPPY’ saw more than a few tears shed, the latter a track written about his mother who died of an opioid overdose when Nate was just eighteen; a child of divorce, abused by his mother’s boyfriend and often feeling like the pills were more important to her than he or his younger sisters were, certainly leaves one with a heavy heart, music being the avenue that Nate has chosen to work through this. Fans cheering him on as he sat on the edge of a step and laid his head on his arms.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom, addressing the audience Nate took his time as he introduced his drummer, spoke of how he was looking forward to going back home and seeing his wife and kids, and that under no circumstances was he drinking alcohol out of a shoe, despite requests for him to do so.
A montage of home videos soon lit up the screen, showing Nate as a child, he himself returning in white for ‘PANDEMONIUM’ before a drum solo from Nichols to end all others gave time for Nate to move to the back of the arena, where he appeared on a smaller platform by the sound desk for one of his more mainstream hits, “Let You Down’; ‘Gone’ starting in the same place but finishing back on the main stage.
From here it was a straight run home, the crowd enthralled as Nate continued to deliver track after track including ‘RUNNING’ and ‘When I Grow Up’. Finishing on ‘CLOUDS’ there was no goodbyes, or speeches of how Auckland had been the best, and there was no encore either, just house lights and the long walk back to the car.
In truth, no encore was required, nor any farewell; for all that was needed to be said was said, laid out bare in his music. And really, what more could one ask from another human, if not for their authenticity.
Were you there at Spark Arena for this high energy hip hop gig? Or have you seen ͶF perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- HOPE
- MOTTO
- CAREFUL
- The Search
- Leave Me Alone
- My Stress
- Time
- PAID MY DUES
- WHY
- Hate Myself
- MAMA
- HAPPY
- PANDEMONIUM
- Let You Down
- GONE
- RUNNING
- When I Grow Up
- Returns
- CLOUDS
Note: Ambient Light were not provided passes to review this concert and tickets to attend the concert were purchased at regular market value. 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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