After a weekend of mostly sedate and typically older artists, watching the frenetic Lil Nas X feels like scrolling frantically through a TikTok feed, playing a YouTube video on 2x speed, and chugging a can of Prime all at the same time. This formidable 24-year-old with just one album to his name throws so many ideas into his work that he’s impossible to pin down – and sometimes impossible to review.
Between his furry boots and the set’s breakneck pace, the show has the energy and aesthetics of a gabber rave. His 2021 debut Montero is a warped kaleidoscope of a pop record, brimming with hooks. Lil Nas X’s closest influence is probably Atlanta hip hop outfit Outkast, but there are traces of dozens of artists in his work – all of whom he wears enthusiastically on his sleeve. Today he samples dozens of songs, deigning to play only a few in their entirety.
