[CONCERT RECALL] Giraffage – The Too Real Tour

 

The Bay Area has seen their fair share of artists rise to the ranks of international acclaim. Few have seemed so effortless in their approach and style as Giraffage. He’s unmistakably himself. He always has been. And he just continues to get better. The recent run of the Tour Real tour confirms what genius he can put together when his vision is able to flourish.

 

The first time I saw Giraffage was at SXSW in 2013. I had never seen him, nor had I even listened to his music; I was awe-struck. It was the first time I had seen electronic music fused with the vibes of hip-hop and 90s R&B in such a way. One of the many aspects of Giraffage that makes his sets unique is that he always incorporated live aspects using various controllers and drum pads. He used to defend himself for being accused of simply being a DJ, when there’s much more to his talent than that. I could see how they could be confused as DJ sets, because of how smoothly he was able to mix all of his songs and live remixes together. That’s just a perfect example of an artist dialed into his craft.

 

The ‘Too Real’ Tour happened to be the pinnacle of his prior years of playing shows around the world and the release of his third album of the same title. From some controllers and a laptop, to the aforementioned and an LED wall, to the aforementioned and a giant light portal! His visuals are best described for me as kooky; and I mean that in the best way possible. They’re all over the place: Kittens. Puppies. Chains. Fires. Bubbles. Naked unisex people. They’re always entertaining. They’re always unmistakably Giraffage, and that’s why we love him so much.