There was already a line down the block when I arrived to cover Destroy Lonely's 'Forever Tour' stop at The Paramount. As is typical for an Opium record label show, the Stans came out early in the blistering cold to be the first to walk into the venue. The typical age range for a Destroy Lonely show is 15-25 years old, give or take, and there were definitely some kids out there in just T-shirts and shorts ready to rage! You can imagine the rush through the door to be the first ones to hug the barricade and await their favorite artist.
The crowd grew larger and larger with anticipation until Lil 88, the DJ for Destroy Lonely, kicked off the night. Of course, Lil 88 was warming up the crowd with Opium classics like "Stop Breathing," "Evil Jordan," "Fighting My Demons," "Yale," "F!EN," "Type Sh*t," & "All Red," just to name a few. At one point, Lil 88 got close to the crowd, holding on to the barricade, rocking out, and the barricade came down on the right side of the stage from the pressure of the crowd’s excitement! With that said, this was just a teaser of how the night would go. Finally, it was time for the main act— Destroy Lonely’s time had come!
He started off the show with the infectious intro to "Syrup Sippin'." The crowd erupted as the smoke guns burst and the bass dropped...pure energy. Looking into the crowd, I saw mosh pits, I saw water flailing, and I saw pure rage, but, at the same time, I saw fear. Fear in the eyes of people who were not ready for the intensity of the show. I started seeing people frantically trying to get out of the mosh pit. It’s unfortunate for those individuals, but you have to expect chaos at a Destroy Lonely show. If you can’t handle it, the best advice is to just get out of the pit because it will only get more intense. Nevertheless, throughout the night, he played bangers like "If Looks Could Kill," "Fake Ni**as," "BLITZ," "Right Now," "One Way," "CRYSTLCASTLES," "Love Hurts," and many more. The highlight for me was seeing a shirtless man having the time of his life in the pits. I was standing on the balcony looking down at him just controlling the pit and bringing excitement to everyone around him.
As the night came to a close, Lone said, “I love you all. Thank you, and have a good night.” The aftermath of these shows is always a sight to see. Heavy breathing, sweaty individuals everywhere, people missing shoes, people looking on the floor to find their belongings lost in the abyss of the mosh pit. It’s pretty gnarly, to say the least. It’s as if these kids went to war for an hour and are limping from their wounds. I had an amazing experience as always. Seeing the crowd react to his music is always wonderful to see, and I look forward to seeing it even more in the future.
