Live Review: The Kid LAROI on Fire in Perth 2024
The First Time World Tour- 22nd of November 2024 at the RAC Arena in Perth Western Australia
Review by Sheldon Ang
Photography by Sheldon Ang Photography
Baby Come Back – the voice of desperation penned by Ron Moss’s Player is heard from a distance. That’s right – the living spirit of “Ridge Forrester” of The Bold and The Beautiful echoes, as if beaming from another dimension and time. The bass reverberates, sparking the sonic engine, elevating 10,000 screamers through the modern, nostalgic realms. He shifts to second gear by tapping onto the keys of the DJ set. As the flash of light paint the stage, the artist pounces on the lyrics that’s thematically fused with the price of fame and success, and the pressures of maintaining a relationship under the limelight. He darts across the stage with the revitalised swagger powered by the dawn of adulthood. Chaos ensues, as a row of G flames sizzles the air, almost burning the eyebrows of the paparazzi. Within a minute, the young army is catapulted from the classic yacht rock to the soundscapes of The Kid LAROI.
Baby I’m Back is a fitting spark to the night, as he soars in first class on the second phase of his fame and fortune. Currently residing in Los Angeles and ingrained among the young A-Listers, the former resident of the housing commission in Redfern is the classic rags to riches story, as he is frequently seen in the likes of Louis Vuitton and Celine, surrounded by marauding paparazzi while in the loving hands of pop star Tate McRae. Following the Australian tour, he’ll also be returning to the coveted Madison Square Garden in New York to kick off the American chapter. These days, he also casually donates $100K to good cause. The “kid” is on fire.
“Who was here in 2019…who was here in 2022…Perth, you know what to do.” The crowd accepts the invite to the unbridled party.
The Kid LAROI is back through his debut studio album The First Time released a year ago, which this tour is named after. The tour is not his inaugural global invasion, with The End of the World Tour being the first in 2022 – which we also covered at the RAC Arena. Not bad considering he’s only 21, reminding the audience of his success through the likes of Diva, showcasing his zestful vocals and onstage presence that encapsulate the themes infused with success and the mirage of friendships that tag along with fame. His rap is beamed with confidence and bravado. He is unflappable, self-assured, and spite-filled – while remained poised. The R&B rap over the deep bass through the booming speakers is irresistible, as fans become the self-appointed backup vocalists, pouncing on every word and hook.
The artist is restless. He has been zig-zagging throughout, darting across the stage while the flames are randomly spewed into the air. The crowd mirrors the excitement in the gridlock, with the occasional screams resembling a Wiggles concert.
He pauses for a tribute to his late mentor Juice WRLD with GO. “If it weren’t for this person, maybe a lot of you guys in here wouldn’t know who I am maybe…I have the pleasure of…” The crowd chants the late rapper’s name. “Yeah a lot of you know what I am talking about now.”
There are moments of reflection and poignancy through ballads in Bleed, Heaven and Where Does Your Spirits Go? The sound of rain is heard. Thousands of eyes are lit through mobile phones like night creatures spying on our broken selves, cultivating the solemn mood while he sits on the DJ table. These ballads showcase The Kid Laroi’s malleability between song genres, as he expresses heartbreak like a journeyman who has lived through the life long experience of tragedy and failed marriages.
By now, we realise that The Kid LAROI is a sentimentalist. “One of the worst feelings in the world is feeling like you didn’t tell someone enough how much you love them, appreciate them when they’re gone. And I just want to remind you guys how precious, how short life is, and you truly never know how much love you have for somebody.”
For the nonfollowers who only know two tracks, Without You would be the “other”, being the seminal piece that became a worldwide hit. The one-two combination of acoustic rap and soft rock infiltrated into the top 10 of the US Billboard charts – arguably because of Miley Cyrus’ collaboration with the Australian. Even without the duo, The Kid LAROI stands well on his own, capturing the vulnerability the track deserves.
The emotional rain keeps pouring in the next track in A Thousand Miles. The casual listeners might also be familiar with this track thanks to the catchy, melancholic melody that is sung with the visceral impact of heartbreak. Again, TKL performs with the sentiments of a first heartbreak.
“This song that I’m about to play…is with someone who I consider as one of my best friends…and we made a song together that none of us really knew this song was gonna be…who would have known we would be playing at the RAC Arena. This is Stay”
It is the track that sealed the Sydney artist to global status. The live performance is more infectious than the studio version as once again TKL is backed by a 10,000-strong support crew. It’s the highlight of a night that’s full of highlights, as he showcases his vocal dexterity and pounce.
“It is really crazy to think that 2019 was 5 years ago… approaching 6 years ago. In a way, it is so long ago to me. So naturally there have been a lot of life changes.”
Indeed, there are significant changes. We covered The Kid LAROI, aka Charlton Howard while he was a teenager in 2022. No longer is he shirtless and in those khaki three quarter shorts. Instead, he’s donned in all white, with a dyed Hollywood-styled hairdo. Following the inaugural world tour, the change is discernible through his performance; Howard propagates a matured vibe. His connection with the audience is beyond his years. He is no longer the storyteller that the audience empathise with. Instead, The classy Kid LAROI is the emotiomal support, the big brother that his fans can seek solace in his performance and songs.
We can’t wait for the next tour.
The Kid LAROI continues with the First Time World Tour in Adelaide, Hobart, and Melbourne before heading to the United States including a performance at the Madison Square Garden. Tickets to the Australian shows are available through TEG Live
Sheldon Ang Media would like to thank On The Map PR, TEG Live and The Kid LAROI for the media accreditation.
About the Writer/Photographer: The founder of Perth-based Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) has been accredited to more than 120 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), Coldplay (Perth), Backstreet Boys, KISS, Iron Maiden, RHCP, P!NK and Robbie Williams with reviews shared by the likes of Beli5nda Carlisle, UB40, Delta Goodrem, The Wiggles and Toni Childs on social media. He has interviewed rockers Ian Moss, Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS) plus over 60 artists. He’s also a contributor on Triple M Radio as a music journalist.
