Live music review: Danny Brown threw down a rager at Empire Garage
Sometimes, live music crowds can be major downers. Austin, Texas’ vibrant music scene has a massive influx of live shows that draw a variety of different crowds, some good, some bad. For Detroit-turned-Austin oddball rapper Danny Brown, an unforgettable live spectacle made sure to cancel out the entitled personalities that attempted to harsh the triumphant vibes of Danny’s homecoming for yet another Austin appearance, this time at Empire Garage on Thursday, April 11.
Danny Brown isn’t a young emcee. The Michigan native has been in the hip hop trenches for nearly two decades, and his career has taken many forms and phases through his experimental rap tenure. Since releasing his revered double album classic XXX, Brown has been on a frantic trajectory of bringing the genre into places it has never been before, taking inspiration from his peers that come from all niches and different types of lyrical and production artistry. His recent, and most catalytic songwriting partnership came in the form of a collaboration with JPEGMAFIA, which spawned the 2023 blockbuster record, Scaring The Hoes. Since around the time of the release, the rapper has emphasized getting sober, resulting in a stint in rehab before embarking on a massive Summer tour with JPEG.
Since making the big move to Austin, Brown has been hosting Tom Segura-owned YMH Studios podcast, The Danny Brown Show, which features the emcee and a massive gauntlet of guests to participate in conversations with Danny. The results can be crazy, tedious, or interesting, with Brown being a vibrant personality that can make something out of anything. Last Fall, Danny Brown released his latest album, Quaranta, which discussed where he was up to that point in his storied career. In the wake of the album release, the hip hop legend announced a nationwide tour, with a stop in his not-so-new home in Austin.
Upon arrival at Red River Cultural District’s Empire Garage & Control Room, the room was filling up fast right at doors opening, prompting staff to process all the attending patrons in pure nightclub fashion. This reporter didn’t take this adventure alone; some fellow music fans came to join, and the attitude of the working staff was a dismal affair, which is normal for the relentless nature of the Austin scene. A staff member grabbed a friend’s smartphone and was shocked to see the brightness was turned up already when trying to scan their ticket. Then, they proceeded to grab their device and find a different bar code in the email provided by the ticketing agency. A brusque way to start the night, but we kept on trucking.
After entering Empire’s Garage stage, the familiar realization came over fans that the 7th Street venue is rough viewing if you’re below six feet. Trying to find a good vantage point can prove to be challenging, especially in sold-out or nearly sold-out situations. Opting to hang out behind the soundboard for the first act became the go-to. Bruiser Wolf, a member of Danny Brown’s Detroit-based musical collective, Bruiser Brigade, took the stage first. The fellow Detroit rapper hyped the audience for the evening, demanding crowd participation at every turn and making the audience shout “Bruiser!” to commemorate whose house they were in for the ensuing events of the night.
China-New York rising hyperpop artist Alice Longyu Gao came next, delivering their brand of Gen-Z Spotify-Tik Tok surfing madness. A highlight came with “Believe The Hype” from Gao’s recent Let’s Hope Heteros Fail, Learn, and Retire EP. The cut featured jarring screaming sections and sputtering electronics from the New York-based singer’s sampler. Gao thanked Danny several times throughout the performance, emphasizing how a cleanish lifestyle can make your artistry shine through in the best way. The eccentric musician also wielded an angelic harp that got plenty of playtime throughout the gig, holding down the more ethereal side of the opening set.
The anticipation could be felt before Danny took the stage, including restless concertgoers who could be seen brickwalling their places in the crowd to ensure no passerbyers got by. One very large gentleman even threatened to break my arm if I tried to pass by him; being the pacifist that I am, I backed off. Save it for the streets, buddy. When Danny took the stage, the homecoming party for the Midwest-born emcee commenced. The set began with four songs from Quaranta, including the title track “Quaranta” and the unhinged “Tantor.” The oversold venue went duly berzerk, depleting the oxygen and resulting in an audience member losing consciousness not even ten minutes into the performance. Luckily, Danny noticed and stopped the show so she could be carried out to safety.
The show continued with older cuts from the prolific rapper’s catalog “Smokin & Drinkin” and “Dip.” Both partying-themed, drug-induced rap fanbase favorites, it’s a mild surprise that Danny still chooses to perform these tunes live, but a banger is a banger, and the audience took audible rejoice in singing along. A welcome surprise came with a six-song selection of tracks from Scaring The Hoes. The closing half of the set featured selections from Brown’s abstract rap masterpiece Atrocity Exhibition. Which included the feature-heavy “Really Doe,” whose studio version contains the legendary likes of Earl Sweatshirt, Kendrick Lamar, and Ab-Soul. A highlight of the backend of the set came with the crowd chaos-inducing “Ain’t It Funny.” Which acted as another round of catharsis for the crowd.
Danny returned for an encore for Old track “Side B (Dope Song).” Which ended up being a last hurrah to compete with all last hurrahs. Since he just celebrated a year of sobriety, the Austin resident is keeping things going with a new lease on life. Shitty crowd aside, Brown brought his best and threw the Austin crowd a welcomed rager.
Danny Brown will continue the tour in North America before heading to Europe in May. Tickets can be found here.
All photos by Caitlin King
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