- Jacqueline Radakovich
On Saturday Night at the Liberty Trust Arena, the Island Glow Tour came to Omaha, Nebraska. Performers included Tropidelic, G Love & Special Sauce, Yelawolf, and Dirty Heads. The tour kicked off on June 13th and ends on August 12th . The Omaha show was right in the middle of a whopping 40 dates. However, every artist came out swinging, full of energy, and ready to have yet another amazing show. This tour comes after Dirty Heads’ Island Glow EP, released in April of this year. The crowd was excited and stayed energetic throughout the whole thing. The lineup of artists on this tour was smart and helped the crowd stay engaged, even if they did not know one or a few bands. They were perfectly similar to Dirty Heads but different enough to stay interesting. It was overall a great lineup that I was immediately excited to see.
Tropidelic at Liberty First Credit Union Arena Photo Credit: @thatonemitchkid
I attended an interview with the two frontmen of Tropidelic before the show. They were
extremely kind and answered many questions we had. When they came out to perform, I
honestly was not expecting the amount of energy they brought. They came out swinging and were able to get the crowd hype right off the bat. Tropidelic is a midwestern band from
Cleveland, Ohio, with an interesting mix of reggae, rock, hip-hop, and funk. They were
interactive with the crowd, and their energy quickly rubbed off on them, creating a vibey and
joyful atmosphere. Even those who did not know Tropidelic were able to have a great time
during their set and most likely leave a fan. I know I did. Their immaculate chemistry on the
stage shows, and they are amazing together as a band. Their energy rubs off on each other, and you can visually see them having fun on stage. When asked what the feeling he has on stage is, Matthew Roads described it as fulfillment, and you can see those emotions on his face during the performance, which is great to see. The vocals were on point, and the horns were the most entertaining section, as they were able to get into it and bring the energy.
G. Love & Secret Sauce was another band I was not expecting at first. They first started in the 90s and are still going strong to this day. Their music is an odd mix of hip-hop, blues, rock, reggae, and soul. While it is an odd mix, it somehow comes together beautifully and fits together like a puzzle you did not know you needed. Right when they set up the string bass on the stage, I was intrigued. G. Love then came out with the harmonica, guitar, and vocals at the same time, which was amazing. It did not even seem like he was playing three instruments because he made it look so easy. They played well together as a small three-person band and were in sync. They had a great dynamic and did not seem to be missing anything. They did not need to be big like some of the other bands. They did not have as much physical energy during their set because their instruments hindered that ability. Still, they were interactive and were able to keep the crowd entertained with their musical energy. They sounded awesome and had great chemistry. The string bass player got into it, and it was interesting to see, as you don’t get to see much of that instrument at a rock concert.
Yelawolf at Liberty First Credit Union Arena Photo Credit: @thatonemitchkid
Yelawolf was a bit different initially, as there was no band but a DJ station and a super cool car setup with fire decals. It was immediately intriguing as someone who has not listened to Yelawolf much. Yelawolf made his debut in 2011 when he signed a record with Eminem and quickly advanced after that. He is a hip-hop artist who incorporates rock into his music and a little country from his hometown of Alabama. Being solo on the stage with only your DJ and all eyes on you alone is difficult. However, he did not make this look difficult at all with the amazing stage presence that makes you not want to take your eyes off him. He came out swinging with a bedazzled jacket and lots of energy. He was super interactive with the crowd; they were going crazy for him the whole time. It was interesting at first since Yelawolf is a bit rowdier than the other bands. Luckily, the crowd was down with it, and it worked out since Yelawolf and Dirty Heads have similar fan bases. He was different from the rest and different from many other artists out there, which kept eyes on him. He also sounded great and was a great performer. He was energetic the whole time and had an aggressiveness to him that fit his music perfectly. I loved how he talked with the crowd like they were his friends, and it was a great performance that I would see again. His DJ Klever also deserves an honorable mention, as he did a great job!
Dirty Heads at Liberty First Credit Union Arena Photo Credit: @thatonemitchkid
Seeing Dirty Heads perform is interesting because there are so many things on stage to look at. You have the frontmen and guitarist on the floor and many band members on an elevated stage behind them. They have all kinds of instruments that blend to create something awesome. Dirty Heads came together in 2001 and mixed hip-hop, rock, and reggae to create their sound. They had two main vocalists, and one of them also played guitar. On the elevated stage, they had a main drummer, a second drummer who also used bongos, a trombone, a trumpet, keyboard players, and another guitarist. It was a large band with many sounds coming together to create something great. Their set was visually cool with a pirate theme, and the elevation helped break up the band, so they were not all smashed together. The vocalists also used this to their advantage to get up high and create an interesting dynamic. Even if you think you do not know Dirty Heads, they have several hits, and chances are high that they play something that sounds familiar. They were fun to watch and had lots of chemistry as a band. They have a great stage presence, and performing seems to be in their blood. It seems easy for them as they look unphased about the screaming crowd cheering for them. This is not bad, as they still are interactive and acknowledge their fans. Their music creates good vibes and a great atmosphere. I also noticed that they attracted many kind people to their show. Everyone around me was nice and cared about the people around them, which can be hard to find at concerts nowadays. Dirty Heads also did a great job picking the perfect lineup for this tour. Each band is different in their way, but they all fit perfectly together and have similar fan bases. The crowd was able to get down with every artist that went on that stage. That is hard to do, especially with 3 openers. They had a great stage presence and played songs everyone knew or could get down to. Their set included hits like “Vacation”, “Medusa”, “Oxygen”, “Island Glow,” and many more. They still have many tour dates across the country for the next month, so if you missed this show, I would strongly recommend you get yourself to one, as it was a great time.
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