Live Review: Danny Brown at Roseland Theater, 5/11

Danny Brown at the Roseland Theater on May 11.
By MICHAEL MANNHEIMER

It's been a while since I've seen a crowd so hyped to see an artist perform, but I'm guessing that's the type of devotion that Detroit's Danny Brown is used to these days. 

The kids packing the Roseland Theater this past Mother's Day were straight rowdy from the opening tip, pogoing in unison and shouting “Danny! Danny!” before the house lights turned low. Brown’s crew came out a good 10 minutes before him, jumping around to “Hard in Da Paint” and A$AP Ferg’s “Shabba” before he ambled out to the stage, dressed in black leather pants and vest with the tip of his mohawk dyed blonde, to launch into an hour plus set of party bangers. 

I don’t use that descriptive lightly: This was almost more of a dance show than a straight up hip-hop show, as Brown skipped most of the mellower material from 2013’s Old in favor of crowd-friendly sing alongs like “Smokin & Drinkin,” “Side B (Dope Song)” and the molly-referencing “Dip,” which inspired every single tank-top bro (approximately 400 by my count) to rush the stage like someone was handing out free pills. It probably helped that Brown frequently gave love to the Blazers (the DJ was even wearing a Damian Lillard jersey), stuck his tongue out like Miley Cyrus, and went on a long, hilarious aside about how Tim Duncan never ages. 

He also didn’t forget to recognize the moment: "Here's to your mothers,” he yelled toward the end of the set. “Birthed some cool ass children because you're at a Danny Brown concert on Mother's Day and shit.” Brown’s still got a filthy mouth, but at least his heart is in the right place. 

All photos by Emma Browne.

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