Review and photos by Emily Evans
It was the end of his sold out, final show on his Sol & Luna tour at the Rickshaw Stop and ¿Téo? turned to the crowd, smiling, and asked, “I think I’ll start the next tour in San Francisco, what do you guys think?” After a night of performing to an audience ready to dance with him, hand him (either a booklet of their art or their passport mid set… unclear and perhaps equally plausible?), and sing along to every lyric, it was no wonder that San Francisco left a good impression on the artist. Rest assured; the feelings were mutual.
With this performance, the rapper closed his aforementioned Sol & Luna tour, bringing his unique blend of bilingual rap and soulful melodies to audiences across North America. The tour showcased tracks from his debut self-titled album and his sophomore album, Sol, and is a prelude to the release of his highly anticipated third album, Luna, which is set to release later this year.
Stepping into the building, I could already see that this was going to be a special show. The Rickshaw Stop is a noticeably cozy venue; one where if you weren’t preoccupied with an amazing concert, you’d most likely be busy making friends with the incredibly cool human beings around you. This, coupled with the kind, fashionable, and energetic crowd of ¿Teo?’s fans meant that while being in a room with strangers, one was convinced that they were sharing music among friends.
The drinks were cold, the mic was hot, and the crowd was waiting with anticipation to get warmed up when opening act Maesu took the stage. The Alabama artist has collaborated with musicians like Amaarae and delivers his rhythmically vibrant music with a distinct friend-who-gets-you-to-dance-in-your-living-room-after-a-bad-day kind of stage presence. Comforting, energizing, and you can’t help but smile with him. Instant dopamine hit!
Performing songs from his recent debut album, JamPack Spring ‘23, Maesu had hearts and the stage alike warm and ready to go. With the room primed, on came ¿Teo? ready to start what would turn out to be an intimate, glowing closing act of the tour leading up to it.
Yeah, therapy is cool, but have you ever seen ¿Téo? perform live?
Known for his introspective lyrics and smooth vocal delivery, ¿Téo? creates a captivating live performance that showcases his versatility as an artist, sure to take the crowd through a range of emotions and right back to a place of pure musical bliss. Especially of note was the incredible chemistry his band had, in fact, they truly set the standard for how much fun the audience should be having. Smiles on faces, guitars above heads; it was impossible to not feel how above being a final stop on a tour, the show was a celebration where the audience was invited to share in not only the music being performed, but the love behind it and the journey that it has taken to get here.
Just when San Francisco thought ¿Téo? couldn’t possibly have more to give, on came a surprise mid-set: Rapper and longtime friend of ¿Téo?, Jaden Smith, also known as Jaden, jumps on stage out of nowhere performing his hit track “Icon”. The room exploded! Jaws dropped! Heart rates increased! (Well, at the very least my camera’s shutter speed certainly did, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who delivers more of a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type of performance). The room was alive!
Following a performance of their joint hit, “Uno Dos”, Jaden and ¿Téo? Shared a moment of friendship and genuine support with the crowd as they spoke to one another and Jaden congratulated him on his upcoming performance at Coachella, where he would share a stage with legendary music names such as Frank Ocean; reminiscing on a time where ¿Téo? Was producing music out of a closet and complimenting him on the work he has put in to get where he is.
Getting a chance to speak with ¿Teo? after the show, his gratitude for the way he is able to share special moments like this with friends and fans was evident. When asked what his favorite part during his final performance of the tour was, he responded, “there was a moment in the middle of the show where I actually took the time to just sit there, and I don’t know how the audience perceived it, but the way I perceived it was as kind of a spiritual moment where I was like alright, this is the last show, what a beautiful feeling. I’m here, with all these people that enjoy the music and we’re having a really good time. I don’t know… it was more of an internalized experience… a beautiful moment that I had just being present with the crowd and knowing it was the last show, it was awesome.”
“Alright, this is the last show, what a beautiful feeling. I’m here, with all these people that enjoy the music, and we’re having a really good time.”
And there’s no doubt that San Francisco agreed with him; it was truly a really good time. Until the next tour, ¿Teo? !
