The Renegade Tour 2016 offers variety, vivacity at New Orleans concert

Nurah Lambert, Associate Arcade Editor

The Renegade Tour 2016 presented by disc jockey, concert promoter and founder of HARD music brand Gary Richards, known on stage as Destructo, hit New Orleans at 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7. Held at Republic New Orleans, doors did not close until 4 a.m. the next morning, the party nonstop and electric.

The night began with a surprise guest performance by veteran DJ Leo “Slick Leo” Coakley, whose throwback themed set featured mixes including samples from artists such as Michael Jackson and Vanity 6.

The tour involves several musicians including Drezo, iLoveMakonnen, D.R.A.M., Felix da Housecat, E-40 and more. Each tour date is comprised of a different lineup of artists, the New Orleans date specifically with Destructo, Drezo and iLoveMakonnen. Initially, Spanish DJ Sita Abellan was also supposed to perform on the New Orleans stop, but complications prevented her from making an appearance. Even without her unique musical ventures, the Renegade Tour succeeds in bringing together a multitude of music genres like hip hop, house and electronic dance music under one roof, appealing to many listeners at a time.

“Tours like this kind of blend all those [different genres of music] for the concertgoer and the partygoer to experience, so I feel like that’s very cool,” iLoveMakonnen said.

As well as a diverse music experience, the concert was interactive. By the end of the night, the stage itself was packed with fist-pumping partiers, as Destructo requested the audience to join him during his set. Even earlier on in the night, there were audience members who managed to hop onto the stage, dancing along to iLoveMakonnen’s songs. The lively dynamic present in the show reflects the vivacious spirit of New Orleans as a city.

“Y’all turn up; that’s my impression [of New Orleans],” iLoveMakonnen said. “They always want to have a good party, so I know it’s going to be a good party every time I’m here.”

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