By Maggie Bush
Photo by Maggie Bush
With his electric alternative rap and hip hop, Abhi the Nomad marked his last Denver show with a dynamic set at Meow Wolf on Oct. 4, ensuring everyone left the venue sweaty, breathless and on top of the world.
Opening for Abhi the Nomad were two longtime collaborators, Harrison Sands and Khary. Both rappers in their own right, each brought their distinctive styles to the stage. Sands, who also provides backing vocals in Abhi the Nomad’ band, was the most sonically different. Half of his songs were ballads that highlighted his considerable vocal range and smooth riffs.
Taking the stage next, Khary’s set was filled to the brim with energy. Bringing his signature “weird” to the performance, Khary showed off his endurance with endless dancing and jumping around the stage, interspersed with jokes about his farmer overalls, child poverty and former “f-boy” identity.
Photo by Maggie Bush
Not long after Khary concluded his set, Abhi the Nomad and his jumpsuit-clad band took the stage to uproarious applause. Having announced an “indefinite hiatus” on his Instagram on Aug. 26, this show marked the halfway point of his final tour. The 17 song setlist was structured as a retrospection on his career, starting from his first album and moving forward chronologically. Two of his most streamed songs, “Sex and Drugs” and “Floors,” were performed in the very beginning. Nevertheless, the enthusiastic crowd belted out the words to the rest of the set. Similar to Khary, Abhi the Nomad was relentless in his stage presence, flying from one side of the stage to the other while calling out other rappers for their poor cardio, a diss he later had to breathlessly retract. When he brought out Khary, the energy on the stage was infectious, both rappers bouncing off each other. His band was no less exhilarating, with guitarist Travis Brown frequently pulling out impressive riffs and solos. The psychedelic-meets-futuristic decorations in Meow Wolf somehow blended perfectly with the cactus decorations brought by Abhi the Nomad, adding yet another level of weird fun to the show.
Towards the end of the night, he took a break from his non-stop performance to address the elephant in the room; he explained that one big reason he wanted to leave the music industry was the commodification of music in the age of social media. This echoed the statement he released on his Instagram, where he attributed his retirement to the decreased value corporations put on music and his discomfort with the act of pushing his content on social media when “far more pressing issues are at play in our current world state.” Not one to leave the audience bummed, however, he quickly teased his upcoming final album, which he assured fans would be released in 2025.
Photo by Maggie Bush
Far from a funeral, Abhi the Nomad’s eclectic, vibrant and fun set made for the perfect send off for his Colo. fans. While it’s a shame they’ll only be getting one more album from him, there’s no doubt the magic of this show will stick with them.