Pop/R&B-singer Estelle brought a live band and a crowd-pleasing performance to the House of Blues Tuesday, but the night belonged to opening act Kid Cudi.
Kid Cudi stole the show with a too-short set. Even though he was allotted only 30 minutes to perform, Kid Cudi took full advantage of his time slot and spot on the bill. His performance began with Kid Cudi singing the hook to Kanye West’s ‘Welcome to Heartbreak.’ The introduction was fitting since Kid Cudi sings the hook on the record and is also signed to West’s record label, G.O.O.D Music. The set continued with ‘Dat New ‘New” and another crowd pleaser, ‘Down and Out.”
Being under West’s wing has positively rubbed off on the showmanship aspect of Kid Cudi’s live performance as he dimmed the house lights and had one spotlight upon him before breaking into the anthemic, ‘Man on the Moon (The Anthem).’ The song serves as an appropriate moniker for Kid Cudi, who is proud of his diversity in style, singing smooth hooks to go along with his cutting edge brand of hip-hop.
His single ‘Day ‘N’ Nite’ was also a crowd pleaser. The song went from being a mix tape favorite to hip-hop radio hit. Kid Cudi urged the crowd to sing along and left the stage to ground level to rock the fans by the barrier.
New song ‘The Sky Might Fall’ also made its way into the set. The song will be included on his upcoming summer album, which features songs produced by West. South by Southwest in Austin be another opportunity for Kid Cudi to showcase his talent as he is slated to perform at 1 a.m. Thursday March 19 at Aces Lounge. In the meantime, the ‘A Kid Named Cudi’ mix tape can be downloaded for free at his official Web site, http://www.kidcudi.com.