There are many ways to judge a concert, but one easy way is to ask yourself, was it worth the price on the ticket? The answer for Kid Cudi’s Capital One Arena concert this month was a resounding no. 

With floor tickets no lower than $200, some closer to $500-600, and even nose-bleeds at about $70, the 90-minute performance Cudi gave did not quite meet the hype.

The concert kicked off around 7:00, when his openers, Strick and 070 Shake, performed for about half an hour each to a mellow, somewhat indifferent crowd. By the time Cudi took the stage, it was almost 9:00, and his fans were ready. Thousands of voices roared at his arrival, but his first songs were slower, less popular, and detracted from the energy. Obviously those attending were thrilled just to see Kid Cudi, but his first songs were not well known, and most people clearly could not sing along, which brought the energy down a bit. The thrilling light show did not reflect the energy of the crowd.

Eventually, Cudi moved on to his more popular tracks. Songs like “Mr. Rager” got the crowd on their feet and shouting the lyrics, but after he played a few of these more well known songs, he was gone. He went backstage, and stayed there for about 10 minutes as the crowd erupted in chants of “Cudi, Cudi” and “Come back, come back”. 

It was hard to believe that was his entire set, and sure enough, he took the stage once again to play a few more hits. “Pursuit of Happiness” and “love” brought it home, but he notably excluded two of his all time biggest songs: “Day ‘N Night” and “THE SCOTTS,” both of which were heavily anticipated by the crowd. 

Although the songs brought energy of their own, his stage presence was lacking. It seemed like he was mostly singing along. There wasn’t a lot of choreography or fan interaction, apart from when he signed a fan’s bra, hung it from his mic stand, and left it there for the rest of the night.

All that is to say is that when you charge hundreds of dollars for a single ticket to a concert, you expect to hear more than a perfunctory playing of half the set list. It’s fair to have some expectation of something more: a show. 

Cudi seemed to be going through the motions, and although he technically delivered a concert, it felt like he was taking his fans for granted. In the prime of his career, he performed for maybe an hour and a half. Paul McCartney, on the other hand, wrapped his tour this year at 80 years old, putting on three hour concerts with 30+ songs. 

It’s hard to believe that’s the best Cudi’s got. •