Aesop Rock May 18, Fremont Country Club.
“I don’t feel like I’ve reached full-on Mike Patton status, where I can wear shorts everywhere that I go,” Aesop Rock said Wednesday night at Fremont Country Club, during the Las Vegas stop on his Impossible Kid tour. “I tried to be a gentleman and wear pants. That said, it’s hotter than a mother*cker out here.”
Aesop Rock hit the stage promptly at 9:30 p.m., rocking an MF Doom T-shirt, his stage decorated with various woodland creatures and atmospheric flame effects. But there was no “Kumbaya” to be heard, as Rock ripped into “Mystery Fish” delivering his lyrics with double-time bounce. It was a bold choice, starting with a track from a weeks-old album, but as the set unfolded with “Rings” and “Lotta Years” it became clear: Aesop was performing cuts from The Impossible Kid—in order. As on that record, track four of the set was “Dorks,” with nothing lost to irony. “Party over here? I'll be over there …,” cried Aes, with the fans mimicking his every move and word.
Rob Sonic solo cuts were interspersed throughout the set, as were impressive scratch sessions from DJ Zone. As the show began to wind to a close, Aesop belted out favorites like “None Shall Pass” and his Blockhead-produced breakthrough masterwork “Daylight.” Opener Homeboy Sandman joined Aes at the end for a performance of tracks from their collaborative project Lice.
Even though Aesop Rock lacks radio hits, his fans remain dedicated, showing up in full force, appreciative of this slice of culture in a city regularly force-fed Auto-Tuned radio rap.
In tow for the show were Aesop's former Definitive Jux cohort Sonic and Stones Throw’s Sandman. At the start of the show, fans filtered in during the latter’s performance, remaining still and observant for what had to be a challenging set for the emcee. The crowd was largely Gen X and Drake-bearded, but would likely argue their beards were more of the Fidel Castro, Action Bronson variety. There was one girl with her freakum dress on, who must have thought A$ap Rocky was performing instead.