“Authentic, lyrical, smart and underrated” are just some of the words fans used to describe Maryland-native rapper, Logic. On Saturday, Logic took the stage at The Ritz along with Flint, Michigan, native Dizzy Wright. But before smoke, lights and heavy bass could fill the air, Logic took time to show appreciation to his fans. Logic hosted a meet and greet for all of the show attendees at 4:30 p.m., where fans could come and ask questions.
“I have not seen any other artist do that,” said Morgan Nicholson, marketing manager for The Ritz Raleigh
Nicholson said people had lined up as early as noon to meet Logic.
After the meet and greet, fans were asked to leave until the doors opened for the show at 7 p.m. As the event staff scanned tickets, a crowd diverse in both age and race filled the sold-out venue.
Dennis James, who graduated from NC State in 2009, stumbled upon the concert when looking up Logic’s latest album on Google. The genuine style of Logic is the reason why James gravitated to his music.
“His style is little more authentic,” James said.
Patrick Fullerton, a high school freshman from Concord, North Carolina, discovered Logic in the sixth grade and has been a fan since. Fullerton described Logic as “different, lyrical and smart.” Fullerton, a fan of both acts, traveled two-and-a-half hours to see both Logic and Dizzy Wright, as Raleigh was their only stop in North Carolina.
At 8:30 p.m. Dizzy Wright, a Las Vegas native who has been rapping since the age of 10, opened the concert. Wright engaged the crowd with his heavy bass and West Coast sound, performing his most popular songs, including “Floyd Money Mayweather.”
Following Dizzy Wright, DJ Rhetorik, one of the major contributors to Logic’s most recent album “The Incredible True Story,” warmed up the crowd with a heavy set of mixing between both hip-hop and pop music. As Rhetorik finished his set, the LED screen board lit up with a countdown that fans began to scream as they prepared themselves for Logic to take the stage.
As smoke filled the stage, the screen showed a 3-D animation that depicted a journey through space, and fans began to chant the lyrics of “Contact,” the opening song of Logic’s most recent album. When the song finished, the screen went black and more smoke entered the stage. Logic then took the stage performing “Fade Away,” the biggest hit off his most recent album.
After finishing his opening set, Logic gave praise to be in a place where him saying “y’all” isn’t considered weird. Logic’s last performance in North Carolina was in March 2015 at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina.
Logic, acknowledging the diversity in the room, said, “There are a people from 6 to 60 in this crowd.”
He made the crowd promise that it would spread peace, love and positivity through the night. Throughout the concert, Logic performed songs from his two albums, his previous mixtapes and some new, unreleased music.
Logic interacted with the audience in between sets, at one point having full conversations with a few fans and another time receiving a Rubik’s Cube, Logic’s iconic ideogram, and solving it on stage. Logic told an anecdote to the crowd of him meeting two people, a black kid “in the hood” and a nerdy white kid in the suburbs, and both solved a Rubik’s Cube while expressing their appreciation for his music. The show came to a close at 11 p.m.
Stevie Thompson, a sophomore studying industrial engineering and a long-time fan of Logic, was satisfied and expressed the nostalgic value behind hearing some of his favorite songs live.
“When he played ‘All I Do,’ oh man. That was the first song I ever heard from Logic,” Thompson said.
This was Logic’s 32nd sold-out performance on “The Incredible World Tour.” Logic has 11 more sold out shows left, all in the United States, before taking his tour overseas.
Dizzy Wright, nevada based rapper, performs at the Ritz on March 19th to during The Incredible World Tour. Dizzy Wright ,one of the opening acts for Logic, perfomed several songs including Floyd Money Mayweather.
