At the Fillmore Miami Beach, the Kid Laroi Shines Bright on a Stormy Evening

In the past four years, 20-year-old rapper the Kid Laroi has had a journey that saw him start as Juice Wrld's protégé and slowly grow into an internationally beloved artist. He's only continued to blow up with each single he releases, thanks to social media sites like TikTok, where his music is previewed until it's impossible to escape.

That's why New Times braved flood warnings and traffic to make it to his show at the Fillmore Miami Beach on a Tuesday night. Even though we got there just before opener Glaive, it was clear that the crowd would consist of Gen Z kids as well as Gen Alpha and their chaperones.

The merch line was long and filled with kids ready to throw their money away for a $90 hoodie while some of Laroi's music played in the lobby.

I made my way to the general admission seating area, as the general admission pit was already at capacity. To get access to the pit, you had to arrive early to the venue and get a wristband that guaranteed access.

The crowd made its way in, trying to navigate the seating situation as Glaive got on stage. It was my first time seeing the 19-year-old singer and producer, but it's clear that he needs to work on his live-show skills. His hyperpop songs were not mixed terribly but weren't good either. He used a vocal backing track that didn't mesh with his voice, just letting it play while looking miserable on stage.
His music is supposed to have an emo influence, but most of his banter just included him saying that the next song would be a banger or an awkward self-deprecating joke. Few people in the crowd were vibing to the music, minus a portion of the front of the pit section that would bounce for a couple of his songs.

After a 25-minute set, he left the stage, and the DJ just started playing Drake songs to keep the crowd entertained.

It was about 9:02 p.m. when Laroi finally hit the stage, rocking a white long-sleeve, brown cargo shorts, and a white bandana to the sound of "Sorry," the opening track of his debut album, The First Time.

After performing "What's the Move?" Laroi had his first banter session with the crowd, during which he told Miami that Tampa had been the best crowd on the tour so far. That was a big mistake, as there would be chants of "Fuck Tampa!" throughout the entirety of the show. In response, Laroi asked the crowd if they wanted to go back to 2020, performing the banger "Diva," which finally made the crowd erupt and showed the first sign of life from the crowd as they bounced and sang to the chorus.

Laroi then went into story-time mode, telling the crowd why he decided to bring back the NBA YoungBoy collaboration "Tragic" onto the setlist before jumping into the track.

One of the evening's highlights was Laroi's performance of the TikTok-teased song "Girls," prefacing it with the promise that he'd release the song by the end of the month. It's a big deal because, as most fans know, Laroi is infamous for saying that certain songs and projects will get released but are often delayed extensively or never see the light of day. He repeatedly assured the crowd that it would be dropped, adding that the music video would be filmed the following day.
As Laroi sang "Girls," it was evident the crowd already knew the words to the unreleased track.

The show got a bit slower during his performances of "Deserve You" and "Where Do You Sleep?" but picked up again when the chants "Long live Juice!" began. This led to "Go," one of Laroi's collaborations with his deceased mentor. It was one of Laroi's more animated showings, with Laroi jumping with the crowd and even rapping Juice's verses.

With songs like "Nights Like This," "Bleed," and "Heaven." Laroi expressed a bit of vulnerability, singing with a mike stand on stage before hopping onto a pillar so that everyone could see.

The crowd raised their phones' flashlights as he sang the popular track "Without You." Behind him, a live blue-tinted video of Laroi filled the giant LED screens, which were also bright white and gave the performance a sense of nostalgia and sadness.

"Thousand Miles" kept up the same nostalgic vibes, but that was all turned upside down when the crowd started chanting "Long live Juice!" again. You'd think that would have encouraged us to play another one of his Juice collaborations like "Hate the Other Side" or "Reminds Me of You," but instead, he went straight into pop-rock territory with "Always Do."
Laroi continued with "What Just Happened" before thanking the crowd for coming out despite the terrible weather. It's evident Laroi cares if his fans are having a good time. His crowd interactions and banter with them were some of the most enjoyable parts of the show. His stage presence is also a big factor, along with the fact that he doesn't rely so heavily on a vocal backing track, something that can make or break a rap concert.

After announcing he would perform the evening's final song, he jumped into his biggest hit, "Stay," as the crowd went insane. Everyone sang the song along as the LED lights engulfed them in flashing blue and white while Laroi gave it his all on stage.

Of course, this being the last song of the night was a lie, as the crowd called him back to the stage for an encore, which included the Lil Yachty track "Hatred" and the second being "What Went Wrong???" before hopping off for good.

Photos From the Kid Laroi's Concert at the Fillmore Miami Beach: