05.25.23 – Photos By Jordan Zinda / Review by McKenna Klaphake

Rappers BONES, Xavier Wulf, and Eddy Baker sold out The Fillmore on Thursday, May 25th. 

The three artists returned to Minnesota to perform for their fans who have supported them over the past decade. Since their early underground sound cloud days, BONES, Wulf, and Baker have exploded in popularity with many of their tracks having recently gone viral on Tik Tok. 

The show started with two DJ’s amping up the crowd with popular songs. From my vantage point up on the balcony, the main floor was already crammed with people by 7:30pm. Audience members must have had to wait in line for hours to have gotten there so early. This obsession for the performers was evident throughout many points of the night.

Unlike most shows that feature one or two openers before the main act, all three performers remained on stage throughout the whole show. While this may seem confusing at first, it makes sense when you realize that there is extensive collaboration between the three of them. The stage featured three coffins standing prominently between two trees. It fit the vibe for their “In Loving Memory” tour. The coffins opened to display mannequins that vaguely resembled the three men, obviously paying homage to their former selves, celebrating the death of what used to be and looking forward to the future. This was definitely the theme of the night as they performed a variety of songs from the hundreds of releases between the three of them. 

The highlight of the whole show was without a doubt BONES. The artist is an ethereal figure, always floating around the stage maintaining the character that he has become known for. With his head down and long black hair covering his face, BONES nodded along to every song whether he was singing or not, always in the same stoic stance. Then, all of a sudden, almost out of nowhere, like a beast swooping down on its prey, BONES would explode into high energy raps. His distinct deep voice highlights his tracks and creates a more broody energy. BONES performed his fan favorites including, “AirplaneMode”, “HDMI”, and “Dirt.” He also performed “Wicked” off his recent collaboration with Eddy Baker titled, “Jones Peak.” Baker has a distinctive voice with some slower songs that feature 80’s synth beats that you wouldn’t expect from this kind of music but is a pleasant surprise. 

Xavier Wulf also performed a variety of his releases. A highly recognizable tune, especially to newer fans like me, is his song “Tokyo Drift.” His older releases were clearly loved by all as the crowd went crazy for his songs “Psychopass”, “Whiplash’d”, “Thunder Man”, and “Mobile Suit Woe.” All three artists took turns going into the pit (as far as they were able to with security) to be as connected to the audience as possible. 

The artists had immense influence over the crowd. Like holy figures to the masses, the audience took instruction from Baker, Wulf, and BONES every time that they were told to open up the pit. When this happened, the entire crowd split, often into multiple groups, and moshed to the fast paced beats. Strobe lights and smoke machines emphasized each beat drop as chaos ensued on the floor below me. This has always been the culture of the underground rap scene that the three men are known for. While they are now far from those underground days, the high energy still remains.

They used this influence for good, while noticing that many folks were getting hauled of out the pit, they vehemently encouraged the audience to drink water. At one point BONES even told everyone to stop pushing forward. While many pits have become dangerous in recent years, all of the performers took responsibility to make sure that their fans were safe. 

The three performers showed their gratitude with BONES saying, “We appreciate you guys spending even a penny to see our dumb asses”, and “Happiness is kind of rare now, I love you mother fuckers.”

The show wrapped up with Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff” and the three artists handing out water to the crowd whose adrenaline was still pumping from the high energy performance. The mosh pit continued to surge long after the guys left the stage.

As My Chemical Romance’s “Black Parade” played, the crowd began to dissipate and break out in murmurs about how great the show was. Despite the fact that this was out of my personal comfort zone, I can’t help but mirror their sentiments as I was also blown away by the talent on display that night.