Written by Dan Rose
After being a long-term fan and missing seeing NF on his ‘The Search Tour’ in 2019, which was cancelled due to the pandemic, I was appreciative to have the opportunity to attend the ‘Hope’ tour in Cardiff, Wales on 14th October.
Prior to NF gracing the stage just after 8:30pm, patient fans entertained themselves by tossing symbolic black balloons back and forth all over the crowd. Just before everyone eagerly got their first glimpse of Nate, the room was filled with a hazy mist, creating an atmospheric environment which would also play a part in his set throughout, along with exhilarating visuals. This build up of ambience echoed the different environments and scenes as seen in his official visuals, embodying the impact and aesthetic of his formidable music videos live in the flesh. There was careful attention to detail in every aspect of his performance, as even minor details like outfit changes, to represent his altering identity and persona, were replicated on the night.
Watching NF perform on this evening was truly like witnessing those music videos collectively come to life in front of my expectant and grateful eyes. Ecstatic fans were treated to an hour and a half long setlist of 20 songs, as the rapper performed soul-bearing and electrifying anthems from his incredible backlog of albums including ‘Perception’, ‘The Search’ and ‘CLOUDS (THE MIXTAPE)’, as well as his latest album ‘HOPE’, of which the tour is named after and in celebration of. From start to finish, this concert was a truly immersive experience and the energy in the venue was immense. It was captivating to watch the American lyricist perform live and, honestly, his captivating stage presence and consistently high energy performance was far from what I expected, considering his songs are very intimately written.
From a listener’s perspective, NF’s emotionally transparent lyricism could initially translate to him being very reserved and introverted in person but, on stage, he well and truly comes alive and what an honour it was to witness that in the flesh. He is such a natural performer; it was amazing to watch him float around the stage, and listen to him soar as he flawlessly recited each meaningful, poignant and carefully-crafted lyric live. The artistic merchandise available at the show was very well-designed and fans everywhere repped it amongst the crowd, including myself – I purchased one of the tour t-shirt designs.
Whilst Julia Michael’s verse on ‘GONE’ played out, Nate took the time to briefly greet fans and kindly sign their merchandise and VIP lanyards in the front row of the crowd, and I even saw someone get a work boot signed, just like Nate wore in various music videos from songs on his album ‘The Search.’ During his set, the artist immediately stopped the show when he noticed a fan needed medical attention amongst the heavily populated crowd, and the fans applauded him for his diligence in noticing this. Water was also distributed, by security, to people closer to the front of the crowd, even more so after this incident occurred.
I cannot wait to catch the inspiring wordsmith on tour again in the future, and I’d definitely like to treat myself to a VIP package when the time comes, as I’d love to be closer to the front row to get a better view of him perform his extraordinary music one day. Since I and so many others in the crowd relate heavily to so many of the songs he has written, the connection between NF’s fans and him felt even more powerful that night as we experienced the breathtaking escapism of his music live.
Words by Dan Rose
whitenoiseblog.uk 
Leave a comment