After a year of the group’s members pursuing individual projects, The Internet came together to release their newest LP, Hive Mind. On Thursday, November 29th, the R&B band brought the project to life in front of an energetic audience at the Fillmore.
As a frequent rap concert-goer and relatively new listener of The Internet, I didn’t know what to expect from this concert before arriving. I am used to going to shows where the rapper gets up on stage and rages with the audience; this experience was the complete opposite. While vastly different, The Internet’s show was distinct in all the right ways.
Opening for The Internet was Moonchild, another LA-originated music group. The group’s members, Amber Navran, Andris Mattson, and Max Bryk, were able to get the audience bouncing and singing with their talents using multiple musical instruments, such as the saxophone, the flute, and the clarinet, and Navran’s energetic voice.
Singer-songwriter-producer Steve Lacy, keyboardist Matthew Martin, bassist Patrick Paige Jr., drummer Christopher Smith, and lead vocalist Syd, who make up The Internet, gave off very chill, easygoing vibes from the moment they got on stage. Despite this, the group was able to capture, and hold, the audience’s energy through their groovy presence.
Syd was an angel. Even when she was just talking to the audience, her voice was soothing. Her demeanor alone was enough for the audience to feel warmth. Steve Lacy was a lot less goofy than he is on Instagram; nonetheless, he killed the guitar and his verses in “Beat Goes On.” Although it can be easy for the audience to brush off the instrumentalists, they each were dynamic in their own ways, contributing significantly to the overall experience. Every member of the group came together seamlessly to not only take the audience through their newest LP, but also some of the bops from their previous group project, Ego Death.
This concert was a lot more intimate than any other concerts that I have been to. Syd was very open and vulnerable in talking about personal things that a lot of people in the audience related to. She talked about old relationships, breakups, depression. In fact, she dedicated “It Gets Better (With Time)” to Mac Miller, stating that he “was the homie, man.” She was very successful in getting everyone in their feels. She talked about love the most — platonic love, love in a romantic relationship, self-love, and more. This, combined with her raw singing talent and the talents of Lacy, Martin, Paige Jr., and Smith, really allowed for everyone, despite the very obvious age gap, to have a very positive, jazzy experience.
