New York City welcomed Ty Dolla $ign with open arms during his headlining soiree at the Highline Ballroom on Monday evening (Oct. 26th). He hit the stage just before 10 p.m dressed in all black with a Supreme cap sitting atop of his swaying locks, and his sleepy green eyes covered with dark shades. Toting a freshly rolled joint and Jameson Irish Whiskey, the L.A native opened the show with the first single from his debut album, “Stand For.” He then turned the energy up a notch with the Sign Language favorite “Dead Presidents.”
After performing “Wood & Leather” from 2013’s Beach House EP, the self-taught instrumentalist went into an impressive guitar solo, showing that he is way more than just a ratchet connoisseur. He then rocked out with the smokers anthem, “Irie,” but not before a fan gave him a puff of his secret stash.
To the crowd’s explosive roars, Ty made sure to sing a medley of the songs of the summer like Omarion’s “Post To Be” remix, Jeremih’s “Don’t Tell ‘Em” remix, “You & Your Friends” from Wiz Khalifa’s Blacc Hollywood and Big Sean’s “Play No Games.” The crowd seamlessly sang along.
He also brought out some special guests to help him tear the stage down. The first was ATL’s ILoveMakonnen, who burst onto the stage with blonde curls on his crown. Hoards of concertgoers went berserk as he performed “I Don’t Sell Molly No More,” forming their own mosh pit.
The energy of the ballroom soared when the second surprise guest, A$AP Ferg, got the mic. The crowd jumped endlessly as Ferg performed “Shabba Ranks” and “Work.” With Ferg jumping into the audience to party with the people — and hype man Marty Baller crowdsurfing — saying fans were lit wouldn’t do the scene justice. His Pushaz Ink brethren TeeCee4800 even got to preview one of his tracks to the New York crowd.
Though, Ty is a singer by nature, he often gets mistaken for a rapper from his ferocious star power, edgy lyrics and rebel attitude. He took the opportunity during his live performance to showcase his raspy yet smooth singing voice as he opened up “Familiar” and “Paranoid” with acapella solos with much delight from the fans — especially the ladies.
As he went into another beloved Free TC single, “Blase,” Ty caused a frenzy as he insisted that the crowd spread apart and then sprint towards the middle of the dance floor to form a mosh pit before he dived for two wild crowd surfs. By the end of the show, he had come out of most of his all-black ensemble and had pulled a few twerk-ready ladies from the audience for some on-stage fun before closing with the Fetty-Wap assisted “When I See Ya.”
Ty Dolla $ign has been paving his way to the top ever since his touched the mic, and it is finally time for him to reign supreme. With the release of his debut, Free TC, steadily approaching, he is ready to officially introduce his raunchy-yet-refined sound to the world. If his debut is anything like his performance, expect an invigorating mix of polished rap&b.
http://www.vibe.com/2015/10/ty-dolla-sign-highline-ballroom-concert-review/
tanay hudson, the journalist 