Rapper/singer Grandson has been on tour for the most of 2023 but this summer at the end of July played two special shows at History in Toronto. Local alternative rock band Monowhales took the responsibilities of opening up the show on the night. Since the band is also from Toronto – its safe to say a good portion of the crowd were fans of this group as well as the main event. To mark the special occasion of Grandson’s homecoming, the artist had a smoke and spark machine installed at the front of the stage that would fire sparks and fog up into the air during the performance. Grandson is currently touring for his new record titled “I Love You, I’m Trying” that was released this year in 2023 on Fueled by Ramen records. The new album is powered by three singles so far which were all released during the course of the year. 
Grandson’s musical style could be could be described as rock and roll blended with hip-hop which would make most people think of bands like Rage Against the Machine or Limp Bizkit. I would have to say Grandson’s lyrical style reminds me of a young Eminem at times with a three piece rock band backing him up. In terms of musical demographic, Grandson seems to land in the alternative music section in publications and on radio stations. Perhaps if he was born 20 years earlier and hit the scene in the late 90’s he might have been perceived differently but over the past two decades white emcees have been more accepted into the mainstream music market. Who knows? possibly if Slim Shady hit the music scene today maybe he would make music with a band rather then a DJ and turn tables. One thing is for sure that Grandson has generated a huge buzz over the past five years and is gathering a huge fan base across North America and now the world.
The stage set in Toronto would have two platforms, one with the drum kit and the other with the park bench and the street sign with the name of the new album written on it. As expected from a Grandson show there was a rowdy audience and lots of crowd interactions between songs. It would seem on the surface to be a typical out of control, rock and roll crowd but Grandson would always talk to the audience to make everyone feel welcome. The set list for the show’s main event would start with two special introduction songs which are the timeless classics of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and Eminem’s Lose Yourself. The show consisted of 24 tracks in total including the encore and the usual in crowd song where Grandson gets up close and personal with the audience. We recorded a live video clip of the song Dark Side which was performed about a quarter way through the set.
Grandson is currently still on tour in Europe until the end of the month so get out and take in the event when he comes to your region. As mentioned earlier enjoy video clip just below filmed in July in Toronto at History via the YouTube link and be sure to follow the artist on Instagram @grandson.
Photos and Article By Kyle McNeil(@trueaspectmedia)
