A$AP Mob delivers electrifying reunion performance

On Tuesday evening, A$AP Mob gave an inspired performance to thousands of screaming fans at Shrine Expo Hall for the L.A. stop of its Too Cozy Tour. The tour has been a reunion of sorts for the Mob, as principal members A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, A$AP Nast, A$AP Ant and A$AP Twelvyy have been focused on their blossoming solo careers for the last several years. After releasing collaborative projects Cozy Tapes Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 each of the past two years, the Mob has discovered its newfound purpose as a collective.

The show was a scrum from the start. Hundreds of sweaty, antsy bodies attempted to push and shove their way forward as opening acts Key! and Treez Lowkey warmed up the stage for the Mob. Attendees maintained the high level of energy that A$AP Mob demanded throughout the performance.

The consuming bass of 2016’s “Yamborghini High” immediately rejuvenated a crowd that had all but burned itself out during the opening acts. A$AP Rocky, sporting a green and orange striped sweater, was all smiles for his glorious return to Los Angeles. The irresistable charisma that has propelled Rocky’s career was on full display, flashing a bit of gold each time the Mob’s frontman laughed.

The show felt less like a concert and more like a performance-driven celebration of A$AP Mob’s ascension as a brand and as a collective. The Mob was less concerned with covering its discography and more with letting the good times roll, but this led to no shortcomings in its performance as the members challenged the crowd to match their energy.

In an effort to shift the attitude in the room, Rocky crooned his psychedelic romantic ballad “L$D.” The heavy use of muddy bass and vocal distortion sedated a crowd eager to hear Rocky’s solo discography live. Rocky closed the Mob’s set with one of his more rave-worthy solo tracks, “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2,” — in an effort to energize the exhausted crowd one last time, Rocky and Ferg instructed the crowd to form some mosh pits. Needless to say, the Mob’s loyal fans hastily obliged.

While recent collaborator Playboi Carti was notably absent, the Mob brought out a few other high-profile friends in their Los Angeles show. Rocky brought out West Coast rapper ScHoolboy Q for a performance of their 2011 track “Brand New Guy,” which ScHoolboy Q immediately followed up by playing his stadium-shaking hit song “THat Part.”

Rae Sremmurd briefly joined the Mob onstage for an electrifying performance of their widely popular single “Black Beatles,” featuring a shirtless crowdsurfing Swae Lee. Hip-hop crooner D.R.A.M. graced the stage for just one song later in the show for a collaborative rendition of “Gilligan” with A$AP Rocky.

The night was one that could be adequately described as a mosh trance. The Mob has a Beatles-like effect on their fans — one that thrives off of the intersection of music, aesthetics and personality. From beginning to end, the Mob’s show encouraged a kind of consensual chaos that can only be achieved through the crowd’s impeccable chemistry with the artists. It is an experience for the uninhibited and the devoted. Luckily for A$AP Mob, its vast following can very well be described as both.