Travie McCoy woos crowd with humor and energy
Travie McCoy has gotten a lot of buzz for his solo career, and Wednesday night, McCoy’s energy and humor proved the Gym Class Heroes member knows how to please a crowd.
Smiley face · The amusing facial expressions and personal narratives from Travie McCoy highlighted his talent at the El Rey Theatre show. Opening acts included Pete Wentz, who first discovered Gym Class Heroes. - Photo courtesy of Fueled by Ramen
After a long opening act featuring four radical artists — XV, Donnis, Bad Rabbits and Black Cards — Travie McCoy finally took the stage of the El Rey Theatre.
As soon as each member of the band stepped out and took their places McCoy started with a bang as his microphone stand lit up and he performed his upbeat “Akidagain.”
McCoy has had help on the tour, which he is using to promote his album Lazarus, from fellow musicians, including Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, who also performed that night.
In fact, the most fun part of the opening performance was watching the drunk and untalented Pete Wentz bop to the wrong beat and play his incredibly simple and unfitting bass lines.
It was a great homage for Wentz to open for McCoy, as Wentz himself, under the label Decaydance, was the one who originally discovered and signed Gym Class Heroes.
McCoy riled up the audience, calling everyone to their feet, to “shake what [they] got.” He then shared an anecdote with the audience, one that fit the lyrics of the song.
“I’m always sick,” he said as he started his tale and at the end he stating, “That’s why I need a doctor to feel better.”
When audience members caught the key words, they broke out into applause and cheer for, in this case, “Dr. Feel Good.”
“Anyone been in a bad relationship?” McCoy asked. “The worst thing you could do to a guy is break up with them over phone or email,…” he shared before launching into “We’ll Be Alright.”
He rapped each line flawlessly and sang each chorus with excitement and personality.
His charismatic words and excitement, without fail, brought everyone to their feet, dancing along. McCoy stressed the live show makes him and his audience feel like family.
He was extremely personable and made sure everyone in the audience not only felt included but also was having a great time.
During his performance of “Billionaire,” McCoy stated how loud it was on stage and asked the audience to sing the chorus for him as the band quietly provided backup.
The audience sang the chorus as McCoy comically illustrated the meanings of the lyrics with amusing facial expressions.
As the night progressed, the audience only got louder. As McCoy headed off stage after performing his popular “Need You,” the audience immediately began screaming for an encore.
Soon after, McCoy’s drummer appeared and banged out solos over clips of the DJ Khaled’s popular “All I Do Is Win” and Lil Wayne’s “6 Foot 7 Foot.” McCoy then stepped out with the rest of his band and performed “After Midnight.”
The night closed with McCoy announcing that Gym Class Heroes is not breaking up and that the band’s new album will be released within the year.
He then began his final song, “Cupid’s Chokehold,” the song that put both Gym Class Heroes and Travie McCoy on the map in the music world.
All in all, McCoy’s charisma and enthusiasm captivated the audience throughout, and even those who might not like his music probably still got a kick out of McCoy’s humor and personable performance.