IAN (TORONTO)

I admit that I’m not the biggest Ian fan, and his decline might be around the corner, but this concert was great. I live in Montreal, and his concert was in Toronto, which is a 7-hour drive. My friends really wanted to go, so I tagged along, but I wouldn’t have traveled to Toronto alone. It was still a fun experience, though.

This review covers Ian’s third concert at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, a sold-out show.

It was indeed sold out, with a line stretching half a mile around the block. The doors opened at 7 PM, and the show started around 8:30 PM with his DJ. The DJ’s set was alright—nothing extraordinary. He played some tracks from Chief Keef, Carti, Ken, and Osamason. It was hype, but the crowd didn’t seem to engage much, possibly because the vibe was too calm. The DJ’s set was brief, maybe 10 minutes, and Ian didn’t make us wait too long for what we came for. He kicked off his performance with “Never Stop” from his latest project. The mosh pits were huge but only lasted until the TikTok segment of the song ended, which was amusing. For a small venue like this, the mosh pits were the biggest I’ve seen, though they didn’t live up to expectations.

At that point, I wondered what Ian would play for the rest of the hour, as I wasn’t sure he had enough material. He played some unreleased tracks that no one in the crowd seemed to know, leading to an awkward atmosphere as people tried to figure out if the songs were from his album.

Ian eventually took to the piano on stage and played some classical music, which was a cool, if somewhat amusing, interlude. The concert played into his "white boy" image, with some fans dressed in the "had to do it to em" outfit from his album cover, which was pretty funny. He performed a good chunk of his catalog and ended with “Magic Johnson,” his biggest song, which really energized the crowd. After that, he left the stage, and the lights went out briefly. When he returned, he performed “Shouldn’t Be Drinking on Lean” and his collaboration with Yachty. He played “Magic Johnson” and “Hate Me” with Yachty once more before wrapping up the show.

For his third show, Ian already had a solid stage presence, which was impressive. However, Toronto crowds can be quite aggressive—I even saw a fight break out in the middle of a mosh pit.

Overall, I had a great time. Normally, I wouldn’t have traveled this far to see him, but it was enjoyable. He has a great stage presence, the track list was okay, and the mosh pits were weak. I wouldn’t return to see him unless it’s really convenient—I’m not driving another 7 hours just for this.

CONCERT RATING - 6.5

GENRE - Hip-Hop, Rap