G-Eazy and Logic @ Festival Pier with YG and Yo Gotti.

Text by Cameron Robinson. Images by Ashley Gellman.

The sky was clear, with a light breeze blowing as the sun set in the background – a scene almost too perfect for rappers G-Eazy (Gerald Earl Gillum) and Logic (Sir Robert Bryson Hall II), on their Philadelphia stop at Festival Pier on The Endless Summer Tour.

The crowd was filled with fans sporting the looks of the rappers they came to see – the ’50s greaser look with a modern Bay area spin for G-Eazy fans and NASA jackets and full on orange NASA jumpsuits for the RattPack, Logic’s affectionately named fans, who paid homage to Logic’s Space Opera themed, The Incredible True Story.

It was not hard to see why G-Eazy, from Caligfornia, and Logic, from Maryland, joined forces for this tour. They  both draw inspiration from the ’50s.

Aria Nicole, 21, has been listening to G-Eazy since before his rise to fame.

“A lot of people here didn’t listen to his MySpace music,” she said. “It had the ’50s, run-around summer feel. It was different but it worked!”

As with G-Eazy, Logic’s early mixtapes were also ’50s inspired, most notably by Frank Sinatra. Logic even went so far as to adopt the moniker Young Sinatra. He calls his group of friends and his fans the RattPack, a nod to the 1950s super group led by Sinatra. Logic has stated his positivity comes from growing up with Sinatra.

Liz Ayers, 36, couldn’t have agreed more.

“‘Incredible True Story’ is my favorite song from [The Incredible True Story],” she explained. “When my son showed him to me, I had no idea who he was but his message, it’s just what I need to hear in my life. What he says is real but it’s uplifting.”

Her son, Ryan Ayers, 16, wearing a NASA jacket, added, “My friends were playing his song, ‘All I Do’ and it was really good. After that, I looked up his music. I’ve enjoyed everything he’s made since.”

Both rappers don’t rap about what is usually heard on the radio.

“They talk about their lives,” Ashley Marie, 21, pointed out. “They’re authentic and relatable. They rap about more than just money and girls.”

“They have real emotion behind their lyrics,” Nancy Thatch, 22, said.

Both women shared that some of G-Eazy’s lyrics are so relatable it brought them to tears.

YG and Yo Gotti hyped up the crowd as the opening acts. YG’s song “Fuck Donald Trump” got the crowd so engaged that chanting of the hook continued long after the song was over.

After a slight lull, the on-stage screen came to life as Logic’s song “Contact” began to play. With no one on stage, images of space started to flow through the boom box shaped screen. As the song ended, Logic’s name was chanted throughout the sold-out crowd. As if summoned by their collective voices, Logic appeared on stage wearing a cap and a FILA shirt. The chants only grew louder.

After confessing that he was sick with a fever earlier in the day, Logic jumped head first into entertaining the crowd. Throwing nothing less than his heart and soul into his performance, he gave the crowd what they were asking for and more.

Keeping things fresh, Logic began to play music from his recent mixtape, Bobby Tarantino, choosing to play the well-received track “Super Mario World.” At one point, he even took a moment to teach everyone how to produce a proper beat. From defining and giving an example of metronome, to actually freestyling over a self-produced beat on the spot.

Logic ended his set with “Gang Related.” Finishing strong, he began rapping in his usual rapid-fire pace, then he abruptly stopped the music, calling out a fan in the front row for her impressive memory of his lyrics.

“Let’s see if you can keep up!” he taunted her, smiling.

As Logic began swiftly rapping a verse from the song, an equally amazing sight took place. On the screen, a young girl kept up with Logic – word for word, line for line, syllable for syllable. Stopping, he looked at her again and challenged her with a different set of lyrics. Without out missing a beat, she stayed right there with him, looking him dead in his eyes.

“What’s your name?” Logic asked.

“Shea,” the girl in the horn-rimmed glasses beaming with confidence shouted.

“Hey Shea, how old are you?” Logic continued, smiling.

“I’m 14,” she said as a low rumble of cheers began to spread.

“Damn, girl,” Logic continued. “You’re about to put me out of a job. All right, this is the last one and we’re going to do it in one breath! You ready?”

Nodding in agreement, they begin rapping.

Logic, rapped at a pace that was so rapid it made indelible impressions on any listeners ears. Yet, the whole time, Shea was rapping right along with him.

Logic, satisfied with the girl’s talent, congratulated her and resumed his last song.

“Like I said, I’m here to promote peace, love and positivity,” Logic reminded the crowd. “You are all capable of anything you put your mind to!”

Leaving with that message, it was clear that even those who weren’t there to see Logic appreciated the truth in his logic.

After the sun set, a short intermission took places. Murmurs could be heard all around. Among the calmness, a countdown clock appeared on the screen, everyone sprinted back towards the stage. At five seconds, the crowd finished the rest of the countdown.

With every light on stage burning red, G-Eazy walked through the screen illuminated by the bright neon glow, a pure silhouette.

He opened with “Random,” from the album When It’s Dark Out. After a few songs, G-Eazy addressed the crowd, walking with a swagger he began to talk about his love for Philadelphia,

“I remember first coming here and selling out shows with 200 people at The Barbary. And now here I am,” he continued, bending down to pick up a bra. He paused and grinned at the crowd while everyone went wild. “Some cities are whatever. But Philly is close to my heart!”

He threw the bra and began his next song, “I Might,” which seemed fitting after the given scene.

Midway through his set, G-Eazy took a moment to introduce and thank the people on stage with him, from his drummer to his DJ. Soon after, he invited the opening acts back to the stage. First YG, performed the remixed version of “Fuck Donald Trump” featuring G-Eazy himself. Yo Gotti was next up, hyping the crowd with his song “Down in the DM.”

Taking a moment to slow the mood, G-Eazy played some of his more sensual songs. With the screen going black, G-Eazy reappeared under a white light with a mic and a stand. Shouting out the next few songs to the ladies in the crowd, he began to perform the song “Some Kind of Drug.” By the end of the song, a few more garments ended up on the stage, much to G-Eazy’s delight.

After closing the concert with his radio hit “Me, Myself & I,” G-Eazy reminded the crowd that in truth, without them he wouldn’t be here.