A line circled around the block. People in crop tops and mesh shirts posed for pictures taken on flip phones. The year is 2021, and 100 gecs had finally made it to San Diego! A combination of liberal meme-ers and gays had come together into what was likely one of the softest, most eclectic crowds San Diego had seen since the pandemic began – which made the ensuing chaos all the more surprising!

As the show started, it was clear few were ready for – or familiar with – the best dog, Aaron Cartier. Despite this, no one was willing to dispute his claim of being hip-hop’s best rapper – especially after starting out his set by screaming “Fuck it, I do what I want!” twenty times in a row over the most ridiculous production you’d ever heard. From blown out bass beats, to catchy hook after hook, Cartier never stepped off the gas during his set. An endless force of energy, we were stuck in his world, watching helplessly as he assaulted our senses. But it was his final message which left us giddy; he revealed he was opening a studio in San Diego and invited everyone the opportunity to work with him by DMing him directly on Instagram.

As the audience recovered from the better version of Playboi Carti’s set, people reveled in what they had just witnessed. Despite being a relatively unknown act, Cartier had impressed and left everyone feeling invigorated. Folks were excited to see what would come next.

The next opener, Underscores, just couldn’t manage to keep up with Cartier’s level of excitement or intensity. This was partially due to some bad sound mixing which left their lyrics unintelligible. The crowd’s enthusiasm, while still there, seemed to wane a bit during a set composed of, admittedly, mostly fun covers. That is, until the last moment when they dropped a bombshell on us. “And by the way, 15 minutes ago, 100 gecs released a brand new single! So get ready!”

With that, the crowd roared, the house lights went up, Death Grips’ “Pss Pss” came on over the speakers, and the excitement was back! People buzzed and shook each other in anticipation, eager to see what was to come. Suddenly, the curtain lifted onstage revealing two comically oversized speakers, and folks went ballistic. The stage was set! Everyone was ready to be overwhelmed and overstimulated.

And that’s exactly what happened. By the time the lights went out and the 100 gecs duo of Laura Les and Dylan Brady strutted out in full wizard robes, they had already spellbound the audience. Starting off with a new song, “Hey Big Man,” Les and Brady traded verses like the Beastie Boys between bridges of heavy guitars lifted out of a 2000’s era pop-punk song. Content they had properly bewitched us, the duo next gave us the catharsis we had been waiting for – an autotuned horse whinnying. Pandemonium immediately ensued as everyone rushed to the center of the floor where a massive pit formed and everyone’s favorite song about a stupid horse came on.

From start to finish, there was never a dull moment in their show. Whether they were crooning heartfully over an acoustic rendition of “gecgecgec,” or screaming in octaves beyond what should’ve been humanly possible, these wizards had us under their spell.

Most surprising though was the apparent metal influence throughout their set. From Les’ growling to Brady’s roars, the noises coming from their throats seemed at complete odds with the flip phones, 3DS’, and PS Vitas trying to take pictures of the two. And yet, this picture made sense. For as much as Les and Brady clearly wanted their return to touring to convey intensity, they also wanted to have fun. We all did. It’s why collectively we chanted “one more gec” to ask for an encore.

After strobing the hell out of us during “800 db cloud” and reducing our visual processing power to that of a slideshow – suddenly it was over. The house lights came on. People reunited with the friends they had lost in the chaos. And we were released back into the wild. A little more feral perhaps, but a lot more happy.