Photos and Review by Bethany Anna Packer
Hoodie Allen photos HERE
SUPERDUPERKYLE photos HERE
I have seen plenty of lines outside of the House of Blues Boston and up Landsdowne St. in my time. However, I have never seen a line like the one waiting for doors to open last Sunday night for Boston’s stop on Hoodie Allen’s Happy Camper Tour. A winding line of twenty something’s worked it’s way all the way around the corner at the Cask N’ Flagon and up Brookline, some said that they had been there for over 4 hours.
I was ignorant to what the hype was about as I had never seen Hoodie Allen, or his opener SUPERDUPERKYLE perform live. I had been promised a killer show and apparently by the turn out at the sold out House of Blues, I wasn’t going to be disappointed.
As the crowd quickly packed like sardines into the venue, SUPERDUPERKYLE and co-pilot SUPERDUPERBRICK immediately had the crowds attention firmly in the palm of their hands. The choreographed light saber fight between the duo only alluded to the shenanigans that were sure to ensue throughout the set. Kyle’s pop-rap performance was peppered with dancing, antics, water throwing, and a giant Pickachu character, all backed by a Super Mario Bro’s themed set and spectacular lighting. The highlight of the performance surely was Kyle mounting an actual surfboard, to literally crowd surf over his faithful fans. Never a dull moment from start to finish, I was so pleasantly surprised that I had to wonder how Hoodie Allen was going to stand up to his predecessor… I wouldn’t want to follow that!
Taking the stage it was clear that Hoodie would easily meet the challenge. Wearing his signature yellow smiley handkerchief around his neck, he stormed into the spotlight with “Intro To Anxiety” as the crowd went absolutely insane. Following with the theme of the night thus far, the set was sprinkled with surprises and interaction. As Hoodie performed multiple songs from his album, Happy Camper even more dancing and water tossing ensued. He worked the fans into a wild frenzy, setting the energy in the House of Blues on fire. Hoodie covered snippets of both “Love Yourself” by Justin Beiber and “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots between his own tracks, as the crowd sang along with every word of every song. There was the throwing of cake, the return of SUPERDUPERKYLE and SUPERDUPERBRICK for a joint performance, smoke guns, confetti cannons and a crowd surfing session across the length of the sold out House of Blues in an inflatable raft.
The Happy Camper Tour was most definitely one of the most fun and entertaining shows I have seen, now that I know what I’ve been missing I will not make that mistake in the future. It’s now clear why Hoodie Allen has the following that he does, and he has truly made a fan out of me. I look forward to seeing what he has for us in the future.
Hoodie Allen and SUPERDUPERKYLE at the House of Blues – Boston, MA
