LIVE REVIEW: 2hollis and Nate Sib @ the Metro
WORDS and Pictures by Ayla Carli
The glowing Metro sign reflected light upon the icy street, illuminating hoards of people bustling with excitement, dripping with anticipation. Having been to The Hellp and other hyperpop shows, I’ve learned to recognize the usual hyperpop fan attire: skinny jeans, cropped leather jackets, wifebeaters, large combat boots and Nettspend-inspired haircuts.
Walking into the sweaty pit of chains and bleached hair, you can hear people screaming along with the opener, Nate Sib. While Nate is considered a hyperpop artist, he is truly a Justin Bieber-adjacent performer with his long vocal runs, backward hat, and calm, rhythmic dance moves on stage. While Nate is much less popular than 2hollis, the crowd was equally as energized for both artists, forming large mosh pits to songs like “Famous” and “Take It Slow.” Nate ended his set with “Don’t Fall,” which features sad lyrics about letting go intermixed with chaotic, explosive 808 bass-heavy beats.
Nate Sib left a rowdy audience that was increasingly enthusiastic during the wait for 2hollis’s set. 2hollis is a Chicago native (now LA-based) who had recently gained a die-hard fan base after opening for Ken Carson's A Great Chaos tour and releasing songs like “Trauma” that feature Soundcloud-rapper-type vocals and frenetic beats riddled with his signature Minecraft firework sound effect. At last, strobe lights illuminated the crowd and 2hollis emerged, playing his recent release “Gold,” which ignited one of the most intense pits I’ve ever experienced.
2 quickly left an impression with his distinctive outfit: a see-through shirt (which he quickly took off), skinny jeans, platform sneakers and a Chicago White Sox hat. From the first song, there was not a single moment where the crowd was not frantically jumping. 2 matched the crowd's energy by running back and forth on stage, doing his quintessential leg movements, rolling on the floor and reaching out to the audience, seemingly fighting the urge to break his nonchalant facade by cracking a smile.
The crowd intensified further during “Jeans,” a song 2 produced at only nineteen years old. One of the most exciting songs was “Promise,” a lesser-known song off of his latest album; he stood in the center of the stage screaming into the mic as the lights behind him stopped flashing for the first time all set. Throughout the entire performance, it was evident that each audience member had religiously listened to 2, even singing along to the 2hollis Nate Sib collab released two days prior. After Nate and 2 performed their song “Afraid,” both awkwardly stood center stage, looking around the packed and sweaty crowd in disbelief with 2 muttering, “I don't know what to say, I love you guys.” Then, upon leaving the stage, he whispered into the mic, “Text me. I love you. Text me. I'll see you later.”
The concert was incredible, especially as I’ve been a dedicated 2hollis fan for over a year and have witnessed him gain recognition for his genius beats and vocals. I saw 2 a few months ago during his outdoor set at Lollapalooza, where I was also able to sneak into the second row. Since Lolla, he's gained a much larger fan base, and his performances have adjusted to that fame. Compared to August, he’s taken on much more of a nonchalant stage demeanor and is no longer shocked when the crowd shouts every lyric, even to his oldest songs. However, 2 has not lost his ability to provoke large crowds with his sporadic moves and hyper-energy that make the one-man act fill some of the largest concert venues around the U.S.